New here so nice to meet you all. My name is Richard, Im from Leeds in UK. I have been researching my Polish family history but can't seem to find any information whatsoever on the meaning of my great grandfathers name. He was called Ksenofont Malewana, is this name very uncommon in Poland as simply typing Ksenofont into google doesnt bring anything up. I know the meaning of the names of my other polish ancestors but simply can't find a thing on my great grandfathers name.
Many thanks in advance if anybody knows anything about this name.
Apologies, Ksenofont is actually my great great grandfather.
I have copies of my great grandmothers death certificate and also her marriage certificate. On both of these documents it lists her parents and her fathers name is definately spelt Ksenofont on both of those.
Ksenofont? Wow, in all my years of teaching here, I've never come across that name. I wish I could help but it is a highly obscure name. I'm sure Wrocław, a Moderator here, will offer you some pointers. He's quite resourceful.
Hopefully somebody may have a clue about it, many thanks for replying though Seanus :-)
Thanks Dommie, I never knew that Malewana was a Jewish name.
My other ancestors were called Krawczyk, Radzikowska and Nowacka if there are any other intersesting facts about these names that anybody knows? I know that Krawczyk tends to mean 'son of a taylor' and Nowacka has something to do with been 'new to town'?
MALOWANA: Malewana is probably a misspelling. The Malowana name exists and is concentrateed along today's Ukrainian border around Zamość and surrounding areas. Ksenofont is primarily Russian and Ukrainian first name but rare in Poland proper. Orignally it came from Greek and meant foreign (xeno) voice (phonm).
RADZIKOWSKI: topo nick from Radzików or Radzikowo.
As with the name Ksenofont, Malewana / Malewany is spelt like this on a number of official documents which I have (birth / death / marriage certificates) so I can only assume that it is spelt that way.
Aee the docuemtns from Poland or the new counttry of residence? Is the name printed, typewritten or handwritten? Much of the fancy culicued caligraphy often got taken for something else. A 'u' whose prongs were too close together might have reminded someone of an 'o'. An 'o' with a sweeping tail could have resembled an 'a'. An extra decorative loop in the 'o' of Malowany migth have appeared to be an 'e'. Once it got written down wrong, that version kept getting recopied or reproduced indefintiely.
The bottom line in this case is that Malewany is meaningless, whilst Malowany means painted or, by extension, pretty, lovely, attractive.
The documents I have are from Poland, one of them been a copy of the original hand written death certificate from the registry office in Wschowa and the others been certified 'modern' typed copies recieved via the Polish Consulate in Manchester from the registry office in Lodz.
There is conflicting information on the documents though, the hand written death certificate states place of birth as been Kamieniec Podolski, which I believe to be in modern day Ukraine, where as the marriage certificate states place of birth as been Kordyliowka.
