Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

GLINKOWSKI: it would have mroe likely originated to identify 'the guy from Clayton'; it bears repeating that the overwhelming majority of Polish suirnames ending in -owski are of toponymic origin. There are numerous places in Poland called Glinka and Glinki, of which the toponymic adjective would be Glinkowski.

SOWIŃSKI: root-word sowa (owl), but most likely originated as a toponymic tag for someone from Sowiny (Owlton, Owlville).

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

BABIAK exists in Polish, as I'm sure it does under one spelling or another in all the Slavic countries. its root is the word baba, also unviersa and meaning woman, old woman or hag. Babiak may have originated as a variant form of babiarz (womaniser, skirt-chaser). Alternatively, it may have been a matronymic tag for the bastard son of some unwedded lass.

Life / The nature of Polish jokes? [128]

A passenger plane experiences mechanical problems. The captain says it must lighten its load if it is to reach the nearest airport for an emergency landing and asks for male volunteers so maybe the women and children on board migth be saved. An American steps forward, opens the door (I know decompression would take place, but this is only a joke!), shouts 'God bless America!' and jumbs. A Frenchman follows suit, shouts 'Vive la France' and jumps. A Brit shouts 'God save the Queen!' and also does his duty. And finally a Pole steps forward, shouts 'Niech żyje Polska!' and pushes out a Russian.

History / What proportion of the Polish population collaborated with the Nazis? [125]

Weren't most of the Nazi collaborators Volksdeutsche? The saying 'Tylko świnie siedzą w kinie' (only pigs attend cinemas) indicated that even benefiting from the Nazi entertainment media was regarded as reprehensible.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

Although the name has been recorded, mesning that it had been used in the past, unfortunately not a single person in today's Poland uses it. It is therefore impossible for me at least to say anything about its distirbution or possible pointn of origin. Perhasp this genealogist may be able to help you:

office@pol gen research

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

CZASZEWICZ: The -wicz is definitely a patronymic ending. The Old Polish word czasza meant a goblet or chalice, so when someone with that nickanme fathered a son -we got Czaszewicz (son of Czasza).

For more information please contact me

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

I could only find Czaszewicz and Czeszewicz. Could a vowel have t dropped out of the Czaszwicz surname you submitted?

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

BIL/BIEL: One cannot rule out that possibility. On the other hand, it might be pure coincidence. Bil is the more eastern (Ruthenian) version, Biel is typcially Polish. Both mean whiteness so they might be compared to such English surnames as Whitely, Whithing, Whitman, etc.


KUMIEC: from Old Polish word for godfather -- kum.

KOLIADA: Ruthenian vetrsion of kolęda (Christmas gift, carol). In Lithuanian the same root has produced the word for Christmas itself: Kalėdos.

SOKO£OWICZ: Patronymic nick for 'the son of Sokół' (Falconson).

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

CYGAN: Gipsy

SZEMKOWICZ: Patronymic tag from Szemek, one of many pet forms of Szymon, hence Simonson.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

Interestingly, the imperfective form of the verb gruchać means to coo, but the perfective form gruchnąć is far more violent and can mean to blast, crack, burst forth, etc. The latter could apply to the blast of a tuba, the eruption of a rumour, the firing of a rifle, etc.

Nickidewbear
I was referring to the inserted 'o' in words such as włodarz forming wołodarz.
The use of 'o' or 'e' in -wicz ending names is largely determined by the preceding consonant sound. So we have Daniłowicz but Maniszewicz (as in Manischewitz wine).

The -wicz (whether spelt -wicz, -vich, -vitch,-witz, -вич, etc.) is a Slavic ending which Yiddish speakers adopted. If they had wanted to keep things authentically Jewish they would have used the ben Daniyell (son of Daniel) version which they mostly abandoned in the European diaspora.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

GRUSZKOWSKI: comes from gruszka pear whislt grusza is from pear-tree; probably from Gruszków or Gruszkowo (Pearton, Pearmont, Pearbury).

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

GRUSZOWSKI: this was probably the original spelling. It is a toponymic tag for someone from Gruszów or Gruszowo (Pearwod, Pearville, etc.).

For more information please contact me

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

NYC: Along with Nych, Nycz and others was derived from the first name Nikołaj or Nykołaj (Nicholas), now Mikołaj.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

PODGURSKI - CALIŃSKI - ODZIEMKOWSKI

PODGURSKI: from pod (under) and góra (hill); probably originated as a topograohic nick for someone living at the foot of a hill or a toponymic tag for an inhabitant of Podgórze. The Podgurski spelling was either illiterate (in the Old Country) or phonetic (in the New World).

CALIŃSKI: probably from cały (whole, entrie) or cal (inch).

