THE MEANING OF YOUR POLISH LAST NAME?

scrappletonThreads: - Posts: 1,365 Joined: Apr 28, 09 ♂	Nov 10, 09, 06:17 #481
???: Wierzchowsk .. a prissy girl.

Aerionx	Nov 10, 09, 11:15 #482
I've been searching for years and can't find a meaning for my last name, which is, KNEZINEK. Any help would be wonderful =) Thanks.

krysiaThreads: 26 Posts: 3,604 Joined: Aug 10, 06 ♀	Nov 10, 09, 21:07 #483
Aerionx: KNEZINEK One option is that it comes from Knieź. And this comes from the word Kniaz which is an Ukrianian or Lithuanian prince

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Edited by: Moderator Nov 10, 09, 22:55 #484

???:

Wierzchowski

** Nearly all Polish surnames ending in -owski are of toponymic origin. Wierczhowksi was derived from one of seeveral localities in Poland called Wierzchy, Wierzchowo, Wierzchów, maybe Wierzchowice, although the latter should have produced Wierzchowicki.
As for possible meanigns - it could have been derived from wierzchowiec (mount, riding horse) or wierzchołek (mountain top, peak, summit).

Aerionx:

I've been searching for years and can't find a meaning for my last name, which is, KNEZINEK.

** Knezinek (Кнезінек) looks like the Ukrainian diminutive meaning princeling (little prince).

ariana	Nov 12, 09, 15:13 #485
majierski

salsaThreads: 2 Posts: 11 Joined: Nov 9, 09 ♀	Nov 12, 09, 17:49 #486
My husband last name is Marchlewski and i was thinking about changing my last name to his but im not sure, can you tell me what it means?

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Edited by: Moderator Nov 13, 09, 00:26 #487

ariana:

majierski

MAJERSKI: The Majierski spelling you gave is impossible in Polish, but the Majerski surname is known and used in Poland. Its basic root could have been either the German word “Maier” (estate steward or dairy farmer) or the Hebrew name Meir (meaning brightness, light, illumination). Regardless of its origin, however, Poles would have added the adjectival -ski ending for patronymic purposes to describe someone as “the steward’s or dairy farmer’s son” of “Meir’s boy”.

salsa:

My husband last name is Marchlewski and i was thinking about changing my last name to his but im not sure

MARCHLEWSKI: Its basic root is Marchal or Marchel, a dialectic variant of the first name Melchior (incidentally the name of one of the biblical Three Wisemen, the remaining two being Kasper and Baltazar).
The -ski ending i adjectival and more often than not indicates a surname's toponymic (place-name-derived) origin. There is a village called Marchelówka in NW Poland's Podlasie region. People from outlying villages could have applied the Marchlewski, Marchlowski or Marchelowski nickname to someone who hailed from there. But remember - this may have occurred centuries ago. To later generations it became just another name.

dsar11	Nov 13, 09, 06:51 #488
Does anyone know the meaning of cieniawski. It looks like my great grand parents came from poland around 1904 and 1906. Ship might have left Breman.

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Nov 14, 09, 01:12 #489
Cieniawski - toponymic nick from Cieniawa or villages called Cienia (Shadowville, Shadeburg, etc.)

LacThreads: - Posts: 1 Joined: Nov 15, 09 ♂	Edited by: Lac Nov 15, 09, 17:37 #490
Hi! Im from Hungary,and my grandmother said they're family probably came from Poland. Her surname is Veliczky. Could it be a polish name cause i havent found noone like that name at all,and if its polish what does it mean? A lot of thx,greets

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Nov 15, 09, 23:10 #491
The Veliczky spelling is defintiely not Polish. Perhaps that was the Hungarian phonetic transcription of Wielicki - a toponymic nick for someone from the town of Wieliczka in southern Poland, not far from Kraków. That is where the world-famous Wieliczka Salt Mine is located.

MicheleNeitzke	Nov 16, 09, 02:44 #492
Hi! I've been searching about my surname NEITZKE a long time, but I couldn't find much until now. Does anyone know if it is a Polish surname? And what would be the meaning? My family came from Prussia and that's all that I know. Thank you!

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Nov 16, 09, 12:12 #493

Most if not all German names ending in -ke are of Polish or other-Slavonic (Czech, Sorbish, Polabian) origin. In their Slavonic tongues of origin they mean somethiing, whereas in German they are meaningless adaptations. A good example is Pomerania (Latin-derived Egnlish version). Pommern is a Germanised verison of Pomorze (Polish-Slavonic for along the sea). The common German surname Lipke means nothing in German but in Polish lipka is a little linden tree.
Neitzke isi probably another case in point. It appears to be the German adaptation of the Polish word neicka (a topographic term for a basin, depression or hollow).
Incidentally, 39 people in Poland use the Niecka suirname and 7 use what I beleive to be the German adptation - Neitzke.

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Nov 16, 09, 21:35 #494

Hello, I'd like to know the meanings of the following Polish names:

Dobija and Pryzbilka, both from the Carpathians South of Cracow, the former is a word in Serbo-Croatian, might they be Bielocroat? or perhaps Gorale?

What do Taraszkiewicz and Pieczkowski mean? Both are from the part of Poland formerly ruled by Russia.

What do Paczkowski, Waszewski, and Schilkouski mean? These names are from what was Prussian ruled Poland. Are any of them identifiable as from one of the West Slavonic groups such as the Kashubes, the Wendish, etc.?

