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

I don't know if my last name is Polish or French to be honest. Some say it's Polish, some say it's French.

:S

Are you going to remove this aswell?

last question, if you will.

freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jkmacmul/namemeanings-coatofarms/bumber.html

is this correct, possibly correct, or just wishful thinking on the author's part? it seems legitimate.

(P.S. i know some of the information has already been confirmed here, but the rest is of interest to me)

Polish armorial resourcers list Gryf as the clan to which nobles of the Bober family belonged.
Scroll down on the link for a glimpse of the Gryf heraldic device:
pl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plik:Gryf_herb.svg&filetimestamp=20061112204717

EKNER: probably from Old High German first name Eckhart

BIGARCZYK: patronmyic nick from biegarz/biegacz (someone often seen ruinning from place to place)

KAPUŚNIAK: cabbage or suaerkraut soup

ŻAKOWICZ: patronymic nick meaning the scholar's son.

My mum in law is Gudrun Ilse Kauschke, who was born in Breslau Silesia in 1933. Her father, Wilhelm Julius Richard Kauschke was born in Rothlach Kreis Bunzlau in 1888. His father was Julius August Kauschke, but we don't know anything about him, other than his wife being Emma Anna John. All we have is from the Familienstammbuch, which was one of the few things grabbed as my mother in law and her mother, the last survivors of their family, fled west in 1945.

The name is of mixed German/Slavic origin. In the Middle Ages, young poor from the cities were recruited to colonise the frontiers, in order to keep the Slavs back. This is the origin of the Pied Piper story. The 'children' were really teens and twenties who were lured by musicians and fast talkers to 'sign up', with the promise of land.

The Kauschkes got their name from the village of Kauschen in Silesia. Add to this a slavic ending -ka, and you have a Kausch-ka, a person from Kauschen. The earliest on the IGI have fantastic names like Melchior and Balthasar, which are more used amongst the Slavs as well, so there must have been some intermarriage.

KAUSZKA: This is the only form of the name currently used in Poland. It is used by 12 people: Bydgoszcz and environs (German Bromberg) 8, Elbląg (Elbing) 1, Gdańsk (Danzig) 3. New armies marching in, new rulers setting up shop, border shifts, partitions, occupations, etc. have made the de-ethnicisation and re-ethnicisation of surnames fairly common in this part of Europe. Someone named Góra found it expedient at some point to become a Berg. Another time, a Schultz may have changed his surname to Szulc or even Sołtys.

now, I'm not completely sure what this means, but i know it gives me so much more to go on! by that, i mean that I'm aware that this doesnt necessarily mean that is MY crest, but what do i know, it'll take some more digging ;)

i'm recently become interested in Polish history in general, and the Gryf clan mentions the RTC, so perhaps Bobers were once peasants, who fought for Poland against the Teutons, and gained some sort of noble title?

regardless, this is very interesting, I'm overjoyed.

you're a Godsend, thank you.

Any information on my surname JARASZKIEWICZ. My father was born in the Poznan area but where did the name originate? I've heard it could have come from further east, towards Russia. Taking off the ending ,kiewicz/son of, what is the nearest meaning of JARASZ? My Polish grandmother's surname was KAPOLA. Are there any clues to where this may have originated. It sounds foreign to Poland! All help greatly appreciated. Thank you. Catherine /Kasia from Scotland.

JARASZKIEWICZ: Jarosz, Jarasz, Jarek, Jarko, Jaruś, Jaruszko, etc. are all hypocoristic (pet) forms of such old Slavonic first names as Jaromir, Jarosław or Jarogniew. When someone known by those endearing names fathered a son... presto - you got Jaroszkiewicz or Jaraszkiewicz. In modern Polish jarosz means vegetarian, but the surname probably emerged long before that meaning went into use.

Incidentally, Jaroszkiewicz is at least five times more comon in Poland than Jaraszkiewicz, but Jaraszkiewicz is the more prebvalent version in and around Wielkopolska which includes the Poznań and Sieradz areas.

BOBER: To ShockTroop: This means that the unfamilair coat of arms you showed is not found in Polish armorials (compendia showing different coats of arms). The only heraldic device to which the sole noble line of the Bober family was entitled to use was Gryf. That branch of the Bober family somehow got ennobled probably by adoption or marriage into the Gryf clan and thereby acquired the right to identify themselves with that clan's heraldic emblem.

