Peasant animal names

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Feb 11, 11, 13:31 #1

The names of different species of livestock and wildlife often fcuntioned as nickanmes given to commoners, esp. peasants. They were usually associated with those creatures, but in some cases may have been though to resemble them in some way. In time, they evolved into normal surnames passed down from father to son. Some typical examples:
BARAN ram, KOZA goat, BYK bull, KUR cock, KOBYŁA mare, KOZIOŁ billy goat, WRÓBEL sparrow, KRUK raven, WRONA crow, KAWA jackdaw, SKOWRON, skylark, CZAPLA heron, DZIĘCIOŁ woodpecker, PRZEPIÓRA quail, RUDZIK robin, GAWRON rook, SROKA magpie, DUDEK hoopoe, SIKORA coaltit, JARZĄBEK grouse, KACZOR drake, GĄSIOR gander, LABĘDŹ swan, ZAJĄC hare, WIEWIÓRA squirrel, ŻABA frog, RYBA fish, KARAŚ crucean, KARP carp, LESZCZ bream, SZCZUKA pike, MUCHA fly, BĄK horsefly, PAJĄK spider, ROBAK worm, KOMAR mosquito, MRÓWKA ant, PSZCZOŁA bee, TRZMIEL bumblebee, SZERSZEŃ hornet, MYSZKA mouse, SZCZUR rat, KRET mole, JEŻ hedgehog, LIS fox, WILK wolf, BORSUK badger, KUNA marten, TCHÓRZ polecat and many, many more......

For more info on the above and other Polish surnames contact: polonius3@gazeta.pl

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,412 Joined: Aug 29, 07 ♂	Feb 12, 11, 09:39 #2
as always, i dunno which arse cheek you pull this stuff out of but... the tit is sikorka not sikora, mouse is mysz, and the worm is glizda, robak acually means bug, bąk is really a bumblebee, kur? lol etc. etc. sheesh

nunczkaThreads: 17 Posts: 623 Joined: Sep 13, 08 ♂	Feb 12, 11, 11:58 #3
I thought Poloniuses post was very informative. I know at least 80% of the names that are familiar to me.. Good show, Polonius.

emhaThreads: - Posts: 180 Joined: Nov 24, 10 ♂	Feb 12, 11, 13:04 #4
Polonius3: SZCZUKA pike SZCZUPAK :)

jonniThreads: 26 Posts: 4,181 Joined: Nov 27, 07 ♂	Feb 12, 11, 13:07 #5
Looks like he was trying to prove he can do it without cutting and pasting from online surname guides. But proved he couldn't.

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Feb 12, 11, 13:08 #6

[plk123]
As surnames the non-diminutive Sikora is more common, whilst with mysz it is the diminutive Myszka that is more typical. Not my fault, that's just the way the language devleoped, so don't kill the messenger.
Never went fishing in Polnd? If you had,you'd have dug up robaki.
Bąk can be a top (spinning toy), a horsefly, bumblebee (aka trzmiel), a small tot and a fart. I only gave one equivalent per name. Koza also means a gaol and a snot. And kur may be archaic, but names tend to be archaic because most of them evolved centuries ago.

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Feb 12, 11, 15:49 #7

plk123:

the tit is sikorka not sikora,
mouse is mysz,
and the worm is glizda, robak acually means bug,
bąk is really a bumblebee,
kur? lol
etc.
etc.

sikora is perfectly correct.
Worm - robak, there is no such animal as "glizda", it's glista, like "glista ludzka", belonging to "robaki obłe".
Earthworm, however, is "dżdżownica".
Bug is more like "owad".
Kur - an oldfashioned name for a cock.
Bumblebee is trzmiel, bąk is a gadfly.

you're right when it comes to "mysz", also "wiewióra" should be "wiewiórka".

♂

Feb 12, 11, 19:17 #8

Polonius3:

BĄK horsefly,

GIEZ

Polonius3:

KAWA jackdaw,

KAWKA

landora:

you're right when it comes to "mysz", also "wiewióra" should be "wiewiórka".

TAKE A PICK AT THE THREAD TITLE !EH?

emha:

SZCZUPAK :)

same goes for you!

plk123:

as always, i dunno which arse cheek you pull this stuff out of but...

gee, plk123, have some restrain when you are proven again and again that you are not the brighten star on the firmament.
What 1,2,3 stands for ? :D

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,833 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Polonius3 Feb 12, 11, 19:43 #9
The topic was Polish srunames, not zoology or word definitions. Szczuka is the older (and current eastern) form but, as surnames go, there are more Szczukas in today's Poland than Szczupaks. Wiewióra 2,000 Wiewiórka 600; 15 people surnamed Mysz, 3,900 Myszka. Let's see what clever riposte Dupadomine comes up with thsi time?!

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,833 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Edited by: Moderator Feb 12, 11, 20:08 #10
I know...typos! there is a preview button as well as an edit button. you might like to try them.

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,833 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Feb 12, 11, 22:07 #11
Too lazy!

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