The etymology of the surname Orešnik

The article first focuses on the etymological explanation of the Slovene surname Orešnik, which is derived with the suffix -nik from the dendronym oreh ‘walnut tree’. Its original meaning was *‘possessor of the territory where walnuts grow’. The second part of the article raises some questions and provides answers about the origin of the compound suffix -nik < *-ьn-ikъ.