Polish surname meanings and origins

I found this interesting and it may be useful for some of you: genealogy.about.com/cs/surname/a/polish_surnames.htm

I still can't figure out my surname's origin and meaning. It's one of the English verbs, but as far as I know, my family has been living in Poland from generations...

Thanks Polishgirltx ;)
My grandma's surname was Kupka (yeah i know, i know......), i can't trace its origin though, it's not as common as Nowak which was my grandpa's surname...

;)

If you feel like it you can PM me your surname and I can maybe work on it. Names are an interest to me so maybe I can help.

Otherwise. This is a good link so thanks :)

I could not find my surname. I plugged in a few of my friends surnames and it did not find them either ;(

It sure found Kowalski! :)

Kowalski is mine! Interesting that it means "blacksmith"... my family has a 20 acre horse farm in Pennsylvania... I was riding horses before I could even walk.

Kowal is a blacksmith, that's true, but Kowalik is also a type of small bird in Poland.
You ride horses too? Cool! Pennsylvania is beautiful. Almost moved to Doylestown, where there is a Polish Church with a painting of the Madonna from Częstochowa.

His family is from Frackville PA... which has a large Polish community. They have Polish fairs every three months and the Polish Fest i swear its monthly

My wife's surname was Szewczyk (it's now mine...). She said that it means cobbler. So there must have been a shoemaker somewhere in her ancestry.

On the German front, my surname is Neulinger, and I feel awful for the guy who got stuck with it. My surname literally translates to "New Person". So, at one time, some ancestor crossed over a mountain in Bavaria and settled into a town. The people called him the new guy. I can only imagine how angry he would have been in his old age. Just imagine that he lived in that town for 40 years and was still called the new guy every time he walked down the street!

Anyone have translatiion for Kokoszka or Puchalik?

I say, did you ever think of changing your name to Chwalibog?

Today would be your name-day.

Ahaahaahaa

I bet he knows how to Tanqueray.

Is it specifically blacksmith?
I know a Hungarian with the etymologically related name Kovacs, meaning Smith.
I do get away with calling him Mr. Smith.


I don't know - he might have liked it.
There's been a New Forest in England for not far off 1000 years. It's still new!

A mate of mine changed his English surname to his wife's German one when they married.
It looks cooler than it was before. Think Manjor Burns (M*A*S*H) or Montgomery Burns (The Simpsons) and you might understand why.
But then again, it is sort-of still Burns night up in Scotland - an evening dedicated to the great Rabbie Burns. I ate no haggis.

Note how there are no Scots on the forum tonight.
Tomorrow they'll be recovering.

Kokoszka - laying hen
Puchalik - probably comes from puch = down or possibly from puchacz = eagle owl

There's a church in Erie that holds a Polish festival each year, but most of the Poles are driven away by a couple of the, umm, "photo negatives" who like to show up and buy cheap beer and get really drunk. Other than that its fun. Nothing wrong with black people, it's just that this group can't hold liquor to save their life, so everybody (not just Poles) get a bit upset about it.


Couldn't find my name. Or my mother's maiden name.

sorry, i couldn't find my neither... but maybe some ppl could...

I just want to know all I can about my family before all the people who do know pass on. One grandfather already died, 2 don't seem to have much time left, and the other, my Big Momma, doesn't show it, but if you look into her eyes you can tell she is tired. The only thing keeping any of those 3 going is that they want to see their grandkids grow up, all of us.

I've got some older uncles and aunts who can still tell stories, but they haven't lived through nearly as much as my grandparents. Born in the 30s and only about 10 of those years have been peaceful for them. Before he passed away, my grandfather said that out family is cursed with bad timing. They were born before WW2, my father was born into Russian occupation, and we were born into unrest in the middle east. He was a great guy, and I can't imagine not having the other 3 grandparents. They're the only thing keeping this family together.

We're like the white version of Madea's family.

:]

my family is very small, not too many uncles, aunts or cousins... when i realized that i want to find out more about my family and its heritage, half of my grandpas and grandmas passed away... i remember some stories told by them, but i don't know any dates or places where it all has happened... i wish to know some more now, but my sources are more limited...

you are lucky el gato... it's really cool to know what you know...

Yeah, but you can never know enough.

Dobranoc polishgirl ;]

night gato

The following book is known to be one of the best resources. Fred Hoffman is very knowledgeable when it comes to Polish genealogy.

William F. "Fred" Hoffman, Author, Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings

Grangesande

Thank you!! I really appreciate!

What about Zimon? Is it common name for Poland?

Thread attached on merging:
Sir names in poland

A person's last name if in poland, does it have a meaning to it? Such as a carpenter, or shop keeper etc.? I am from usa and always wondered if my name was a name or when it orginated had a meaning to it. Does anyone know the meaning of kurowski? Thanks All

From Ancestry.com
Habitational name for someone from a place called Kurowo or Kurów, named with kur ‘rooster’.

The Polish equivalent of Neulinger is Nowak.

Kupka is shared by over 2,600 people in Poland and perhaps anotehr 600 or so in N.America and world-wide. For more information contact research60@gmail

What's the surname that sounds like a verb?