ODZIEMKOWSKI: from odziomek (the part of a tree just above ground level); quite likely a toponymic tag for someone from a village incorporating that root.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

SLAGOWSKI: variant of Szlagowski and Ślagowski, dervied from Old Polish word Szlaga or Ślaga (petty nobleman).

Genealogy / BASZCZAK, TOMKOW & BUJAR of HLESZCZAWA, Trembowla, Tarnopil or CYGANY, Skala, Borszczow [5]

BASZCZAK/BASZCZUK: patronymic nick (the -uk is the more Ukrianian version) for the son of Barszcz (dialectally pronoucned Baszcz). Barszcz is either an invasive weed or a beetroot soup.

BUJAR: Old Polish word for bull.

TOMKÓW: rare patronymic from Tomek equiavlent of Thomson.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

That is coincidental. Gruchała belongs in the group of verb-derived surnames traceable to the past tense and usually in the feminine gender such as Biegała, Gwizdała, Mrugała, etc.

Grucha (a noun) is indeed now the augmentative/pejorative form of gruszka. In older Polish it was the basic form, and gruszka the diminutive. Same with córa and córka (daughter).

MAZUREK: Diminutive of Mazur (Masurian -- inhabitant of Masuria but also Masovia -- the two were sometimes confused and equated).

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

Nobody can be 100% where names are involved. These are simply linguistic hypotheses based on observation and typicality. It might have also originated for some totally different reason like a village incorporating the Gruch- syllable or someone who used to go gruch-gruch (for reasons known only to hismelf) during interaction with others until eventually he acquired such a nickname. But it could also have ended up as Gruchal, Gruchacz, Gruchocki, Gruchowiec, Gruchalski and many other.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

GRUCHA£A: From verb gruchać (to coo – said of pigeons and people whispering ‘sweet nothings’)

Genealogy / BIALIK / Bialek, Kotecki, Witucki, Ezdebski Families - Jaslo and Poznan [17]

My sources state that no Bialik ever achieved szlachta status. However, there were nobles amongst the members of the Białek family entitled to identify with teh Przerowa c-o-a.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

BARCZYŃSKI: probable root bark~barcz generating such words as barki (shoulders) and barczysty (broad-shouldered). But -ski names are more often than not toponymic in origin so it probably traces back to localities such as Barcza. Barczyzna or similar.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

RATAJ: an old Polish word for a hired farmhand; this suranme and its many derivatives (Ratajski, Ratajczak, etc,) are esp. popular in western Poland's Wielkopolska region.

For more information please contact me

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

KĘDRA & WO£ODARSKI

KĘDRA/KENDRA: comes from kędry (the locks and braids cut off from a bride's hair during the oczepiny /becapping/ ceremony in olden times) -- the symbol of her transition from maidenhood to wifehood.

WO£ODARSKI/W£ODARSKI: It could have been used by Jewish people (as every imaginable surname has been), but it isi not typcially Jewish but Russian as evidenced by the inserted 'o'. The Polish equivalent is włodarz. It has been used to mean leader, ruler, headman, manager of an estate, at any rate some top dog who is in charge of things. In Poland there are thousands of Włodarskis but only half a dozen Wołodarskis. In Russia it's probably just the opposite.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

SZCZUCKI: root-word szczuka (old Polish and modern Russian word for northern pike -a predactory fish species); topo nick source also possible.

STAŃCZAK: a straight forward patronymic tag for the 'son of Stanek' (Stan's kid).

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

BURCZ: from verb burczeć (growl, grumble) - most users in Kuajwy and N. Mazowsze

MAJKA: probably topo nick from many localities called Majk, Majki, Majków and similar - most Majkas live in southern Poland.

For more info please contact me

ZAB£OCKI: from za (beyond) and błoto (mud). It could have emerged as a topographic nickname for someone living on the other side of the mud flats, swamp or suchlike, or a toponymic one for an inhabitant of the village of Zabłocie (Mudville, Overbog)

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

BIA£OTA: I'll answer your question with another question. What do -ly, -ing or -on mean in English? They appear in such surnames as Whitely, Whiting and Whiton. In Polish -ota is simply a suffix which appears in many words (eg robota /toil/, głupota /foolishness/, hołota /rabble/, etc.).

For more information on Białota please contact me

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

DRUCKI-LUBECKI: toponyms from Druck and Lubecz - the name of a Lithuanian princely clan which used the Druck coat of arms. Check out:
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Druccy-Lubeccy

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

PRZEPIERSKI: probably from przepierka (quick laundry of soiled linens).

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

ROSZKOWSKI: toponymic nick from some of the many localities in Poland called Roszki, Roszków or Roszkowo; those settlemertns, whose names mean something like Rocco's place, Rocco's holding or maybe Roccoville, were apparently set up by someone named Roszko, Roszek (from Roch or Rościsław).