THE MEANING OF YOUR POLISH LAST NAME?

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Edited by: Moderator Nov 16, 08, 10:20 #31

christine:

Huh, interesting. Why do you think they would change it so drastically when the emigrated, only to change it again? I get the whole Germanic 'w' equals 'v' thing. I don't know much about the Polish language, so I don't know the English equivalents of Polish letters. Can someone give me a quick and dirty explanation?

Any notes on what either of those suggestions mean?

From what I have seen over here in the UK a lot of people with Jewish names often changed the spelling so that they "hid" their Jewish connection. Could this be a possible explanation for you. We have seen documentaries where the people had become wise of the fact that Jewish people would be victamised and this was going on before the wars. Many people who have settled here in the UK changed their names to a more English one so that their families were not picked on socially by the English people - we are a very tolerant and sympathetic nation and many Poles who have settled here whether they changed their names or not settled in to the English way of life very well. We have recently seen that Jerry Springer of the USA had a g g grandfather who was of Jewish origin - he had changed his name and that is where the confusion comes in. Esther Rantzen of the UK has her family of previous years buried in Jewish cemetetry in Warsaw. This could be a totally useless piece of information but hope it shows how many people over the years changed their names for very personal reasons to them

Please don't think this is about anti-Jewish or anything I amd just trying to explain about people changing their names.

JustysiaSThreads: 15 Posts: 2,868 Joined: Oct 14, 07 MEMBER ♀	Nov 17, 08, 15:23 #32
Sage~: piankowski piana or pianka is foam in Polish lol Malgorzata - Margaret

Sage~	Nov 17, 08, 15:37 #33
foam? like, bubble foam? isn't that interesting. i'm named after a frothy substance. margaret? eww. no wonder my mother changed it to Meaghan. i have another question, what places could polish people have migrated from? is there an ancient polish civilization?

RJ_cdnThreads: - Posts: 323 Joined: Sep 10, 07 ♂	Nov 17, 08, 17:09 #34
Sage~: What would be the original polish form of Stefan and Irene? Stefan and Irena

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Edited by: Moderator Nov 21, 08, 01:30 #35

Jakiel (or Jakel) is one possible hypocoristic (endearing diminutive) form of such first names as Jakub or Joachim. The adjectival "-ski" ending may indicate patrimony, so Jakielski (Jakelski looks to be a misspelling or mistranscription from the Cyrillic)* would mean Jacobson. This does not mean the name is necessarily of ethnic Poilish origin, as the same principlel applies to Russian, Belarussian, Ukrainian and Slovak names.

* A semi-literate priest or village scribe (and such predominated back when) could have easily transcribed the Cyrillic Яакел as Jakel, forgetting that the Russian "e" palatalises (softens) the preceding consonant and should be transcribed into Polish as "ie".

Jakiel (or misspelt Jakel) could have arisen as the hypocoristic form of the first names Jakub or Joachim. The adjectival -ski ending could have indicated sonhood, so Jakielski would have meant "Jake's boy".

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Nov 21, 08, 11:41 #36
Lesko is the name of a town in Poland. The "les" root could have also been derived from las~les (forest) or the first name Lech/Leszek.

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Nov 21, 08, 17:12 #37
Ryczek is the diminutive form of ryk (roar, bellow, low -- the loud sound made by different animals). I could have origianted as a nickname for someone known to emit such sounds or toponymically to identify someone as an inhabitant of Rycza, Ryczka, Ryczki, Ryczów etc. ropughly translatable as Roarville, Lowton, etc.

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Nov 21, 08, 18:16 #38

The KOTKOWICZ surname may have evolved as follows. When someone nicknamed Kotek (kitten) for whatever reason fathered a son, fellow-villagers would have instinctively referred to the offspring as Kotkowicz or Kotkiewicz. The father might have been nicknamed Kotek because he had something about him that reminded people of a young cat or because he hailed from some such locality as Kotki, Kotkowo or Kotków (Kittenville, Kittenton, Catshire).

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Nov 26, 08, 12:19 #39
Witowski It may have been butchered or changed from Witkowski, but Witowski is also a bona fide surname used in today's Poland. Mateńkowski is also known and can be found in official registries, however its sole surviving bearer (a female) has died.

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Edited by: Moderator Nov 26, 08, 15:07 #40

Szczerbacki from szczerbaty (gap-toothed like Madonna who can eat spaghetti without opening her mouth!) or a toponymic nick for someone from such places as Szczebaków, (szczerbin or Szczerbowo (Gapville).

rs99:

I was under the impression Szczerbacki was originally Ukrainian or Russian (ie Shcherbakov, Shcherbachi, Shcherbaki, etc..) Is there any truth to this ?

