THE MEANING OF YOUR POLISH LAST NAME?

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Jan 11, 09, 03:25 #61
kuebrich: Last name is Kuebrich. Family immigrated from Germany at the Chech border. A similar Chech name is Kubricht, which is the probable origin of Kuebrich. Does anyone know the meaning of Kubricht There are 42 people named Kubrycht in Poland, and 95 people named Kübrich in Germany. The meaning is unknown, as far as can be determined.

Guest	Jan 11, 09, 19:31 #62
Lewandowski----- In Polish-Lithuanian Commonwelath there was once a village called Lewadów, thought to have been 50 km east of Póznan. Lewandow also derives from the Old Polish word Lawendow, which meant Lavender. Fukin epic name, get off me ;)

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Edited by: Moderator Jan 12, 09, 16:54 #63

Guest:

Trying to find out information about my family. My grandfather and GreatGrandmother came to America in May of 1921 through Ellis Island. They came from Komorow (although on the Ship Manifest, it says "Komanow"). Their names were Rachel and Chiam Paper and I was wondering if anyone had any information on that name. Thank you!

Guest:

hi ,my husband got teased alot when he was younger for his surname as it was Chamczyk and he told me it means someone who is mean or stingy or something like. Is that true?

Cham has various meanings in Polish -- all pejorative -- including
boor, lout, swine, uncouth slob, crudball, etc. The -czyk is a patronymic
ending, so taken together Chamczyk means "son of the slob, lout, swine, etc."
Re: Paper, There is only 1 Paper living in Poland today. A more likely spelling is Papier, a name shared by 187 people in today's Poland . Incidetnally the Polish and German spelling of paper is the same: Papier, except in Polish it is pronounced PAHP-yer and in German -- PAH-peer. Both the surname and the first names indicate Jewish ancestry.

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Jan 12, 09, 17:57 #64
Asura: Mularski? ? any idea? Mularski from mularz (archaic form of murarz = stonemason, bricklayer). Adjectival form Mularski could mean the mason's son or helper.

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Edited by: Moderator Jan 14, 09, 17:26 #65

steven.spindler:

"Pabjańczyk"

This arose as a typical patronymic nickname, but we must bear in mind that an alterantive version of the first name Fabian (formerly Fabjan) was usded: Pabian/Pabjan. So all this name originally meant was 'Fabian's kid/boy/son'. There exists the posssiblity that someone was nicknamed Pabian because he hailed from Pabianów, Pabianice or the like. When he fatehred a son, the lad would have been dubbed Pabiańczyk/Pabjańczyk (possibly also Pabiańczak or Pabianowicz) all the same.

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Jan 15, 09, 15:38 #66
noone: Would someone be able to tell me the meaning of the polish name Kusior. Most likely originated as a toponymic nickname traceabale to Kusiory in Kujawy region, a dialectic pronunciation of Kosiory. Etymology of place-name possibly kęs~kus (bit, morsel). Other possible toponymic source: Kusowo (also in Kujawy), the -or being a masculine noun ending (eg gąsior, kaczor, etc.)

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Jan 18, 09, 10:48 #67
fenyojoe: Maybe you could tell me something about the meaning of my surname: Vanyovszki, if it has any :) The spelling is wrong. Can you check in any family documents what it was originally; Waniowski, fro intance?

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Edited by: Moderator Jan 21, 09, 08:21 #68

Renia:

Hello, I'm new here. Fascinating thread and thanks to Polonius for his contributions. Does anyone know the meaning of the surname Lambor? Or does anyone even know anyone with that surname?

Lambor is rare (only a dozen Poles use) and of obscure, probably foreign origin. No localities in Poland and environs are traceable to it. The only words that even come close are lamber, a decorative stitch in sewing; its plural lamry or labry means the floral embellishemtns decorating coats of arsm. There once was a verb łąbrować (the ą~am alternation is not uncommon in Polish) which meant to shell walnuts. Could Ląbor~Lambor have been a walnut-sheller???? Anyway, all this is highly speculative, so the name continues to be a stumper.

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Edited by: Moderator Jan 21, 09, 12:35 #69

Beccak:

Does anyone have any information on the surname Karalus?
My father was born in Pinsk, Poland (now Belarus) in 1946.

Karalus – At first glance my erroneous spot association was with “karaluch” (cockroach). Actually, it probably arose as a Ruthenianised version of Latin-derived Old High German Carolus (Charles, Carl, Polish Karol).

fenyojoe:

Waniowski

Waniowski -- Possibly a patronymic nickname meaning “son of Wania” (short for Iwan, eastern-borderland version of Jan/John). There are 2 localities in Poland called Waniewo and more than 400 Waniewskis meaning the guy from Waniewo. Couldn't find any place called Waniowo in today's Poland, but there are 180 people named Waniowski. Maybe there was once such a locality or maybe it's now beyond the borders of today's highly truncated Poland. Or maybe someone took the "e" of Waniewski in that fancy, curlicue-rich script to be an "o" and it stuck and spread.....????

