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


OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
12 Dec 2010 #1,411
CIS£O: possible root-word cis (yew tree); verb ciskać (to throw); verbal adj. obcisły (tight-fitting /garment/); topo nick from Cisie, Cisowo, Cisowa, Cisów, etc. (Yewville, Yewton); or Polish adaptation of Russian name Tисло.

Since the faint 'f' sound in Zalewski is barely audible, these two names are pronounced almost identically in normal speech. Their etymology however is a different story.

ZALESKI: comprises the prepositional prefix za (beyond) and the root-word las~les (wood, forest). It emerged therefore either as a topographic nickname to indicate someone living beyond the forest or as a toponymic tag for someone hailing from a locailty called Zalesie (Overwood).

ZALEWSKI: the root here is the word zalew (lagoon, inlet, bay). Topographically the adjecival nickame Zalewski would have been used to identify someone living on or near such a body of water or toponymically to indicate a native of a village known as Zalew or Zalewo.

For more info on these and other Polish surnames please contact me
Brozusky
15 Dec 2010 #1,412
My name is Brozusky, I have always wondered what the meaning of it might be.
PennBoy 76 | 2,432
15 Dec 2010 #1,413
Brozusky

looks like it was changed a bit or misspelled, probably originally Brzozowski , from Brzoza birch tree
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
15 Dec 2010 #1,414
BRZOZOWSKI: Certainly a possibility. If this had indeed been the soruce then it would have origianted as a topo nick from Brzozów or Brzozowo (Birhcville).

Another possibiltiy is:

BROŻEWSKI: In the USA Polish surnames ending in -ewski are often mispronounced -uski, so this could have been an attempt to respell the name the way it was widely pronounced. Brożewski would have been a patronymic from Broż, short for Ambroży (Ambrose).
Brozusky
15 Dec 2010 #1,415
Thank You, My grandfather worked for a mining company in Pennsylvania and he said the company changed his name, or Americanized it for him.
Serniksista - | 8
15 Dec 2010 #1,416
My father's surname was Charczuk. My mother's father hated it and told him to change it because it's Ukrainian. Is that true?
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
15 Dec 2010 #1,417
CHARCZUK: -czuk is a traditional Ukrainian patronymic indicator. The root of this surname is the verb charkać/charczeć (to clear one's throat, wheeze, growl, speak with a hoarse voice). Such a one might have been nicknamed Charko and when he sired a son, fellow-villagers would have given the offspring ther Charczuk tag. The more Polish equivalent is Charczak.
Serniksista - | 8
15 Dec 2010 #1,418
Thank-you very much for this information - it probably explains why I've been having trouble with asthma, I guess it's in the genes.
Max Mojo - | 1
15 Dec 2010 #1,419
Can anyone help me with information about/meaning of the following?

Jojczyk

Mruczkowski
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
16 Dec 2010 #1,420
JOJCZYK: probable source the verb jojczeć (to complain, gripe, grumble, belly-ache, *****).

MRUCZKOWSKI: probably topo nick from a localtiy such as Mroczków or Mroczkowo (Mumbleton, Mutterville); mruczeć = mutter, mumble, murmur or purr like a cat.

For more info on these and other Polish surnames please feel free to contact me

BOBROWSKI: root-word bóbr (beaver); topo nick from Bobrów or Bobrorwo (Beaverton).
tiggerfort
16 Dec 2010 #1,421
mazur
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
16 Dec 2010 #1,422
MAZUR: Masurian/Mazurian; an inhabitant of northern Poland's Mazury region known for its lakes and forests. For centuries it had been part of German East Prussia.

For mroe info please contact me
Ironside 53 | 12,357
17 Dec 2010 #1,423
MAZUR:

Inhabitant of Mazowsze, and abouts, having distinctive culture and dialect - no more !
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
17 Dec 2010 #1,424
MAJEWSKI: root-word maj (month of May). Probably origianted either as a topo nick from Majewo (Mayville, Mayfield) or as an indicator of the month someone was born or converted to Catholicism in.

The respelling is understandable, because there would be a tendency in Angloland to Anglo-mangle Majewski into some such monstrosity as ma-JOO-ski. The best respelling would have been Mayeski (because the f-sound of the letter w is barely audible anyway, so why bother indicating it?).

DRZYZGA: regional version of drzazga (splinter, sliver, wood chip); typical peasant name based on words denoting common household objects, food, crops, animals, etc.

TREMBECKI/TRĘBECKI: probably originated either as a patronymic tag 'son of the horn-player or trumpeter' (trębacz) or a topo nick from places such as Tręby, Trębaczew, etc.