Probably from szczerbaty (gap-toothed) or toponymically from the locality of Szczerby or Szczerbowo (Gapville).

The szczerb- (shcherb-) root is common to different Slavonic tongues. There are surnames and place-names incorproating it in all those countries.

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Nov 27, 08, 03:29 #41
leicester1: my maiden name was marie 'kosteczko' which means little bone lol It could have also come from the hypocoristic form of Konstanty -- Kostek. Incidentally, that is the root of Kościuszko's name which means "little Connie".

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Nov 27, 08, 05:34 #42
Szymkowiak, Ignasiak Both surnames are the most common in western Poland's Wielkopolska region. The largest Szymkowiak concentration is in the Poznań area and Ignasiak -- in and around Kalisz. Both names are also well-represented in the region's surrounding areas such as Piła, Leszno and Konin.

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Edited by: Moderator Nov 27, 08, 15:35 #43

edzio:

does anyone know the meaning of 1)MuŁawka and the 2) ethnic/geographic origin (Ukrainian, Czeck, or ?) of our surname. The name is a rarity in Canada/USA>

Nobody in Poland currently uses the Muławka surname, but there are several hundred people named Mulawka. Their major concentrations are in southern Poland including the Tarnobrzeg and Katowice areas. The mulawka (aka malawka) is a fresh-water fish that buries itself in muddy lake bottoms (from the word muł = muck, mud) when startled. Possibly a folk name for the tench (lin). It is not inconceivable that the word/name also exists in neighbouring Slavonic countries such as Ukraine and Slovakia.

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Dec 2, 08, 02:23 #44
jfks: koziarski The basic root is koza (goat), of which one spin-off is koziarz (goatherd). The adjectival Koziarski nickname probably originated to indicate the goatherd's son.

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Dec 5, 08, 00:48 #45
Kent: Looking for the meanings of surnames: Wikarski, Piechowiak and Kurkowski, Wikarski - the vicar's son Piechiowiak - the foot-soldier's son or the bloke from (the village of) Piechów Kurkowski - the guy from Kurków (Spigotville, Tapton)

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Dec 7, 08, 07:54 #46
Sowiński, Dolniak Both are probably of toponymic (place-name) origin. There are several localities called Sowin (Owlville, Owlton. Owlboro, etc.), so Sowiński would mean "the bloke from Owlshire". There are many paiors of localities, eg Brzeziny Górne and Brzeziny Dolne (Upper Birchville and Lower Birchville). Dolniak would be used for someone hailing from the latter.

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Edited by: Moderator Dec 19, 08, 12:19 #47

Guest:

I've got a tough one for you. My surname is Czyczyn. Any idea what's the meaning of that?

Indeed, this is a stumper. The closest word to Czyczyn is czyczucha meaning either a type of silver-handled sword or a sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), a fish of the sturgeon family.
Among toponyms within today's truncated Poland the only thing that even comes close is Czyczkowy. Unless it was originally Czyżyny which would have produced the Czyżyn surname and it got misspelled somewhere along the line

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Edited by: Moderator Dec 19, 08, 14:11 #48

ernie3645:

im half polish and i know marut is polish what does it mean

Possibly from the marud- root whcih has genrated such words as marudzić (to dawdle, grumble, pester) and maruda (a dawdler, grumbler, ne'er-do-well). In final positon voiced consonants are devoiced so Marud and Marut would be pronounced identically. If someone's name had been Marud, he would pronounce if MAH-root and the semi-literate village scribe would write it down as Marut.

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Dec 19, 08, 15:02 #49
dtrusz: Does anyone know the meaning/ethic origin, or geographic origin of the name Truszcienski Probably it was Truszczyński. Possibly from truś/trusz - rabbit, coward, scaredy cat or truszczelina - a tree species (eolutea). Ideal toponymic source: Truszczyny in Masuria.

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Dec 21, 08, 19:45 #50
Zosia: my last name is Wadowski, and my mothers' maiden name is Mirowski. The vast majority of -owski surnames arose as toponymic nicknames, in this case probably from Wadów or Wadowo (Faultville, Flawton?) and Mirów or Mirowo (Peaceboro?) respectively.

