THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME?

Ok how about mine?

Chrostowski and Szablak

CHROSTOWSKI: root-word chróst/modern Polish chrust (dry twigs and brush, kindling); topo nick from Chrostowo or Chrostowa (Kindleton, Twigville, Brushburg); 1 noble line/c-o-a.

SZABLAK: root-word szabla (sabre); topo nick from Szablak or Szablaki (Sabreville, Sabreton, etc.); no c-o-a.

I was on this site a few years ago and had asked about my last name "Kiecolt" or "Kieco£t" , I am curious as to whether this name exists today in Poland or if it had most likely been changed when the ancestors came to the USA?

You can disregard my last question, I see that I asked it 3 years ago and you answered , thank you.

Polonius 3. Can you identify kacper for me please. Its a name on my mamuszas side.

KACPER or KASPER: this is the traditonal name ascribred to one of the Three Kings (Magi, Wisemen) who according to the bible visited Baby Jesus in Behtelhem. The other two are Melchior and Balthazar. The name is believed ot have come from the Persian name Kansbar which meant "guardian of the treasury". It has gone into different languages as Gaspard (French), Jasper ( English), Kašpar (Czech).

A few of Poland's top 15 surnames:

WOJCIECHOWSKI: topo nick from Wojciechów or Wojciechowo (Albertville); 7 gentry lines;

MAZUR: regional toponym for an inhbaitant of Masuria; no gentry connections;

DĄBROWSKI: toponym from Dąbrowa or Dąbrowo (Oakwood. Oakville); a whopping 38 gentry lines.

NOTE: Each gentry line = a different coat of arms.

Michalewicz- Understood that it is probably son of Michal, but curious to hear any other info possible.

MICHALEWICZ: yes indeed this is the Polish equivalent of Michaleson; the -wicz ending is almost exclusively a patronymic indicator. Possibly in a few cases someone was called Michał because he hailed from Michale, Michałki, Michałów or similar, When he fathered a son, fellow-villagers could have dubbed the offspring Michalewicz. But they could have also chosen Michałowicz, Michalak, Michalczyk, Michałkiewicz, etc.

There were two gentry lines and consequently two different coats of arms in the Michalewicz family.

I had an uncle in Detroit, Michigan, a former Lippezan equestrian, his last name was something like Chicowski (Pronounced Chee-koff-ski), I may have spelled it wrong.

Any ideas as to meanings?

CICHOWSKI: root-word cichy (quiet, still, silent); topo nick from Cichów or Cichowo (Quietville, Stillton, Silentburg).

Well, they have evolved beyond 'quiet', but thank you for the translation.

If I can be forgiven for butting in on this subject, would any one be familiar with the surname : KAJETANIAK ? What I would like to know is whether it indicates Jewish, or any other, or perhaps a regional ancestry?

KAJETANIAK: patronymic nick from first name Kajetan (from Latin Caietanus, originally meaning an inhabitant of the town of Caieta); in Poland the most live in Mazowsze.

Any Polish name can be used by a Jew: Nowak, Kowalski, Wójcik, Wiśniewski, Kamiński, etc., etc.
There are also typically Jewish names such as Margolis, Szapiro, Perlman, Goldberg, Rubinstein, SIlberman, etc.

I realize that the last name Wolsza has already been mentioned on this site, but I'm wondering- do you have any more info about it other than meaning? Also , do you have any information about Szlaszynski? Thank you .

WOLSZA: probably from a dialectal pronunciation of olsza (alder - tree species); no known coat of arms.

SZLASZYŃSKI: topo nick from one of several places in Poland called Szlasy; no known coat of arms, but there were nobles amongst the bearers of what could be its variant spelling Śleszyński.

CICHOWSKI: 3 coats of arms

Couldn't find Kiecolt or Kiecołt. The closest was Kiecol (without the final 't') - about 4 dozen users; no c-o-a.

My great grandparents came from Galacia, Austria, 1880's, spoke Russian, settled in the Ukrainian community of Yonkers, NY, and their last name was Luckowicz, does anyone know of it's origin?

£uk is onion in Russian and I guess also Ukranian - £ukowicz means a son of £uk where £uk is a nickname-

btw they couldn't speak Russian - Russian was not spoken in Galicia - Ukrainian was

"Luk" in Ukrainian means "bow" (as a military equipment). Onion in Ukrainian is "cybulia". Chefk1958 asked about the last name "Luckowich". There is a city in Ukrainian Galicia region (known as Halychyna) called Lutsk, which I think has the same root as the family's name.

£uk is also bow in Polish and the name £ukowicz would have originated as a patronymic tag ot identify someone as the son of someone nicknamed £uk.

£uckowicz would be a totally different name. Again one of partronymic origin, but the father would have been nicknamed £uck, probably because he hailed from the once Polish now Ukrainian city of £uck.

Just to bring back some historical facts to you, Polonius:


Casimir III came 3 centuries later.

I believe this is just a German (as those who recorded people's surnames were Austrian officials) spelling of a Ukrainian name £ukowicz - the surname £uckowicz does not make any sense -

btw the town of £uck was not even part of Galicia - it was a part of Volhynia and as such it belonged to the Russian Empire and not to Austro-Hungary

£uckowicz may or may not make sense, but...w Polsce jest 8 osób o nazwisku £uckowicz.
Zamieszkują oni w 2 różnych powiatach i miastach. Najwięcej zameldowanych jest w Stargard Szczeciński ,a dokładnie 5.
z 3 zamieszkuje m. Włocławek osób o tym nazwisku.

Please keep your comments in English, thanks.

Does anyone know the origin of the surname "Ćwikiel"? Most of my family originates from current Eastern Poland.

ĆWIKIEL: root-word ćwik (Old Polish for sparrow-hawk; in modern Polish krogulec); or ćwikła (beetroot).
Probabll originated as a topo nick from Ćwików, Ćwiklin or similar.

Thanks a bunch.

Does anyone know the meaning and origins of the last name Zmuda? I must be losing it lol. I thought I asked this but I guess I didn't.

ŻMUDA: derived from the old verb żmudzić (to waste time, dawdle, grumble, fret); the noun żmud means drudgery, wearisome, back-breaking toil; also could have originated as topo nick from the village of Żmuda (£ódź region); three szlachta (gentry) lines.

Thank you, Polonius3. I have learned sth new from your explanation of KAJETANIAK. ;)

There are also 1469 Zmudas in Poland (no "Ż"). Same etymology.

Wondering about the last name DOSLEA? Male was Doslea, born in Poland or czechoslovakia, female born in Romania married to the Doslea name. Family lived in Romania until 1912 and came to Quebec, canada

DOSLEA: no-one uses this surname in Poland; it is definitely Romanian; there are apparently 14 Dosleas in Canada nad 4 in the US.