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Nov 16, 09, 22:05 #495

Dobija - could be other-Slavonic, but in Polish from dobijać - to finish off, deliver a coup de grâce.
Przybyłka - female newcomer, new girl in town
Taraszkiewicz - patronymic nick 'son of Taras' (Ukrainian first name)
Peczkowski, Paczkowski, Waszewski and Szyłkowski - like 99% of names ending in -owski are toponymic nicks to identify a native of Pieczków or Pieczkowo (a pieczka is a widndfall apple or pear dried on a piec); Paczków (Packville, Parcelton), Waszewo (Basilton) and Szyłkowo (???) respectively.

piwo1972	Nov 16, 09, 23:41 #496
Can you shed any light on the name Piasecki? Thanks

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Nov 17, 09, 00:33 #497
Piasecki - toponmyic nick from numerous localities in Poland called Piaski (Sands, Sandyville, Sandton).

KoleskyThreads: - Posts: 1 Joined: Nov 17, 09 ♂	Nov 17, 09, 05:45 #498
what about "kolesky"?

still learningThreads: 1 Posts: 3 Joined: Nov 16, 09 ♀	Nov 17, 09, 07:10 #499
I would love to know the meaning of my name Komoroski. I've tried doing my own research but I have ended up with nothing. Could someone please help?

angelbina000Threads: 5 Posts: 13 Joined: Nov 16, 09 ♀	Nov 17, 09, 09:42 #500
What about Szulim? or... Bliskowski?

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Edited by: Moderator Nov 17, 09, 11:19 #501

Nearly all Polish adjectival surnames ending in -owski or -ewski are of toponymic origin and traceable to localities ending in -ów, -owo, -ew or -ewo. Hence:

still learning:

I would love to know the meaning of my name Komoroski.

Komorowski: from Komorów or Komorowa (Chamberton, Shedville)

Kolesky:

what about "kolesky"

Kolewski: from Kolew or Kolewo (koło=wheel or kole from kłuć /to sting, jab, prick/, hence possibly translatable as Wheelton or Stingville).

angelbina000:

What about Szulim?
or... Bliskowski?

Bliskowski: from Blisków or Bliskowo (Nearton, Closewville)
Szulim: possibly a variant of Szulman (synagogue teacher) or a form of the surname Sulim or Sulima (there exists a Sulima coat of arms).

frdThreads: 8 Posts: 1,956 Joined: Feb 3, 09 ♂	Nov 17, 09, 11:44 #502
still learning: Komoroski I had a schoolmate whose surname was Komorski. I might be wrong but it could have also originated from words "Komorzy" or "Podkomorzy".. Komorzy - courtier who was managing Kings rooms, furniture, tools.. Podkomorzy - a civil servant Both of these are old polish words not really used anymore ( just in books and historical writings )

Des EsseintesThreads: - Posts: 11 Joined: Nov 15, 09 ♂	Edited by: Des Esseintes Nov 18, 09, 08:37 #503
Thank you Polonious for the information, although it's disconcerting to learn that one's surname means death-blow. You wrote that Taraszkiewicz means son of Taras. Regarding the Polish writers Sienkiewicz and Gombrowicz, what are the first names that these surnames contain?

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Nov 18, 09, 17:32 #504

Reminds me of the politcian who gets thrown a tough question and replies: 'That's a good question' or 'I'm glad you asked', whilst thinking to himself (you dirty bastard! - how am I gonna wiggle out of this one?!)
Seriously though, your questions are true riddles, esp. the second one. Some names are quite straightfoward: Kowalczyk originated to indicate either the blacksmith's son or helper or the son fo someone from the village of Kowal or Kowale. Full stop!
Sienkiewicz: there are numerous localities such as Siennów. Sieńsko, Sieniec, Sienno, Siennica etc. (Hayville, Hayton, Hayborough, Hayfield, Haywood, etc.) which could have generated the Sieniek or similar toponymic nick. When he fathered a son: presto and we get Sienkiewicz.
Gombrowicz is a real stumper for lack of any word in the Polish language or locality I could find with the 'gombr-' root. But there is a locality in Lithuania called Gembres and one called Gombra in Slovakia. Could these have been the source? This is only an
(un)educated guess, in fact more of a stab in the dark!?

Des EsseintesThreads: - Posts: 11 Joined: Nov 15, 09 ♂	Edited by: Des Esseintes Nov 18, 09, 18:57 #505
Thanks again Polonious. Gombrowicz's name probably derives from the Lithuanian area of Gembres, because, although he was born in central Poland, his ancestors had been nobles in Lithuania.

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Nov 18, 09, 23:41 #506

Indeed, the noble Gombrowiczes stamped their documents and property with the Kościesza c-o-a. It is said to date from a 1072 battle in which a knight named Kościesza kept on undauntedly swinging his sword in combat although riddled with arrows and bleeding badly. Seeing this, Polish King Bolesław the Bold honored his valour with a crest in which a stylised arrow displayed a perpendicular bar symbolizing a sword to form a cross.
And the -wicz patronymic ending was typical of Polish Lithuania. The Lithuanised version is Gombrovičius.

lkajlkkk	Nov 20, 09, 21:30 #507
rek ?

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Nov 20, 09, 22:22 #508
rek - a stake used to support a net enclosure at the lake or river bottom while fishing; possibly short for rekut (dialectic for rekrut); or toponymic nick from places like Reklin, Rekowo or Rekówka.

m15t	Nov 23, 09, 04:36 #509
Last name = Pietrasik 100% sure is Polish as well.

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Nov 23, 09, 22:07 #510
Pietrasik is definitely a Polish spelling and originated as a patronymic nick (Pete's son).

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