Genealogy / Niziałek? [5]

The main stronghold of Poland's some 3,400 Niziołeks is in SE Poland with the largest concentrations in the contiguous Krosno, Tarnów and Kielce areas. As for Niziałek (app. 500 users), the single largest bastion is in around Tarnobrzeg in the same general area. Up till 1918 it was part of the Austrian occupation zone.

Genealogy / Duplaga, Data surnames [67]

data means date (eg 14th March 2010) in Polish and Italian. Probably also Spanish.

Genealogy / Niziałek? [5]

NIZIO£EK: archaic for midget, now karzeł. Also Niziałek and Miziołek.

Genealogy / Duplaga, Data surnames [67]

DATA: of Italian origin but not uncommon (app. 1,600 bearers) esp. in south Poland which is closest to Italy.

Genealogy / Unanswered Polish names requests - anyone have information on the following? [21]

RĘKOWSKI: original spelling of Renkowski, topo from Ręków or Rękowo (root-word ręka=hand)
KIMPIŃSKI: variant spelling of Kępiński topo from Kępino
GRACZYK: patronymic nick from gracz (folk musician)
KĘDZIERSKI: topo from Kędzierzyn (root-word kędziory=curls)
DZIEMIAŃCZUK: Ruthenian-influenced patronymic from first name Damian
ŚWIĄTEK: nick for pious or church-linked person or wood carver specialising in religious figures for wayside shrines: also topo from a locality incorporating the świąt- root

KRZSKOWIAK: variant spelling of Krzyśkowiak – patronymic=Chris’ son
PALUCH: big finger (personal trait)
WIKARSKI: patronymic for vicar’s son
WANIOWSKI: patronymic for Wania’s boy or topo from wan- locality
BETLEJ: Chjrsiotmas crib, possible nick for someone who hand-carved them
GEMBUS: from gęba (pejorative for mouth), possible big mouth
ZAJDEL: Polonisation of German Seidel (tankard, stein)
SOSNOWSKI: topo from Sosnów or Sosnowo (Pineville)
KARCZEWSKI: topo from Karczew or Karczewo (karczować=deforest, clear of trees)
KULESZA: cooked meal & water mush, poor peasant food

GONERA: variant of gonyra = old woman of ill-repute (old village wh*re)
CELIŃSKI: topo nick from Celiny
JAKIELSKI: probably patronymic nick from Jakiel (variant of Jankiel – Jewish first name, short for Jakub)
DANEK: hypocoristic form of Daniel, possibly serving as patronymic nick
JARMICKI: variant of Jermicki, probably patronymic nick from first name Jeromin or biblical name Jeremiasz
KWAŚNIK: possibly occupational nick for someone producing souring agents
RADZIO: hypocoristic form of Radzisław or Radosław
KLIMASEZWSKI: topo nick for inhabitant of Klimaszewo
ZIEMANN: German variant form of first name Simon
ZABOROWSKI: topo nick from Zaborów
P£OSZAJ: perhaps easily frightened person or someone employed to flush game for the lord’s shoot
LELAKOWSKI: possibly topo nick from Lelek
JUSZCZYSZYN: probably (bastard son’s) metronymic nick from Justyna
MĄDRZYKOWSKI: topo nick from Mądrzyków

Genealogy / Just found out my real last name is "Woyakski" [10]

WOJACKI would be the current Polish spelling, although centuries ago it could indeed have been spelt Woyacki. Only 36 people in Poland use the Wojacki surname at present, most of them living in Upper Sielsia (Katowice/Bielsko-Biała area). It could have origianted as a patronymic nick for the warrior's (trooper's) son.

Genealogy / Seeking information about the last name Lebida or Janus. [8]

LEBIDA: probably variant form of lebioda (lovage, an herb)
JANUS: dialectic variant form of Janusz, probably derived from the Hungarian version of John (Janos)

Genealogy / Unanswered Polish names requests - anyone have information on the following? [21]

Marqoz - Here is the first batch and all I can manage today. Feel free to work on the ones I missed or any or all from Kapelewski to Kulesza (bottom part).

Dylągowa, Dylągówka: from dryląg (also dyląg, deląg, delong) - a tall gangly youth
Janucik, Janik: both derived from first name Jan, probably patronymic nicks = Johnson
Bigora: from bigoraj = clumsy oaf
Kumor: dialectic form of komar (mosquito)
Konopełka: from konopie (hemp); perhaps occupational nick for someone growing or dealing in hemp or topo from Konopki, Konopne, etc.
Gołembiewski: variant of Gołębiewski, topo nick from Gołębiewo
Krapko: probably topo nick from Krapkowice
Głazoska: feminine form of Głazowski, topo nick for someone from Głazów (Boulderville), , Szubski: from szuba (fur-lined cloak); possibly patronymic for son of someone sewing, selling or wearing said garment or topo from Szubsk or Szubin

Klimczyk: patronymic nick = son of Klimek (Klemens) or Cemson
Konopiński: topo nick Konopina or Konopiny (Hempton)
Paździerz: brittle stems of flax and hemp, nowadays used to make fibreboard; maybe topo nick from Paździorno
Tarasewicz: patronymic = son of Taras (popular Ukrainian name)
Tarasevièius: Lithuanian version of Tarasewicz
Szynkowicz: patronymic nick for son of someone nicknamed Szynka (ham) maybe because he hailed from Szynkówko
Dąbrowski: topo nick for someone from Dąbrowa (Oakton)
Hawranik: Ukrainian version of Gawronik (perhaps patronymic for son of Gawron (rook, the large crow-family bird), also means silly fool or black-haired person
Mazur: topo nick for someone from Mazury/Masuria
Kaszuba, Kasuba: topo nick for someone from Kashubia
Kasubiński: possibly patronymic nick for Kaszuba's or Kasuba's son
Maślanka: buttermilk (typical peasant name)

Life / Mixed race girl in Poland, good idea? [149]

I once saw this Polish TV weathercaster named Osama Mensa (???) or something like that who is a mix of Caucasian and Negroid features, is stunningly beautiful and speaks perfect Polish. Never heard any disparaging remarks about her in Poland. The native Poles on PF will know who I mean.