Incidentailly, Bober is peasant dialect for both beaver (bóbr) and the broad bean (bób).

Can someone please help me shed some light on my last name? (Horodecki) Is the origin Polish, or Ukrainian? Any meaning to the name? I know nothing of the history of the surname.

Thanks for any help.

My grandmothers surname was Wojtus. Any info on that name?

WOJTUŚ: this nickname-turned-surname has evolved from a hypocoristic (pet) form of the first name Wojciech (in English Adalbert), the name of Poland's first martyr saint.

GUMIEŃSKI/GUMIŃSKI: root-word gumno (threshing floor in a barn); gumienny would have been the threshing foreman and his son might have got the patronymic tag Gumieński or Gumiński. Toponymic sources are also possible.

For more Gumiński/Gumieński info please contact me

BARSZCZEWSKI: topo nick from Barszcze or Barszczewo; root-word barszcz (tart soup) or barszczownik (a weed).

SIDOROWICZ: patronymic nick from Sidor (pet name of Izydor) = Izzy's kid.

NIES£AWSKI: root-word niesława (infamy, ignominy); probably topo nick from a place called Nieława.

HORODECKI: name is Ukrainian in form; Polish would be Grodecki: source either the word horod/gród (fortified town) or first name Grodzisław/Horodysław.

For more info please contact me

Merged: Origin of most popular Polish surnames

These are Poland's top 10 surnames and approximate no. of users:
NOWAK: new guy in town - 200,000
KOWALSKI: patronymic from kowal (blacksmith) or topo nick from Kowale (Smithville) - 140,000
WIŚNIEWSKI: topo nick from Wiśniewo (Cherryville) - 110,000
WÓJCIK: patronymic from wójt (rural mayor) - 99,000
KOWALCZYK: patronymic from kowal - 97,000
KAMIŃSKI: topo nick from Kamień (Rockville, Stonebury) - 94,000
LEWANDOWSKI: topo nick from Lewandów or Lewandowszczyzna (Lavenderville) - 92,000
ZIELIŃSKI: topo nick from Zielin (Greenville) 91,000
SZYMAŃSKI: topo nick from Szymany (Simonville) - 89,000
WO-NIAK: patronymic from woźny (court crier) - 88,000.

For more information please contact me

I would say Woźniak most definitely comes from woźnica. There were plenty of those in the old times wherease woźny was a rare "animal".

I cannot find anything on my last name. Novereske. Anyone? I am told that my family comes from Gdansk.

This is not a Polish spelling. I could have been an attempt at a German phonetic respelling of some Polish surname. The only thing even close to Novereske beign used in today's Poland are: Nowerski, Nowaryński, Nowarski, Nawarski and Nawarowski.

DĄBROWSKI: topographic or toponymic nick from dąbrowa (oak grove) or Dąbrowa (Oakville).

JANKOWSKI: topo nick from Janków or Jankowo; possibly patronymic from Janek or Janko.

KOZ£OWSKI: root-word kozioł (billy goat); topo nick from Kozłów (Goatville).

MAZUR: regional tag for someone from Masuria (Mazury).

WOJCIECHOWSKI: topo nick from Wojciechów (Albertville).

KWIATKOWSKI: topo nick from Kwiatków or Kwiatkowo (Floralton, Bloomville).

KRAWCZYK: patronymic from krawiec (tailor)

KACZMAREK: patronymic from karczmarz (publican, innkeeper)

FOR MORE INFO PLEASE CONTACT me

Skibicki is my last name; what does it mean???

SKIBICKI: root-word skiba (furrow - the groove made in the soil by a plough; in some areas also a slice /of bread/); topo nick from Skibice (Furrowville).

For more info on Skibicki and other names please contact me

APFELBAUM: German for apple-tree; a common Jeiwsh surname, pronounced Apfelbojm in Yiddish. Only a handful of users in today's Poland. Some may have changed their name to Jabłoński.

hey, im new to this site, Im from the carribean and i was told that my great, great grandfather was polish, and i wanted to know if the name DARBOUZE is a polish name or not, or maybe french

DARBOUZE?: My initial impression was to see in this combination Darboży (gift of God), however no-one at present has such a surname in Poland. The only thing anywhere close were:

Darabarz , Darabas and Darabasz which were derived from Barabasz (the biblical rebel leader released by Pontius Pilate instead of Jesus).
Since you mentioned both the Caribbean and French connection, are you perhaps from Haiti where Polish troops were sent to quell a slave revolt during the Napoleonic period?