Guest:

anyone have any ideas about the name Kostur

Kostur -- a crooked, gnarled walking stick of the kind once used by itinerant beggars.

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Jan 21, 09, 17:10 #70

Thanks for your reply!

My father told me Lambor was an "old Polish word" for a "warrior". (Well, he would, wouldn't he!) But, I read somewhere that words ending in "bor" are to do with warriors. I also read that words ending in "bor" are to do with woods and forests. Someone else said the name meant "shining one", from "lampa".

My first Lambor was born about 1812 in Kanovice, Moravia but that later generations were living in Sambor, Ukraine. Then my lot settled near Krakow (where some still are), geographically quite close to Moravia, while one of the brothers stayed in Sambor.

I've often wondered whether, somewhere on the records, Lambor was somehow derived from Sambor. In old writing, the letters might look similar, but the pronunciation would be very different. The same with Jambor, a name which abounds in that region of Moravia.

But, with the aid of the internet, I've discovered Lambors in America who originated in Greece. In one case, his name was spellt Lambros, but he signed his name as Lambor. In Greece, Lambros is "shining one".

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Jan 21, 09, 17:20 #71
In Old Polish the 'bor' root inded meant war, whilst nowadays it usuzally has to do wtih a coniferrous forest. But what about the "lam," syllable. You may be right about the foreign derivation -- soemthing I suspected from the start. And the confusion between fancily curlicued letters is also something to consider. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

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Jan 21, 09, 18:21 #72

Thank you, but you have been helpful. You have more or less confirmed that Lambor isn't a Polish name. Sob! (Don't worry. I have plenty of others: Bogucki h Krzywda, for example!) I suspect it is Greek, from Lambros. There are various different "looks" in Greece, and my father looked very like some of those "looks". I suspect that the Greek Diaspora which settled in Ukraine in the 18th century might have seen a Lambros or two settle there and that my own original Lambor may have been a Napoleonic soldier who moved around, though where Kanovice comes into it, I can't say, unless his papa was a soldier, too.

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Jan 21, 09, 18:33 #73
The Boguckis (from one of several localities in PL called Boguty) were a well-knighted breed who besides Krzywda included other noble lines entitled to stamp their possessions and documents with the Abdank, Radwan and Dębno c-o-a.

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Edited by: Moderator Jan 26, 09, 01:20 #74

gapinski:

What does the meaning Gapinski mean

The root of Gapiński appears traceable to the term gapa (dope, gaper, someone fooishly and open-mouthedly staring but understanding little of what he sees). The verb for this is gapić się. A gapa is also a stoway (non-paying passenger) and a crow. Most -ski names are of toponymic origin and this one may have been derived from the locality of Gapinin.

SashaThreads: 2 Posts: 1,558 Joined: Apr 19, 08 ♂	Jan 27, 09, 00:54 #75
rejd: What about Głowacki? It may be somehow related to the word "head". Just my guess. :)

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Jan 27, 09, 19:10 #76
Its root is definitely głowa (head). It could have been a nickname as in Jędrek Głowacki (Big-headed Andy) or a toponmyic nickname derived from such localities as Głowa, Głowy, Głowno, Głowaczów, etc. (roughly: Headville, Headbury, Headmont).

JacyThreads: - Posts: 5 Joined: Jan 27, 09 ♀	Jan 27, 09, 23:38 #77
Hirshkovitz or Hershkovitz (several other spellings - not sure which is correct). It could possibly be Russian and not Polish. My family lived in Poland, but near the border of Belarus or Ukraine.

SashaThreads: 2 Posts: 1,558 Joined: Apr 19, 08 ♂	Jan 27, 09, 23:58 #78
Jacy: Hirshkovitz or Hershkovitz (several other spellings - not sure which is correct). Sounds like (Belo)russian for me. The most famous I know

i_love_detroitThreads: 1 Posts: 92 Joined: Nov 13, 06 ♂	Jan 28, 09, 01:48 #79
My last name is Ponczek. I means doughnat but the spelling is wrong therefore maybe the orgin is not Polish?

