Yes, bryłka can mean a lump or clod of most anything. What your personally remembered ancestors did for a living was not necessarily a reflection of their surname which probably originated centuries ago. On the other hand, since Poland was a nation of peasants 85%), it is not inconceivable they were amongst them.
But we cannot entirely rule out a possibly toponymic source such as the villages of Brylewo or Bryłówek.
Thanks for all the info, they certainly where in the 85% as there jobs on their marriage certificates where classed as Einliegers which in German is apparently somebody who basically works for a nominal wage and recieves a house on the farmers land as a privilage. It's very interesting that you mention that the surname may of come from a village as Bryłówek is about 45 minutes from where they lived (Dobrodzien), and I have found the serveral families with my surname in that area (not all related), in fact the distribution of the surname appears to be concentrated soley in the Upper Silesia region, so it seems very plausible.
DZIÓBCZYŃSKI: Dziobczeński does nto exist in Poland at present. Under 3 dozen people in Poland sign themselves Dzióbczyński, and their epicentre is western Poland's Wielkopolska region, specifically its Konin area.
Such names are usually of toponymic origin, ie dervied from a village called Dzióbczyn. The Brazilian analogy was brilliant. Since dziób = beak, rough English equivalents might be something along hte lines of Beakly, Beaking, Beakington, Beakton, Beakman, Beakwood, Beakmont, etc.
GRZESZAK/GRZESZCZAK: Both versions exist and both are of patronymic origin. British Isles equivalents would be Gregson or McGregor. Other Polish patronymic surnames derived from the pet form of the Christian name Grzegorz (Grześ, Grzesio) include Grzesik, Grzesiak, Grzesiuk, Grześkowiak and Grzeszczuk. From the full name, we get Grzegorczyk, Grzegorzewski, Grzegorek et al.
From gzech we have such surnames as Grzesznik (sinner) and Grzezny (sinful), but you are right. Your surname could have taken its root from grzech. So many different things have happened in name development that most anything is possible. And the original nicknamers were not university profs but usually simple, illiterate peasants who blurted out the first thing that came to mind. If others heard it and found it clever and appropriate, they repeated it and it often caught on and stuck.
One should not rule out the toponymic option out of hand. Maybe in some cases it had nothing to do with some Grzegorz or Grześ but was traceable to the village of Grzeszyn in central Poland. An inhabitant could have been known as Grzesz, and when he fathered a son -- instant Grzeszak or Grzeszczak.
I'm looking for the history of the Polish last name KONIUSZY. I've also been looking for a Coat of Arms. I'm trying to find it to make a display of it all for my fiance and the sooner the reply the more grateful i would be. Thank you!
KONIUSZY: equerry, formerly a royal official in charge of the king's horses. No coat of arms accompanies the Koniuszy surname. The closest is Koniuski, which might have originated as a patronymic tag for the koniuszy's son. The noble Koniuski line were entitled to identify with the heraldic device Junosza.
Jabłoń means apple tree. It's probably a Polonisation of Apfelbaum, since that part of my family is Jewish. Lest there be any doubt, Apfelbaum also means apple tree in German.
Jabłoński is a name shared both by ethnic Poels and Polish Jews. Actually most any Polish name has been used by Jews at some point, however, some of the more popular ones include:
Czarnecki = Schwartz Białek = Weiß Zieliński = Grün Góra = Berg Gruszecki = Birnbaum Złoty = Gold Srebro = Silber Mały = Klein Duży = Groß
Hello, wondering if anyone knows anything about the name "dembinska"? My mother said that if we follow our line back far enough, you could say we were nobles. But I really know little more than that. Thanks.
Dembińska looks like an alternative spelling of Dębińska (it's pronounced identically). At first glance, "dębina" means "oak forest-stand" or "oak woods".
Jabłoński is a name shared both by ethnic Poles and Polish Jews
It's good my surname can pass for a Polish one, but I still look like an Israeli soldier and can calculate compound interest faster than I can add :D
Hi, I am trying to de-anglicize a friend's family name "Chalupowski", but have had little success so far. I wonder if you might be able to help me with this one?
Trying to figure out the meaning of surname. But I don't know exactly how to spell it in polish. I live in Latvia so we spell it PAVĻUKEVIČS, in russian it's ПАВЛЮКЕВИЧ, in english PAVLUKEVICH. I guess it's PAWLUKEVICH maybe? Any info would be nice.