History / just before the war the Polish/Ukrainian szlachta learned Ukrainian [243]

Members of my grandfather's family were burnt alive in their home when motley hordes of blood-thristy Ukrainian peasants went on the rampage in Poland's eastern borderlands.

Food / Stuffed cabbage - gołąbki - recipe [59]

Just intersperse the layers of gołąbki with a thin (1/2 cm) layer of sauerkraut and proceed as usual. It gives the gołąbki a touch of added zing. Bottom of pan and top of top layer of gołąbki should be covered with sauerkraut.

Genealogy / Origins of ruttkofsky or ruttkofska last names [11]

Rutkowski: root-word ruta (rue, a herb); most likely toponymic nick from Rutki, Rutkowskie, Rutkowszczyzna, Rutków or Rutkowo (Ruebury, Rueville).

Genealogy / Bachor surname (from around Zapalow) / Nieckarz [9]

Yehudi - Many dzięks for the clarification. Hebrew/Yiddish are not my speciality.

Genealogy / Bachor surname (from around Zapalow) / Nieckarz [9]

NIECKARZ: root-word niecka (wooden trough, tub, etc. gouged out of a log); the -arz is usually an occuaptional ending (eg lekarz=doctor, piekarz=baker, etc.), hence a nieckarz is someone who produced such wooden troughs.

Genealogy / Bachor surname (from around Zapalow) / Nieckarz [9]

BACHOR: Originally in Hebrew bachur meant a yougn man; in Yiddish it could mean a first-born son. See:
milechai.com/hebrew-words.html
But languages often change the meanings of the borrowings they absorb from other tongues.

BACHOR: this means brat or bastard (child born out of wedlock); as a surname it may well have emerged as a toponymic nick from such places as Bachorze, Barchorce, Bachorzyn, Bachorzew, Bachórka, etc. (Bratborough, Bastardville, etc.)

Genealogy / BIENIEK OR GASKA / Lagowska, Koper, Prusak [11]

KOPER: dill
PRUSAK: Prussian; as a topograhic nick also for Poles from Prussian-occupeid areas
BIENIEK: pet name for Benedykt (Benny)

Language / Old "Polish" Phrases used by family (in US) [3]

nitpickingly...a zając is a hare; a rabbit is a królik. Except for the jackrabbit of the Wild West which, as I have been told, is America's only true hare.

Genealogy / Krupski name [36]

No-one surnamed Kroposki or Kropowski in today's Poland. There are a few dozen Krupowskis, however.

Genealogy / In Search of My Heritage, names include - LEPIARCZYK, KANIA, SZYMURA, JAGIEŁKA [10]

LEPIARCZYK: patronymic nick from lepiarz (potter) = Potterson

KANIA: kite (predatory bird species)

SZYMURA: offshoot of Szymon (probably with augmenative shading = big, old Sy)

JAGIE£KA: millet groats

GROBORZ: dialectic version of grabarz (grave-digger)

HENNICH: from German diminutive of Heinrich = Hank

SZU£A: archaic/dialectic for wooden fence-post

NOWAK: new guy in town (most popular Polish surname shared by mroe than 200,000 users); compare Czech and Slovak Novakl, English Newman and German Neumann

Genealogy / Wladyslaw Mikolajczyk, Polish Communists 1938 [3]

Here is a list of KPP members: polonica.net/kpp_lista_czlonkow.htm

It may be the place to start. I could only find two Mikołajczyks. There is a Władysław Mikołajewski.

Mikołajczyk Kornelia
Mikołajczyk Ludwik
Mikołajewski Franciszek
Mikołajewski Władysław Jan

Genealogy / Family home location (Golinas in poland) [8]

Bartosik and Bartosiak are variant patronymic nicks from Bartoś (short for Bartłomiej/Batholomew) or Bartosz, a first name in its own right. In some cases they could have originated as toponymic nicks derived from Bartosy, Bartosze, Bartoszki, Bartoszewo or other such places.

Genealogy / Polcinske Pulchinski - just one branch of my family I am researching [16]

The surnames Pułczyński and Pulczyński also exist in Poland.

Language / Old Polish Vs New Polish [29]

Has much of PRL Polish survived to this day? Obviously many politiical concepts rooted in the communist period have gone by the board like aktyw. kolektyw, KC, Pewex, współzawodnictwo pracy, czyn społeczny and punkty za pochodzenie. But what about such russicisms as na zakładzie, na sklepie, etc.? PRL teenagers hated being called dzieci and would reply: "My nie dzieci, my młodzież!" But in America university students call themselves college kids, and dzieciaki seem to have made their way into today's Polish more than before, hasn't it?

Food / Paczki - Receipe for polish donuts [19]

Feb 9, 10, 20:27 - Thread attached on merging:
FAWORKI & PĄCZKI?

Anyone on PF actually make their own pączki and/or faworki for Jeudi Gras and/or Mardi Gras?
Got a recipe you'd like to share?