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


BraveRedHussar 1 | 1
8 Jan 2012 #2,341
It's Zombek which means Little tooth or denticle. Pathetic right?
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
8 Jan 2012 #2,342
TROJANOWSKI: topo nick from Trojanów or Trojamowo (Trojanville, Troyton)

KANTORSKI: probnably patriolineal nick for the cantor's son.

ZĄBEK: dimintive of ząb (tooth); nothing pathetic about surnames. It could have described a personal characteristic or identified someone from Ząbkowice (Toothsonville).
zaczary - | 5
9 Jan 2012 #2,343
Can somebody help me find out these surnames origins?
Pyoska
Sadanowicz
Boczko
All are in their European form...
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
9 Jan 2012 #2,344
PYOSKA: no-one uses this name either in this or some other spelling such as Pjoska or Pioska; there was once an old Polish word pioska (piosnka/piosenka) meaning song.

SADANOWICZ: son of Sadan (a name with an exotic Middle Eastern ring to it)

BOCZKO: from bok/boczek (side, also side of pork, bacon)

All of the above could be of Polish or other Slavonic origin.
SoaringSoftly 2 | 15
9 Jan 2012 #2,345
Sorry, I'm doing the best I can from 1892 and 1898 U.S.Catholic church records microfilmed by the Latter Day Saints. On the 1892 child's marriage record it looks like "Lotorn, Garhowo" as place of birth and on the other Lokotowo, Poland. Both are VERY difficult to read due to the penmanship and age of the record being microfilmed. I do know for sure the last place they resided in before coming to the U.S. in Pomerania.

Just trying to find more information as I don't speak/read/write Polish. Sorry if I offended you.
boletus 30 | 1,361
9 Jan 2012 #2,346
^^
Why should I be offended? I just try to help you, but without exact data we could be on a wild goose chase. How about posting images of the records, if they are so hard to read for you?

>> Lotorn, Garhowo
I have no idea what Lotorn means. It does not sound Polish.
Garhowo? Sounds strange. Could it be Garbowo instead?

>> Pomerania
The term Pomerania can be misleading since historically its borders were changing. Today, there are three provinces in Poland, bearing "Pomerania" in their names:

1. Western-Pomeranian Province, województwo zachodnio-pomorskie (Szczecin)
2. Pomeranian Province, województwo pomorskie (Gdańsk)
3. Kuiavian-Pomeranian Province, województwo kujawsko-pomorskie (Toruń-Bydgoszcz)

Judging by your previous request, which I tried to help you with, you are probably interested in #3

I do know for sure the last place they resided in before coming to the U.S. in Pomerania.

This could help too, as additional clue.
zaczary - | 5
9 Jan 2012 #2,347
PYOSKA:
SADANOWICZ:
BOCZKO:

dziękuję! I have had a lot of trouble finding out these possible surname meanings. I think that Pyoska or Boczko isn't of Polish origin exactly. But the Sadanowicz surname is interesting. Does that mean that my family and I could have possible middle eastern roots?
I <3 Chrusciki
10 Jan 2012 #2,348
Was wondering if anyone knew anything about the last name Tomasikiewicz by chance...
Ironside 53 | 12,363
10 Jan 2012 #2,351
baron is baron, baran is male sheep!
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
10 Jan 2012 #2,352
TOMASIKIEWICZ: This may have originated as a double patronymic. Someone named Tomasz (Thomas) fathered a son whom fellow-villagers called Tomasik. They could have also called him Tomanek, Tomczyk, Tomczak, Tomal, Tomasek, etc. (Polish is rich in variants forms). When Tomasik himself became a father, his offspring could have been dubbed Tomasikiewicz and eventually it evolved into a normal surname passed on from one generation to the next.
tim76
11 Jan 2012 #2,353
Pawelka (with the extension "alias Przybyl") - what is the meaning? Did the family came from outside? The bought some land at this stage. What means Pawelka? Children of Pawel or similar?
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
11 Jan 2012 #2,355
** CWALINA ** PAWELKA

CWALINA: topo nick from Cwaliny; root-word cwalina or czwalina (conium - poisonous plant of the hemlock family)

PAWELKA: Could have originated as a patronymic tag from Paweł, but far more common ones are Pawlak, Pawlłik, Pawlaczyk, Pawelski, Pawłowicz, etc. Or as a topo nick from some such locality as Pawełki, Pawelce, Pawlin, Pawłowo, etc.

vel Przybył (also known as Przybył) could have been an intended or unintended alias. Some people referred to the same person differently back before surnames became common. SO a single villager might be callked STach Gruby by some (FAt Stabn), Stach Piekarz (the baker) by other and maybe Stach Brzeziński by still others who remembered his family had come from Birchville.

