[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Meaning of Alias

[Earl Schultz]

I think we all know the meaning of 'alias' in English but I am now wondering about the context of the word in Polish records.  Awhile ago I found a record that gave the surname of a male as "Werner alias Lange".  I thought I knew what that meant.

A couple of days ago, I found another record that said about the bride in a marriage:  "Ludwika Werner alias Kankowska, unmarried woman, born of Elzbieta z Gogolin Wernerowa, father unknown". 

Does this mean that her father was a Kankowski but her adopted father was Werner?  If the father was unknown and Ludwika was illegitimate, where would the surname Kankowski come from?  Normally in that situation the child takes the surname of the mother, Gogolin in this case.

It seems obvious to me that Werner cannot be the same surname as both Lange and Kankowski so the alias does not mean that the surnames are the same.

I would appreciate any insight to this.  
Thanks,
Earl