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Dec 22, 08, 15:03 #51
Guest: My Last name is Krajewski Krajewo --at least a dozen such places in Poland, hence Krajewski = the bloke from Krajewo. AS to what Krajewo means...well, the root "kraj" may mean country as in foreign country or edge, rim, border. So if we were to hazard a guess it could have meant something like Counryville, but even more likely Edgerton, Edgeville, Rimburg, etc

RJ_cdnThreads: - Posts: 323 Joined: Sep 10, 07 ♂	Dec 25, 08, 13:51 #52
scrap paper: My surname is Adryanski Adryanski in polish would be Adriański. There are (apparently) 10 Adriański's in Poland, all in Wrocław region. Google search for Adriański gave over 4000 hits.

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Edited by: Moderator Dec 26, 08, 00:30 #53

Domino:

I am looking for meaning of Hoynacki; could also be spelt: Choynacki, Hojnacki, or Chojnacki. There was a split in the family so one group uses Ch my side used H.

Any idea of where this/these surnames could have originated from?

Also the meaning of Mrozinska (the sender is female) and Swiatowa (sender is also female); both senders are coming out of a place called Inowrocław, Poland.

Chojnacki from chojna (evergreen) or localities such as Chojnatka; Mroziński (frost, cold) or toponym derived from Mrozy; Światowy = worldly or place-name Światonia.
For more info please contact: research60@gmail.com

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Edited by: Moderator Dec 27, 08, 07:53 #54

''What does the last names of Florek and Brandys mean?''

The root of Florek is of Latin origin (flora), but it most likely arose as an endearing diminutive of the once quite popular first name Florian. It could have been a patronymic nickname for Florian's son.
Brandys is the Polonised verison of the German/Yiddish Brandeis. The 'brand" root in German/Yiddish is akin to English "burnt". Brandwein (literally burnt wine) is brandy in German, so Brandeis should have meant "burnt ice", although that would be quite an oxymoron.

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Dec 30, 08, 12:45 #55
carknocker: wszeborowski, can anyone tell me where this name comes from.or what it means Breaks down into wsze (all) and bór (coniferous forest), so together it would create sometime like Allpine or Allfir. Most likely it originated as a toponymic nickname derived from the locality of Wszebórz near Poznań.

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Edited by: Moderator Jan 5, 09, 03:47 #56

scraperman:

My last name is Dudlo i think there was a ski on the end but I'm not to sure

the word dudło (now obsolete) once meant a rotted-out hollow log.
verb dudłać - to scoop or gouge out wood (to make it hollow)
dudlić - to play a primitive shepherd's flute or (pejoratively) play any instruemnt badly.
If the name had originally been Dudłowski, then its source would probabkly have been a village called Dudłów or Dudłowo.

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Edited by: Moderator Jan 5, 09, 10:02 #57

niejestemcapita:

Does anybody know if the name LATES is from Poland?
It can be spelt differently eg Latys, Latus etc.

Nobody currently using Lates as a surname in Poland. Somewhat reminds me of latkes (Jewish potato pancakes). There are people named Latoś (the word means this year) and Latus (a book-keeping term meaning the transfer of one column to another). The "S" is a common ending for Lithuanian masculien surnames, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

SiegfriedThreads: 2 Posts: 103 Joined: Aug 8, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Jan 8, 09, 15:11 #58
soniag: Could someone please tell me what my surname GLOGOWSKI means. Many thanks Sonia głogowski in original I think It's derived from GŁÓG (Crataegus in english?) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crataegus or in polish: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Głóg another meaning can be "Resident of Głogów" - there is such a city in Silesia (SW poland) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glogow

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Edited by: Moderator Jan 9, 09, 16:20 #59

Androushka:

My family name is Kaciniel any ideas what it means or where it comes from?
Thanks
Andrea

Might be the Polonised version of the Lithuanian surname Kacinelis? As far as I can tell, it has no meaning in Polish, and my Lithuanian ain't that hot.
Re Głodowski, Głóg is the hawthorn shrub, but 90% or more Polish surnames ending in -owski are of toponymic origin, ie traceable to place-names. In this case it would be plces scuh as Głogów (at least 3 such localities), Głogowa, Głogówek, Głogówiec, etc. (Hawthornville, Hawthornshire?).

That should be Głogowski, not Głodowski. Sorry!

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Jan 10, 09, 15:24 #60
kdrag615: Anybody know anything about Dragulski 85 people mamed Dragulski in Poland. Possibly someone from such places as Dragacz, Dragany et al acquired a toponymic nickname such as Dragosz, Draguń, Dragut, Dragul or something along those lines. When Dragul sired a son, villagers would refer to the offspring by a patronymic nickname: Dragulewicz, Dragulicz or Dragulski.

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