L. L. Zamenhof the Yiddish form of the forename and a russified version of his surname; many later Russian language documents also include the patronymic "Markovich", as is the custom in the language. His family name is of German origin and was originally written "Samenhof"; the spelling Zamenhof reflects the romanization of the Yiddish spelling , as well as the Esperanto and Polish spellings. In his adolescence he used both the Yiddish "Leyzer" and the Russian "Lazar". While at university, Zamenhof began using the Russian name "Lyudovik" (also transcribed "Ludovic" or translated as "Ludwig") in place of "Lazar", possibly in honor of Francis
Jan Ludwik Popławski with throat cancer. Jan Ludwik Popławski died on 12 March 1908 in Warsaw. Jan Ludwik Popławski Jan Ludwik Popławski (17 January 1854 in Bystrzejowice Pierwsze – 12 March 1908 in Warsaw) was a Polish journalist, author, politician and one of the first chief activists and ideologues of the right-wing National Democracy political camp. Popławski entered the University of Warsaw in 1874. As a student he belonged to patriotic political organization Confederation of Polish Nation (Konfederacja Narodu Polskiego). In 1878 he was arrested by Russian authorities. Released in 1882, Popławski returned to Warsaw and began to write in the newspaper "Prawda"