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

I was wondering if anyone knew the history of the last name Naparsteck? I have also seen it spelled "Naparstek", however my name has the C in it as well. I knowthat it means "thimble" in Polish. So I don't know if that means possibly my ancestor's were tailors, or dressmakers, etc? Or from what I've read in here, maybe it was a peasant name because it's a household object?

Any idea's would be greatly appreciated, I've been searching for a long time on any history and haven't been able to find any!

Robowski & Naparstek:

ROBOWSKI: root-word probably Rob – along with Robuś and Rocio – a hypocoristic (endearing) form of Robert; Robowski would have functioned as a patronymic nickname

NAPARSTEK: thimble (a word borrowed from the Czechs where prst is the word for finger); Naparsteck would be a German or English adaptation.

WRONA: crow - characteristic-based or topo nick
ITELMACH: obscure, uncertain; looks German or Yiddish but no-one using it in Poland at present (nor in Germany);
BOŻY/BOŻA: divine; probably topo nick from Boża, Boże, Boży Dar, etc.
SZYMAŃSKI: topo nick from Szymany (Simmons, Simonville)
CHMIELEWSKI: root-word chmiel (hops); topo nick from Chmielewo (Hopton);
(Chomielewski looks like a misspelling or miscopying of Chmielewski)
For more info on these and other surnames kindly contact me

my last name is sosnoski does that mean it means pine or something of that sort?

Thank you so much, I couldn't find any meanings or origins for it.

It is most likely so. Sosna means pine, but you already know that.

Does anyone know the meaning of the surname BYWALEC ? If it means anything at all?

Bywalec means frequenter or regular customer.

SOSNOWSKI: topo nick = the bloke from Sosnowo (Pineville).

I have a question, my father now passed on and was the last one knowing the origional spelling of our last name. Wehn my ancesters came over they changed it. However from what I was told it ment "little shoe maker". Was hoping someone could help or lead me in the right direction to finding out. I believe it was somethign to the sort of kawjeszewski but im not sure thats just a guess from what i remember being told.

Thanks so much!

Seems to me his name was Szewczyk.One must have no self respect to change his/her name.

Little shoemaker would be Szewczyk. I can't imagine what the initial K-syllable might mean.

grubas
It wasnt my father that changed it it was my grand parents and im not sure why... Honestly kinda disappointed myself, now i have some french last name and im not even french im proud of my heritage and would be proud to display the name. I do know however that they were big into bootlegging and making their liquor when it was still out lawed dont know if that has ANYTHING to do with it but its a fact.

The closest I could find were Kawieciński, Kawięciński and Kawęczyński. All are alternative spellings of a topo nick from the village of Kawęczyn and have nothing to do with shoemakers.

However, prohibition-era bootlegging as well as other illicit activities could have been a reason to change one's name to confuse law enforcers.

Merged thread:
Kwiatkowski, Krawczyk, Zając

KWIATKOWSKI: topo nick from Kwiatków (Floralton)

KRAWCZYk: occupational patronym from krawiec = tailor's son

ZAJĄC: hare; either descriptive or topo nick from Zając, Zajączkowo, etc.

TOCZYŃSKI: probably topo nick from Toczeń or Toczyska.

STELMACH: German word for wainwright (wagon-builder)

What is the French-sounding name your ancestors changed it to? Sometimes people translate the surname into another language and Kwiatkowski becomes Flowers, Bednarczyk > Cooper, Pastusiak > Shepherdson, etc.

Others choose a sound-alike: Borkowski > Burke, Kalasiewicz > Calsavage, Kupczyk > Cooper, etc.

In Edmonton, Canada there are 16 named "Kashuba" and two "Kaszuba" in the telephone directory. One is a mechanic who was popular on radio answering questions about mv problems.

KASZUBA: Kashuba is a phonetic respelling of Kaszuba. If left intact, you'd have Anglos going about calling you kaZOOba.
Kaszuba is a member of the Kashubian ethnic subgroup akin to the ancient Pomeranians.

PULCZYŃSKI: Pulchinski is a phonetic respelling of Pulczyński, used to prevent Anglos calling your ancestor "pull-ZIN-ski". It probably originated as a topo nick from Pulczynów.

PULCIŃSKI: Extremely rare variant spelling of Pułczyński (see above).

K£OPOTEK: troublesome fellow or topo nick from Kłopoty

BOJANKOWSKI: topo nick from Bojanów or similar.

TOMAKA: one of many surnames derived from Tomasz (Thomas)

WOROSZ/WOROS: probably from Ukrainian-influenced dialectic verb woroszyć (to obliterate, destroy)

ITELMACH(?): Probably Stelmach (wainwright), the American way of handwriting the capital letter 'I' is a bit strange, so someone may have mistakenly written it in when recopying Stelmach.

