Woloczyn or Wolosczyn: Am I Polish? Help

My grandmother and father on my dads side (apparently) were 100% Polish, my Father was 100% Polish. When my grandmother died, I wasn't at the funeral, unfortunetley, however my mother attended, and said they were looking or talking about a family tree and someone saying they were actually from Czech? I'm a very proud Polish young man, who aspires to learn the language, I listen to a lot of polish rock, I have the flag in my room, ect...I would absolutely HATE to find out that I was actually Czech...not that I have anything against Czechs, but imagine being so proud of being Lithunanian or something, just to find out you were actually German...that would suck...

This post is for people who speak Polish or have a vast knowledge of Polish language and grammar. My last name is Wolosin. I was told that when my grandparents came over from Poland that the name wasn't orginally Wolosin, it was either Woloczyn or Wolosczyn, Woloszyn, something to that effect. I'm almost certain it's the first one, but could possibly be one of the last two. Do these names either my current legal one, or the other 3 possible ones seem Polish to you? or at least more Polish than any other Slavic origin? Would really appreciate the help on this.

German ... definitely German ... :)

Wołoszyn is very much a Polish last name. This map shows where many Wołoszyns live in Poland moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/wo%25C5%2582oszyn.html

W is pronounced like v in vase, ł is pronounced like w in washer , sz like sh and y like i in sit

Actually that would be Wołoszyn, fairly common in Poland. Wołoszyn is also a mountain massif in the Tatra Mountains in Poland which reaches 2,158 meters at its peak and it is part of the Polish Tatra National Park. If your surname is originally Slovak then it would be Vološin.

This is very helpful guys ! Very much appreciated. I was getting discouraged when seeing a handful of Wolosin's comming out of Czech, even met 2 Wolosins online claiming Czech decent? Maybe they were mislead? Maybe Poles who lived in Czech? In my case Im sure it was just Americans not knowing how to pronounce Woloszyn so they tagged on Sin instead?

Hi ! My families last name is spelled Woloszyn. But my dad and relatives pronounced it Wolosin. Does that mean I am Czech?
I think I will stick to the definition of Woloszyn meaning someone that is a Wallachian coming from Wallchia, (Romania).
It gets very confusing - to know where we really come from. I've also seen it is a Lemko surname.
Bottom line, I am concerned is it Slavic or not ? I would hate to think I am not a Slav.

yes it is a Slavic surname and most probably Polish (Czechs and Slovaks use different spelling with carons(haceks)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caron

however your origins may be Vlach in a distant past (there must have been a reason the first bearer of the surname was named this way) - I just don't understand why it should be a disappointment to you

You can breathe easy - Czechs and Slovaks don't use the letter "w" at all in their alphabets, they only have "v". So you must be Polish ;-)

Polish and proud ;)

You last name is perfectly Russian. There were plenty of Voloshins through out Russian history. It's said to originate from the old germanic 'walsch' - foreigner, stranger and adopted into Slavic languages first as 'Voloch' or 'Volosh' (Волош). Welcome home, comrade! :)

Seriously speaking, you're what you think you culturally are. And I believe you're American.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Voloshin is of the famous ones in Russia. One of numerous Putin's henchmen.

if it were Russian is wouldn't be spelled with W and sz

Right, it would be spelled as Волошин in Russia and if Gospodin Волошин moves to Poland he can spell his last name whichever way he wants (or what he's told too) and I guess chances are high that this is what he was told to.

the thing is there is even a place name Wołoszyn (a summit in the Tatra mountains) - the surname is perfectly Polish too - Wołoch is a old word in Polish describing people of

Romanian origin (or speaking a Romanian dialect) - Wołoszyn is just an extention of this word - there are nearly 6000 people bearing the name in Poland - hardly possible they all originate in Russia (immigration of ethnic Russians to Poland was never big)

Judging from what I've read the suffix -szyn could indicate a matronymic surname of Western Ukrainian origin, I guess.
Source:
nadbuhom.pl/art_2545.html

My translation:

"In Podlasie area equally rare are surnames with matronymic suffix -iszyn, -yszyn (-ишин), which (just as those ending with -uk) come from Western Ukraine. They were created from vernacular nicknames given to married women - Jurczyszyn - son of Jurszczycha, Jurij's wife."


I wonder, is it possible that it's of Ukrainian origin? After all, there are plenty of people with Ukrainian roots in Russia ;) (or so I was told)

I think the suffix in question is -in/-yn not -szyn --- the -in suffix denoted genetive in the past (it is present in place names for example Zosin, Anin, Teresin)

Well, maybe you're right, I'm definitely no expert on this stuff, so... :)

Family name of Woloszyn, came from Lvov, Ukraine. Not sure of your spelling. Just adding the detail.

Jeez, so much misinformation in here.
History professor here. Sorry for my English, it isn't perfect.

You may certainly call yourself Polish... Ruthenian/Western Ukrainian as denoted by your last name ending in czyn/szyn/shyn/etc is more appropriate culturally as you aren't a citizen of Poland and neither are your immediate family.

The Polish lands existed as a portioned entities within Austria-Hungary (I believe specific to your case) among others.
IF your family is from Galicia, especially Przemysl(Southern Poland/Western Ukranian), read up on Ruthenians -- a minority in modern Poland; a proud people that revived some of their culture before the establishment of the modern Polish state following its de-partitioning. Legally recognized as a minority, with a unique Eastern Slavic lanugage similar to modern Ukrainian, just a bit more polish sounding. Your last name and its location would fit perfectly if you knew where your ancestors hailed from (Ancestry has a nice tool for that, so... get a test just for that?).

The alternative to the above, Western Ukrainians within the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth = under Polish rule, they often mixed with Polish people.

You are most definitely not Polish-Polish. BUT, the Ruthenians historically were part of Poland and so was Galicia before Austria.

Summarizing, you may be historically Ruthenian or Western Ukrainian/Polish.

Tip for research: The Ruthenians were also called Lemko within the Polish Commonwealth.

It's possible that you are Ashkenazi Jewish with roots in the Jewish Diaspora in Poland.

That's something that would certainly show up on a DNA test.

@jon357, not necessarily.

They're pretty accurate, and of course they show up all the other people who use the same service that have shared DNA.