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

Kanaski
I'm pretty sure the name was changed at Ellis Island, so I'm trying to find my original last name and it's meaning.

Kanaski does not exist in Poland but Kanarski (from kanar=canary) and Kanacki (possibly from the Tatar word for nekclace kanak??) do.

[Moved from]: Sobolewski, Bankowski, Jurko. Rubiezewicze, Stolpce, Nowogrodek.

searching for information on my family. my grandfather Jozef Sobolewski, Stolpce 1900. Grandmother Jozefa Bankowski dob and place unknown. Marian Sobolewski 1922 Stolpce. Bołeslaw Sobolewski 1924 Rubiezewicze.

Thanks Polonius. I did ask my father what my family's last name was before it was changed and apparently it was Nizynski, which I found originally by typing in Nijinski into the internet and it corrected me in my spelling. Thanks again for all your help.

That's quite a move from Niżyński to Kanaski and a rather unique one at that. The only way I can think of describing that change is as an attempt to retain the general Polish/Slavonic ambience of the original.

Most Polish-name changes in the English-speaking world have involved:
-- shortening: Kołodziejczak > Kołodziej, Bogdankiewicz > Bogdan
-- respelling: Jabłoński > Yablonski, Czajkowski > Chaykoski
-- respelling & shortening: Jabłoński > Yablon, Czajkowski > Chayka
-- similar-sounding anglicisation: Witkowski > Whitaker, Maklowicz > Mackland
-- arbitrary anglicisation: Wojciechowski > Marlowe, Stasiak > Harris, Żebrowski > Ogden
-- translation of name root: Zima > Winters, Dobrowolski > Goodman, Jankowicz > Johnson
-- Retention of Polish flavour: Niżyński > Kanaski (can't think of any other examples offhand).

That's exactly what I thought when my father told me that. I really don't know how they got Kanaski out of Nizynski. Do you know where Nizynski is from and what the name means? Thanks Polonius.

Niżyński would derive from nizina or niża (archaic) meaning lowland, so Niżyński would be a lowlander. Humorously it could have also been applied to a midget (niziołek). The nicknamers of yesterday were not professors but usually simple, illiterate peasants, and when someone came up with something clever or funny it often caught on. It could have also been a toponymic nickname from some locality called Nizina, Niziny, Niżna £ąka or Niżatyce.

Kowalczyk - Smithczyk :P

Smithson.


Assuming that Paczko is not just Pączko with the squiggle under the ą left out, it might have originated as a toponymic nick from Paczków or Paczkowo (root: paczka = packet, parcel, box, bundle). Poczko might have been a dialectic peasant pronunciation of Paczko or perhaps derived from such localities as Początkowo, Poczółkow or Poćkuny.

HI, I AM NEW TO THIS SITE. MY LAST NAME IS WANDOLOWSKI, I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE KNEW THE MEANING OF THIS NAME? THANKS BILLY...

WANDO£OWSKI/WĄDO£OWSKI: Wandołowski is a spelling wariant of Wądołowski which probably arose as a toponymic nick to indicate an inhabitant of Wądołów. The root word wądół means ravine.

Does anyone know about the surname szypkowski?

Probably started out as a toponymic nick for someone from Szypków.


SZURSZEWKI - the "szew" here is coincidental and has nothing to do with a seam; probably a toponymic nick for someone from Szurszew or Szurszewo (meaning obscure: szurać = to drag one's feet, scuffle along; szurza = archaic word fro brother-in-law).

BACHURSKI - possibly patronymic nick from bachur/bachor (brat), hence Bratson.

Quite possible. Many things got miscopied or misread back in times when most people were illierate and even those who could read and write were often semi-literate at best. Did you see the locality in an old handwritten document or what? Could the t in Struszewo have been taken for a z, hence Szurszewski?

BTW ther are 3 people named Szurszewski in Poland, and 66 Struszewskis.