DUCHNOWSKI: topo nick from Duchnów, a village near Warsaw. Root-word duch (spirit, ghost, spectre), hence the locality could be roughly trasnlatable as Spiritville, Spectreton or Ghostburg.
squeakwalker - | 1
20 Dec 2010 #1,425
Looking into some roots history, am from families Pikula and Chodan. I know nothing of family beyond two generations and am trying to research... From what I can gather Chodan would more than likely have come from Chodakowski and would be of Russian origin. My family hail from the south-eastern region, a small farming village called Czerce, near Sieniawa, just out of Jaroslaw. As the town is so far east, it sounds fairly accurate as Jaroslaw was founded by a Russian/Ukraine line. Anyway, anyone who could point me further would be great. Also, Squeak-Walker would be the rough English translation of the hiphenated names, which i find thoroughly amusing.
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
20 Dec 2010 #1,426
PIKULA: a trifle, something or someone insignificant; originally from Italian piccolo (small, tiny).

CHODAN: multiple sources possible including the first name Chodor (variant of Teodor, Fiodor); choda (peasant dialect fro foot path); also toponymic possibilities including Chodanie and Chodaków.
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
23 Dec 2010 #1,428
CHLIPA£A: from the verb chlipać (sip audibly, slurp a beverage; sob; gurgle of a brook); this is one of a group of verb-derived nicknames-turned-surnames, usually in the past tense and most often in feminine form. Other include Biegała, Gwizdała, Śmigała, Przybył, etc.
Raypolska 1 | 2
23 Dec 2010 #1,429
what about budzinski, does anyone know this one?
Seanus 15 | 19,674
23 Dec 2010 #1,430
I was serious. Isn't it from obudzić? (to wake up)
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
23 Dec 2010 #1,431
BUDZIŃSKI/BUDZYŃSKI: probably topo nick from localities such as Budzyń, Budzień, Budzisław, Budzisz, Budzisko; or patronymic source: son of Budzisław (Budzio for short).

NOTE: To repeat, when you see a Polish name ending in -ski, first reach for the atlas, since more likely than not they are of toponymic origin. Nearly all -owski and -ewski ending surnames are toponymic.
fka Ciszewski 1 | 7
23 Dec 2010 #1,432
Merged thread:
Meaning of Last Name in Polish

Hi! Just wondering if anyone could please tell me what my surname, Ciszewski, may mean inPolish?

Thank you!
Seanus 15 | 19,674
23 Dec 2010 #1,433
It looks like it could mean 'quiet' :)
musicwriter 5 | 87
23 Dec 2010 #1,434
Quiet, calm, silence = cisza, but another idea...there's a Polish village named Ciszewo located about 15 km east of the town of Grajewo.
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
23 Dec 2010 #1,435
CIESZEWSKI: Like nearly all surnames ending in-owski or -ewski this most likely emerged as a topo nick for someone from Cisza, Cisze or Ciszewo (roughly translatable as Quietville, Stillton, Silentburg, etc.).

For more info please contact me

Mea maxima culpa! Forgot to switch off my computer's typo-creating attachment. It should be CISZEWSKI, not Cieszewski.
a.lotozynski
24 Dec 2010 #1,436
Lotozynski?
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
25 Dec 2010 #1,437
£OTOŻYŃSKI: the root may have something to do either with flying (lot, latać) or patching (łotoszyć); another possible source could be łotocz (a yellow wild flower). -ski endings usually indicate a toponymic source, but the only thing close is in the Moscow region of Russia: Лотошино (£otoszyno). Who knows - maybe some Muscovite pedlar, mercenary or traveller wandered west into the sprawling Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, liked what he saw, married a local lass, put down roots, fathered kids....etc.
Bratwurst Boy 12 | 11,739
25 Dec 2010 #1,438
MAZUR: Masurian/Mazurian; an inhabitant of northern Poland's Mazury region known for its lakes and forests. For centuries it had been part of German East Prussia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Masur

Kurt Masur (born 18 July 1927) is a German conductor, particularly noted for his interpretation of German Romantic music.

:)
Ashleys mind 3 | 452
25 Dec 2010 #1,439
Viludski...? It's not mine but it belonged to my grandmother's family...
I hope it doesn't mean trout lips or something, cause I think it kicks arse!
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
25 Dec 2010 #1,440
VILUDSKI (???): The letter 'v' does not exist in indigenous Polish names. Other spellings such as Wiludski, Wiludzki, Wyłudzki, Wyludzki, Wieludzki, etc. -- also could not found. Please re-check your ancestors' Old World documents.

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