Maybe a French onomastician may be able to unravel the Darbouze mystery. Bonne chance!

KRZYSZCZUK: patronymic from Krzysz or Krzyś (Chris)

STRUSKI: topo nick from Stróża or Stróże, once mis(spelt) Struża or Struże (Guardianville) respectively.

Hi! Im from Brazil and my mom's side branch of the family is ukrainian-polish. My last name is Snak. Does someone knows anythig about it? Thanks!

SNAK(?): No-one in Poland currently uses the Snak surname but it has been recorded and there are a few dozen people named Snakowski (son of Snak). The origin is uncertain. Perahps it was dervied from the localtiy of Snarki or the old Polish word snaga (cleanlienss). Snag and Snak are pronoucned identically in Polish, since final consonants are devoiced.

My maternal grandfather was Antoni Rycombel. Yet, when his cousin arrived in the US, he insisted the spelling was Rycabel. I have found the existence of the former through my searches, but not the latter.

Who would be more correct? And, if Rycabel is more correct, what part of old Poland would they have migrated from?
Thanks and keep up the great service you provide us all.

Rycabel is extremely rare, only 6 people registered with that name, Kielce and £ódż region, compared to 500 some with the spelling of Rycombel with high concentration in Kielce region and Warsaw.

These surnames currently encountered in Poland
Rycąbel
Rycombel
Rycombell
Rycembel
Rycember
Rycomber
all come from the peasant term rycząg (also rycong, rycomb, etc.) meaning a type of carter’s seat in a horse-drawn farm cart. It most likely was an adaptation of the German Reitstange.

Of course, Rycabel (without the little nasalising ogonek under the 'ą') also exists.

So, it looks from what information you've written, the variations could likely be the multiple spellings of a pronounciation of the same name. Sorta like the different way people have of pronouncing "Gołąbki", it would depend on a regional dialect, I'm guessing.

Thanks for the research.

Exactly. At a time when most people were illiterate and mainly spoke their own local dialect, you'd be surprised to learn the things that happened to Polish last names.

Yes my family is from a quiet town in haiti called port salut, and the streets are named after the name darbouze, but than again my great grandfather was the mayor so that may not mean anything. But its funny how you mentioned about the polish troops and the revolt against napoleon, b/c my uncle who told me my heritaged traced back to poland also mentioned about that. So i thought i'd do some research on my name but i always get stuck at a dead end since most ancestry web sites have never heard of my last name, anyways thanks for the info. (btw how can i find an onomastician?)

Merged: Meaning of Woronczuk

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone knew the origins of the Woronczuk. Apparently my father (Zygmunt) came from a village called Szczerbowo in county Sokółka.

Many thanks. I wish to travel there next year to begin finding my roots since no remain members of my family exist.

John Woronczuk

Since there is no-one in Poland with a name anywhere close to Darbouze, I suspect my hypothesis of it being an adaptation Dar Boży (donne de Dieu) was unfounded. In an alphabetical list of currently used surnames we find: Daraś, Darawski and Darcz without a single name starting in Darb- in between.

There is however one person in Poland using the Bożydar surname and some 180 using it as a first name. It means the same as Dar Boży.

Perhaps the name was of French or other non-Polish derivation. I suggest you check wtih the Faculté de Philologie Française at a good university in Haiti. Bonne chance!

WOROŃCZUK: from Ukrainian word for crow worona;-czuk is a typcially Ukrainian patronymic ending. So when someone nicknamed the Crow (for whatever reason) fathered a son: presto and we got Worończuk.

I just got married and can't find any information on the name Grysko. Any help is appreciated.

GRYSKO: Also spells Gryszko and (farther east) Hryszko was derived from the Christian name Grzegorz (Gregory).

Does anyone have an idea about the meaning for Robowski? There are not too many of us in this world so it is hard to find any information.

Any help is much appreciated.