No, no documents. Just common knowledge I guess. Seems the most likely answer though, as I can't find any reference of a town of Szurszewo.

Thanks again.

Looking for information on the surname Pietrowski.

The only thing I have been able to find or hear about it is that it is a mis-spell of "Piotrowski". That it means: "house of Peter" and comes from Pietrowice Weilkie region close to the Czech Republic. I have been trying to generate our family tree and all I know was of my great grandfather with the last name of Pietrowski. Apparently he was a pig farmer, which makes me think he had land and food, and he married my great grandmother who's last name was Johanson (later changed by other relatives coming to Ellis Island to "Johnson"), and she was of servitude to the king of Sweden. Is there anyway to pin down more information of Pietrowski about the name and its meaning? As well, I believe I have seen a coat of arms for "Pietrowski" which looks like a russeted great helm with a crown adorned with gems or jewels apon it. Above the helm's crown it looks like a hatchet. Below the helm is a shield is a white horse with a black sash across its back. Is this the correct coat of arms or just something else?

Thanks to those that can help me out with this...

Pietrovice (Petersonville -- the -vice or -wice ending means "sons of..." suggesting that the original settlement was made up of Peter's children). From a purely linguistic standpoint it should have generated the Pietrowicki (PL) Pietrovicky (CZ) toponymic nickname rather than Pietrowski. But so many things have happened to surnames over the generations, so this is merely a hypothesis, not a dogmatic statement. As for tracing your actual family tree, a professional genealogist is usually required.

It's probably Dąbek (it means little oak). Dabek wouldn't mean anything specific,
but both Dąbek and Dabek would have the male and female forms the same.

DĄBEK - little oak tree; possibly a toponymic nick from one of the many localities containing the dąb root. Married woman Dąbkowa, unmarried Dabkówna or Dąbczanka


KOLIS - kolis = packet, bundle, crate of merchandise from French colis; possibly derived from kulesza (cooked mush)


TATZ - most likely from German Tatze (paw, claw).

try straty.pl - could give a good lead. or post on kresy5.webpark.pl - worked for me.

How about Marnik? I'm not sure if it was shortened from Marcinowski when my great grandparents came here.

Marnik exists as a surname in its own right in Poland, and most of its bearers live in SE Poland. However, your hypothesis about that being the shortened version of Marcinkowski also cannot be ruled out. Your immigrant ancestors' Old World documents (if availablłe) could solve the riddle.

Krzizalla

(I have my doubts if this is 100% correctly written , since I don't find much in my Genealogy research. But this is all I know and have...)

The closest there is in Poland is Krzyżalewska (the feminine form of Krzyżalewski). No-one can help you unelss you come up with the original spelling.

Thank you very much.
What does Krzyżalewska mean?

Well, Krzizalla 'should' be the original spelling. I found that on old papers of my ancestor... And it is written exactly as 'Krzizalla'. But because I can't find much on this name it looks like that there could be an error on that paper. But of course it still could be good and the original spelling...

My ancestor was from Upper Silesia, G£OGÓWEK. If that helps.

What is the meaning of Marnik? Thanks a lot Polonius.

Marnik (from the adjective marny --empty, futile, trivial, unimportant, insignificant, hopeless, destitute, etc.) has come to mean either a spendthrift or squanderer (in modern Polish: marnotrawca) or a useless person. However, if in your family's case Marnik was used to replace Marcinkowski (Martinson or Martinviller), then that definiton is useless, becuase Marnik and Marcinkowski are not related in any way whatsoever.

Wondering if the name Skierka is researchable. I believe they are from Kistowo in Northern Poland>

Yes, there are more than 800 Skierkas in Poland mainly living along the Baltic coast.

I found this slightly interesting and thought I would share - it tells you where your surname is most common in USA.
dynastree.com/maps/detail

My ( Scottish ) surname is most common in TX, Cali, Carolina, Virginia and Fla.

What about Eizak?