FELCKOWSKI: Doers not exist currently in Poland, but there is one person named Pelckowski, a likely variant form that probably originated as a topo nick from Pelczyce, Pelczyska, Pelczyn, etc.

For more information on the above and other Polish surnames please contact me

Wow, what a great thread.

My last name is Zarachowicz. Any idea what that could mean? I know my great-grandfather got to the US in the early 1900's but we have no idea what region he came from.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

ZARACHOWICZ: patronymic nick from Zarach. Perhaps Zarach came from the verb zarachować (to miscalculate a bill, make a mistake with figures, short-change, etc).

Merged thread:
Polish surname

I would like to know the meaning or origin of the surname Kesikowski, I have looked on the web and cannot find city or how rare is this name. please help!!!

KĘSIKOWSKI: root-word kęsik (small piece of food, morsel, bite, titbit). Since -owski ending names usually originated as topo nicks, we should look for a place called Kęsikowo or Kęsików. Wielkopolska appears be this name's main stronghold.

Lewicki: topo nick from Lewice (Lionsonville).

re Pirshtuki

KUKU£A: cuckoo; possibly topo nick from places like Kukały or Kuklin.

This is fascinating. I have a Polish heritage but have very little knowledge of my family background apart from them once owning a property in what was eastern Poland (not sure exactly where, now part of Belarus or maybe Lithuania or somewhere around there).

My fathers surname is Rackiewicz, and my mother was Siedleski (not sure of spelling). Would love to know more about them.

Meaning of Zabicki?

[Moved from]: Search for whether Holod is a Polish surname

My grandparents came to the United States in 1906. They were married in Poland. My grandmother was from near Krakow. My grandfather (whose last name was "Holod") was from some unknown location. He spoke Polish. Is the name common or typical for a Polish surname?

Thanks

Have no idea but it should be spelled Hołod.
According to this site: there is only 315 people with that surname, so it's rare.

Hołod is not a Polish word, it's Ukrainian for Hunger.

Poles witht his last name, can be found for example here: nekrologi-baza.pl/nazw/str_h6.html

ŻABICKI RACKIEWICZ SIEDLEWSKI

ŻABICKI: root word żaba (frog); topo nick from Żabice (Frogsonville)

RACKIEWICZ: patronymic nick from Racek, Racuś and suchlike pet forms of Racisław or Racibór.

SIEDLEWSKI: topo nick from Siedlew or Siedlewo; Siedleski would be an attempt in English-speaking countries to retain the proper pronunciation; leaving to 'w' intact would produce a pronunciation similar to seed-LOOSE-key.

For more info on the above and other Polish surnames including their coats of arms please contact me

GA£ĘZA: root-word gałąź (branch); topo nick from Gałęzów, Gałęzewo, &c.
DYBKA:root-word dyba (pillory) or dybać (to lie in wait); topo nick from Dybki or Dybków
ZYMA: adaptation of German name Ziemann or from zeman (ziemianin) Czech for squire
CHODORÓW: patronymic nick from Chodor, variant of Teodor, Todor, Fiodor (Teodore)
WOJKROW: no record (check spelling)
KREMERÓWKA: no record (check spelling)

FOR MORE SURNAME INFO PLEASE CONTACT me

KREMER: Whilst no-one at present is using the Kremerówka surname in Poland, Kremer does exist and is used by several hundred Poles. It comes from the German word Krämer, someone who owns as Krambude (market stall) or Kramladen (small shop). Perhaps Kremerówka was slang for Kremer's unmarried daughter. By rights it should have been Kremerówna, but with names one never knows.

KUCZAJ: possibly from old verb kuczyć (pester, annoy, tease) or topo nick from Kucze, Kuczyn, etc.

WALICKI: from first name Walerian or Walenty or topo nick from Валіца (Walica) in Ukraine.

CZUCHRA: from verb czuchrać/czochrać (to tousle hair or flax)

ZAJDEL: Polish respelling of German Seidel (mug, stein)

TEMPOLSKI(?): no Tempolski or Tępolski in today's Poland; 1 person named Tympolski

PELC: from German Pelz (pelt, skin of fur-bearing animal)

HABRAT: possibly from chaber/haber (cornflower, bluebottle)

For more info on the above and other Polish surnames please contact me

KUCZAJ: possibly from old verb kuczyć (pester, annoy, tease) or topo nick from Kucze, Kuczyn, etc.

Zabłocki?

My uncle had this name.

what is the mean and origin of the last name boroczky, boróczky or boróczki

ZAB£OCKI: topo nick from Zabłocie (overbog, opposite side of the swap)

BOROCZKI ET AL: No such names in Polish; check spelling; possibly Borucz (from first name Borzyław) or Borucki - topo nick from Borucin.