Kupraszewicz - Please help on my last name.

I am Polish. I do not speak the language, but I am very interested in Polish culture and my heritage. My grandparents left during WWII. I have looked up my last name all over Polish name guidebooks and websites, but have not been able to come up with many informative things. Below, please see my last name. Any information you can give me would be helpful. I am not sure if it is possible to tell what it means or denotes anything about my family. I would be grateful for any information you can provide.

Kupraszewicz

A pretty rare surmane. Most of them in the Białystok region (83) with the town of Białystok itself at the top of the list (53).

Thank you so much. Yes, it is rare. My grandfather and his family are originally from Białystok.

Is there any way to make sense of what it means? In other words, "wicz" means "son of," correct? Son of Kuprasze? Or am I thinking about this all wrong?

Another question - I know some names are known to come from nobility (have family crests, are well-documented, etc.). Can I assume my family comes from a different line since I do not see it listed with those names? Just looking for any clues. Ancestry.com has nothing about my family other than my grandparents' paperwork from Ellis Island.

There is the Serbian surname `Kuprešanin` (read: Kupreshanin) that originates from the Kupres town and regional center in South-Western Bosnia. It is the region that gave number of Serbians as cavalry riders in service of Polish Kings, in middle ages. They belonged to contingent in Poland known as `Racowie`. So, there could be connection that let to surname > Kupraszewicz.

Most bearers of Kupresanin surname among Serbians were/are Krajina Serbs from Lika, Slavonija, Dalmatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These people now live in Serbia being forcible displaced from Krajina 22 years ago.

Sad thing is that thanks to the effort of EU and NATO, region of Kupres today belong to Muslim-Croatian federation within Bosnia and there now rule sharia law. Deluded by ideology of Nazi-Islam, Bosnian Muslims and Croatian ustashe massively bestially massacred them (slain, berried alive) in WWII and during this last Civil War 1991--1995 (before Civil War Serbians were majority there, not to say that Bosnian Muslims itself represent Islamized Serbs and local Croats represent Catholic Serbs - its all one great tragedy of my people thanks to meddling of foreigners).

Wow, looking at the pronunciation of `Kuprešanin` (read: Kupreshanin), it seems intuitive there could be a link as the first three syllables are pronounced almost exactly the same as the first three in my surname. Following that thinking, they could have changed the first part to the Polish spelling and the descendants became "icz," or "son of." Certainly something to look further into.

What are the dates approximately?

Sure you look. Kupraszewicz as surname seams that isn`t originally Polish. And only God knows how many Serbians finished in Poland after Ottoman Turkish invasion.

Bottom line is that you have Serbians deep in your family tree. If this could be the case, it maybe wasn`t somebody who had surname Kupresanin (Serbian from Lika, Slavonija, Banija, Kordun, Slavonija, Dalmacija, Bosnija or Hercegovina). No, it was maybe just regular Serbian cavalrymen whose origin was exactly from town of Kupres (Bosnia, Hercegovina). Furthermore, I can tell you that if it was originally Serbian Kupresanin chance is 99% that he was Orthodox (after all 99% of legendary Racowie in Poland were Orthodox Serbs- not that there was not Catholic Serbs at that time- it was /at least 50% of all Serbs/ but, it just happened that winged cavalry doctrine was preserved from time immemorial, from deepest Sarmatian past, in regions that were under jurisdiction of Eastern Roman Empire), while if he was some Serbian from Kupres (and he later in Poland on the base of that got Kupraszewicz surname- what was alright to him knowing for logic of Kupresanin surname), chance is I would say 60% that he was Catholic Serbian and 40% that he was Orthodox Serbian. Still, I sincerely believe that it was the case where one Kupresanin served as Racow (forming Winged Cavalry and Husaria) in Poland, later stayed there to live and he or his descendants got change of surname into more Polish sounding - Kupraszewicz. Yes, it must be the case. See, I am more and more sure in it.

Listen what to do if you were to investigate. Considering surname, it shouldn`t be a big problem. If you are Catholic, just go to Church and see for oldest traces of your ancestors who are enlist in Church`s books. You must found first with surname Kupraszewicz. Your first Catholic ancestor in Church books is that original Kupresanin or his son.

Listen this also. If your family had negative issues with Russians, don`t be upset with possibility that somebody who was Orthodox stays in your family tree. See, Serbian Orthodoxy differ from Russian. Actually, our Christianity differ from Christianity of all Slavs. We Serbians within Orthodoxy kept elements of pre-Christian Slavic faith and we still celebrate SLAVA- once universal Slavic family custom. Not to mention that Orthodox Serbians- Racowie in Poland didn`t ask who one was (Catholic or Orthodox) if one acted against Poland, being him German, Russian, anybody. My dear, that how Serbians butchered for Poland, even Poles didn`t butcher. That was loyalty and dedication. There comes the legend about Racowie. After all, there was Sarmatism.

Is.

Well, I know the dates now. They came in the times after the battle of Kosovo Pole in 1389 and took part in the battle of Kleck in 1506 and in the battle of Orsza in 1514 (both in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania).

It is quite likely that the Serbian name may have been transformed over ages into its Ruthenian/Polish version of Kupraszewicz. Białystok was right on the border between the Kingdom (of Poland) and the Grand Duchy (of Lithuania). If that is the case, I would suspect more people bearing such a name in modern Balarus, too.

For your info, there are currently two books available in Poland on the battle of Kosovo Pole:

Intensive contacts between Polish and Serbian nobility goes in time immemorial. We know for Jagilonian and Nemanic`s contacts even before battle on Kosovo. That`s how Polish Jadwiga came in existence, after all. But, let`s say that bulk of Serbian cavalry finished in Poland thanks to deals between venerable Zawisza Czarny z Garbowa and Serbian Despot Djuradj Brankovic, so approximately 1390-1420, when Serbians became aware that their fight for freedom won`t come easily but rather as process. So Serbs believed that only Poland can (and want to) help them and they wanted to secure straightening of Poland and they did it. Even after Zawish died in Golubac (Serbia), killed by Turks, Serbian cavalry was transferred to Poland till the end of Serbian despotate in 1456. But, if we speak about Serbian migrations (for population in general) to Poland it was intensified after 1456.

See, that Kupraszewicz maybe even wasn`t cavalryman (Racow) but one of many Serbs that escaped to avoid Ottoman terror.


Maybe even during Austro-Hungaria. Who knows

Church`s books should know the answer.


Good. You know, sh** for Poland started exactly on Kosovo with Turkish invasion. It is them, Turks, who cut last remains of ancient amber trade route from Baltic to Balkan, from Slavic cold to warmer seas. One day, we may correct this and once again redirect wealth flow in our direction (onto Poland and Serbia), brate. See, no wonder that Polish Warlords and Kings distinguished themselves to support Serbians in fight against Turks in middle ages, while treacherous western Europe collaborated with those same Turks. From our disaster, they sought chance to profit.

In grave we Serbians were buried alive and from that Poles puled us out.