SashaThreads: 2 Posts: 1,558 Joined: Apr 19, 08 ♂	Jan 28, 09, 01:59 #80
i_love_detroit: My last name is Ponczek. I means doughnat but the spelling is wrong therefore maybe the orgin is not Polish? In Russian doughnut is "ponczik" ("i" is like in "ditto"). I think it might be Polish or Jewish (PonczAk). Really few info about that last name in runet (it's not very popular in Russia). So Polish people should provide you with the better picture. :)

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Edited by: Polonius3 Jan 28, 09, 04:40 #81

HERSZKOWICZ
This is a patronymic form derived from the Jewish first name Hirsz, Hersz, Girsz, Gersz, Herszel, Herszko, etc. (from German/Yiddish Hirsch = stag). There is no one correct form, only variants. The famous compsoer Gershwin traces his surname to the same root. Naturally, it can be spelt the English (Hirsh, Hersh, Gersh, etc.) or German (Hirsch, Hersch, Gersch) way. The famous composer Gershwin traces his surname to the same root.

PĄCZEK/PONCZEK
Pączek is the original spelling and Ponczek and was a typcial example of how many Polish immigrants phonetically respelt their surnames in America to retain something close to the original.
Without that change the person would have to go through life being called PAY-zack.
You know how little kids in school would taunt someone like that: "Don't pay Zack, pay Bill or Tom!"
The primary meaning of pączek is a flower bud, the doughnut is a secondary meaning.

SashaThreads: 2 Posts: 1,558 Joined: Apr 19, 08 ♂	Jan 28, 09, 05:20 #82
Polonius3: The primary meaning of pączek is a flower bud, the doughnut is a secondary meaning Interesting. :) In Russian bud is "pochka" and the second meaning of "pochka" is a kidney.

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Jan 30, 09, 22:27 #83

Polonius3:

PĄCZEK/PONCZEK
Pączek is the original spelling and Ponczek and was a typcial example of how many Polish immigrants phonetically respelt their surnames in America to retain something close to the original.
Without that change the person would have to go through life being called PAY-zack.

You are actually wrong because I am not an emigrant (even though my nick). My last name is particularily popular in the eastern pomerania area. Ma father is from region called "kociewie".
Maybe Sasha is right and it is Jewiesh.

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Jan 30, 09, 23:37 #84

More than 2,000 people in Poland use the Pączek surname, whilst fewer than 300 spell it Ponczek. Names have been subject to all kinds of inadvertent misspellings and deliberate respelligns as well as numerous otehr modifciatons. There are some people in Poland named Dembek but that does nto change teh fact that the original seżplling had been Dębek. One msut remember that most people were illiterate centuries ago, and even many village scribes and parish preists were semi-literate at best. Then the clerks of the partitioning powers took over... After Poland regained her freedom (1918) and literacy had improved considerably, some Poels restored the original spelling of their names, but others did not.

WroclawThreads: 74 Posts: 7,272 Joined: Apr 1, 06 ♂ [Moderator]	Feb 1, 09, 08:16 #85
angryoungman: Dudek http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dudek

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Feb 1, 09, 16:01 #86
Dudek -- Hoopoe, Old World bird species; colloquially a fool; also possible toponymic sources such as Dudki.

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Edited by: Moderator Feb 3, 09, 17:00 #87

Bojanduo:

Working on a family tree for my 10 year old. Trying to find the meaning of the last name Brcik. Has it ever been changed?

Brcik looks Czech. They love such words. Smrt is Czech for death (Polish: śmierć).
The Brcik name has been recorded in Poland but no-one bears it at present. There is one person named Bercik living in the Katowice area (which borders on Bohemia) and 2 Burciks living in the Warsaw area. It is not inconceivable that some Brcik added a vowel to make his name sound less strange in Poland.

McCoyThreads: 46 Posts: 1,755 Joined: Jul 3, 08 ♂	Feb 3, 09, 17:02 #88
Bojanduo: Brcik Bercik in silesia is diminutive form from the name albert

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Feb 4, 09, 10:17 #89
Bercik could also be the diminutive or Berthold. But someone who came from Bohemia and was called Brcik migth have inserted a vowel to avoid snide comments and ridicule in a Polish-speaking area. Only a hypothesis!

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Edited by: Moderator Feb 11, 09, 15:27 #90

Calicoe:

Kapustka

That's a lovely way to say "cabbage" in Russian (the regular way is "kapusta"). I think it has the same meaning in Polish but there's always a room for "false-friends". I'm afraid I can't say anything else on your name.

Calicoe:

Perhaps she is ethnically from Ukraine, but became Polish with the border changes? I don't know, but I figure anywhere around the Carpathian Mountains also means Southeast Poland, which may increase the probability of a Russian last name?

Even though there're lots of "Kapusta" and "Kapustka" in Russia I would look for the origins in Ukraine or Belorussia or Krasnodarskij Kraj of Russia. Historically those are places where people have liked traditionally to pick as a last name some nouns, especially related to animals like "Volk" (wolf), Zajac (hare) etc. Considering the place you mentioned (Carpathian mountains) there's also an opportunity that your forefather might be Ruthenians (Rusini).

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