I am very curious about my polish history. My mother came from Piwniczna in Southern Poland and my father came from Szalsza near Gliwice. My mother's maiden name was Dziubakowska and I am in touch with many relatives on that side. My surname is Kytzia, but I believe it should be spelled Kycia and I was wondering what this meant in Polish.
DZIUBAKOWSKI/DZIÓBAKOWSKI: multiple sources including dzióbak (a stonecutters hammer), dziubek (little beak, kiss); dziuba (Ukrainian for dziewa= maiden); dziuba (hen chicken or turkey); patronymic (son of the pock-marked guy=dziobaty); possibly topo nick from Dziubiele.
KYCIA: same as kicia (childish for kitty); or from verb kycać/hycać (to jump).
i am Hungarian and my surname is Martinecz. Is it a possible Polish name? I am dubious, but my dad said his family came from Poland in WW2 in Hungary. I sought with google, and found a lot Martinecz in Hungary, so i think it is just a family legend.
What do you think? Thanks and sorry my poor English.
No, Martinecz is not a Polish name nor is anyone using it in Poland at present. I would wager that is the equivalent of the Polish surname Marciniak. As for your family's legend, it is possible that they originally did come from Poland. If they moved to Hungary, maybe they hungarianised their surname to blend in better with their new neighbours.
£YSUNIO: from łysy (bald); a nice, cosy-sounding nickname for a bald person, perhaps evoking the flavour of something like 'lovable little baldy'.
Huh, your reply was quick. :) So, maybe the original name Marciniak if they really from Poland. I saw in your previous reply Marciniak means Martinson in English, so it is Mártonfi in Hungarian. Or if I want to be noble Mártonffy. :))
Anyway, i like the possibility that i have Polish ancestors, so i keep the legend in my family history.
SOBOLAK: patronymic nick = son of Soból (Sable); the father may have been called that becuase he was a fur trapper or furrier or, even more likley, hailed from Sobolewo or Sobolice.
WALSKI: probably topo nick from Wale (-ski names are usually toponmyic); or possibly a patronymic nick for someone whose father was called Wal or Walek (short for Walenty or Walerian).
OSTAFIŃSKI: toponymic nick from the Russian city of Ostafievo or a patronymic one from Ostaf, a form of the Ukrainian first name Ostap.
ZAB£OCKI: from za (beyond) and błoto (mud), so topographically it would describe someone living on the other side of a swamp or mud flats; as a toponymic nickname it would identify a villager from Zabłocie (Overmarsh, Swampton, Atwater?).
KRZYŻANOWSKI: another topo nick from Krzyżanów or Krzyżanowo (krzyż=cross), hence Crossville, Crossbury, etc.
DROBIŃSKI: topo nick from Drobin (drobina=bit, speck, morsel), hence Bitburg, Speckville, etc.
For more information on the above and other Polish names please contact me
I have discovered that my old Polish surname has been spelled two ways (so far) and was wondering if the difference was critical or just mis-spelling. The name is: Dzibiszewski & Dzibiszewsky. Thanks for your help. I'm finding that developing a family tree is not as easy as it looks. :)
My GG Grandfather's last name was Srebro. I know that it means Silver when translated, but is there any other significance to that last name. Also, I believe he is from Either Krakow or Tarnow. How would I find any family information about him there?
RaymondStehl SREBRO: as you said, it means silver; could have emerged as an occupational tag for a silversmith or dealer, many of whom were Jewish. The name’s ancestral nest is the Tarnów area with some spill-over into asurrounding areas of southern Poland.
DZIBISZEWSKI: This is the Polish spelling, Dzibiszewsky looks to be a hybrid Polish-Czech version, as the –sky ending is typical of Czech and Slovak surnames as well as transliterated Cyrillic ones. But the w and sz are not used in Czech where the name would probablły be spelt Ďibiševský.
I've been looking for the meaning of my last name. I believe it was spelled Szymała before it was changed to Symalla after my great-great grandpa immigrated to America. Thanks.
SZYMA£A/SZYMALA: derived from first name Szymon (Simon), most likely a patronymic nick. It is one of many, because Polish is rich in variant forms. Szymon has produced a slew of spin-offs including Szymula, Szyma, Szymek, Szymiak, Szymak, Szymacha, Szymczak, Szymonowicz, Szymajda, Szymkiewictz, Szymoniak and others.
WIATREK: diminutive of wiatr (wind), hence little wind or breeze. Probably a topo nick from Wiatrowo, Wiatrów, Wiatrowice or similar. Wiatry (the plural of wiatr) can also mean flatulence (breaking wind).
KĘDZIOR: lock of hair, curl; probably nick for curly-headed person or topo nick from Kędziorki or Kędzierowo
BORCHLEWICZ: possibly patronymic from first name Borchelt (of German origin); or orchel, variant form of burchel (blister); less likely but not impossible - topo nick for Borchów or Borchówka.
Please help me!!! I am from Srbija and I found out that I have grand-grand-grandmother with last name LESZKY. I believe it is polish origin and maybe, just maybe jewish...I really don`t know. So, is it polish and what does it mean? Thanks
WANTA: an Old Polish term for rock, boulder, outcropping
SPYTEK or SPYTKO: endearing form of the Old Polish first name Spycimir; or someone always asking questions, inquisitve, curious, snooping
SZYGIEL: variant form of szczygieł = gholdfinch (bird species)
POTĘGA: power, strength, authority
KWIETKOWSKI: variant form of Kwiatkowski; topo nikc from Kwiatków or Kwiatkowo (Flowerville)
LIPIŃSKI: topo nick from Lipno (Lindenville)
LESKI: is a Polish surname which may be derived for las (forest) or a topo nick from Lesko. Leszky looks as though it went through Hungarian (the sz) and Czech or Slovak (-ky), but in those countries it would be pronounced Leski as well.
For more info on the above and other Polish surnames please contact me
PILIPCZUK: This is the Ukrainian verison of the Polish patronymic nick Filipczak (Philipson).
I am needing some help finding out about my boyfriend's last name his family migrated from Poland to the states yet he doesn't know anything about his last name, though every time it's mentioned in a public place someone is there to talk about it. If anyone has information about the name Puchlerz of Puchlerzski I would love to hear about it and follow a link or two.
When I see Puchlerz the only thing that comes to my mind is 'puklerz' which means buckler(its a kind of shield). But I dont really know if these are related.
PUKLERZ: a small round shield, strapped to the arm and used in ancient times as well as in the middle ages. Puklerski would be the adjectival form. Strangely enough, only the non-standard Puchlerz and Puchlerski spellings are found in Poland as surnames.
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