A first-name/nickanme paraellel in English-speaking circles is the kid known by one side of the family as Little Billy, as Willy by the otehr and maybe also Butch, Scooter, Dodger, Billy Boy or what have you by the odd neighbour or aunt.
zamiatowsi
11 Jan 2012 #2,356
[Moved from]: ZAMIATOWSKI

I think my last name ZAMIATOWSKI means sweeper but I'm not sure I was told my GRANDFATHER was born near where BLESSED JOHN PAUL II was born is there anybody left that are related to the ZAMIATOWSKI family ?
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
11 Jan 2012 #2,357
ZAMIATOWSKI: Indeed the root here is zamiatać (to sweep), and zamiat or zamiata could have been the nickname given to soemone who sweeps. (The official term for a sweeper is zamiatacz.) When he sired a son, the offspring might have been dubbed Zamiatowski.
my1sandra
12 Jan 2012 #2,358
Does anybody know of the orgin of Mroguschewski or Wasserfurt is? These are my great grandparents last name and I believe it is Polish.
gumishu 13 | 6,134
12 Jan 2012 #2,359
the name is indeed of Polish origin but your great grandfather may not have actually considered himself Polish - Wasserfurt is a German place name - I look up if it perhaps is a German name to a place in Poland (Germany occupied large chunk of Poland before the WWI)
k934kllo0
12 Jan 2012 #2,360
Just found a marriage record for my gg parents through the Poznań Project site. What are the origins of Pankowski and Kuranka? The last one doesn't sound Polish to me.
woiders6
13 Jan 2012 #2,361
WOIDERSKI and Socha?
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
13 Jan 2012 #2,362
WOJDERSKI (Polish spelling): from one of 2 different soruces -- from old Polish names incorporating the woj- (war, warrior) root (Wojsław, Wojciech) or from Hungarian vojda (regional chieftain, Polish = wojewoda).

SOCHA: ancient wooden plough (without iron ploughshare).
my1sandra
13 Jan 2012 #2,363
Thank you so much for the reply. Looking through their old records, seems like my grand parents may have been born in Poland or Russia but but later lived in Germany and had their childen before they moved to America and changed their last name to Meinke.
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
15 Jan 2012 #2,364
MROGUSZEWSKI(?): As far as I know, no-one in Poland uses this name at present. About the only surnames with the mrog- syllable are Mrogaś, Mrogenda, Mrogiel, Mrogowski and Mrogulec. Most likely they derive from the verb mrugać (wink, bat one’s eyelid) or Old Polish mrygać or mergać (to look at, eyeball something).

WASSERFURT: German/Yiddish for Waterford.

MAINKE, MEINKE: surname possibly derived from German name Maginhart; extremely rare in Poland today.
Grateful
16 Jan 2012 #2,365
You seem so helpful. I have always been curious about my name. I have been surfing through many web pages. So far no luck.
Any information you could give me on Malanoski?
glads91
16 Jan 2012 #2,366
what is the meaning of the last name of TACZANOWSKI????
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
16 Jan 2012 #2,367
By and large, Polish names ending in -owski are nearly always toponymic tags dervied from the names of localities. And so it is with:

TACZANOWSKI: from Taczanów, root-wrod taczać/toczyć (to roll); so we might roughly translate the locality's name as Rollville or Rollburg.

MALANOWSKI: toponymic tag from Malanowo or Malanów; probable root mal~mał (small, little), hence Littleton, Smallville.
woiders6
16 Jan 2012 #2,368
What is the meaning of Wichlacz? Thank you!
alda 1 | 5
16 Jan 2012 #2,369
Hi. please can you tell the meaning of the surname "Jarmużek"? thank you in advance
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
16 Jan 2012 #2,370
**JARMUŻEK ** WICH£ACZ

JARMUŻEK: diminutive of jarmuż (kale, a leafy vegetable)

WICH£ACZ: liar, cheat, swindler

PANKOWSKI: topo nick from Panków or Panki; root-word panek (lordling, member of petty gentry)

KURANKA: possiblyderived from kuran (old form of kurhan or grave mound) or from kur (cock); no Kuranka currently in Polannbut there is a Kurankiewicz (Kuranka's son).

KURANKA: There is a locality in formerly Polish Belarus called Kuranowszczyzna which might have generated the Kuranka topo nick.

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