Genealogy / Looking Into The Surname Bednarczuk: Ukrainian, Polish, Ruthenian, Belarusian, etc? [27]

ToddOPD
FYI -chuk is not the Ukrainian spelling of the Polish ending -czuk, it is the customary English transliteration of Ukrainian -чук. Incidentally, the Germans would transliterate is at –tschuk. (Khruschev’s name was spelt some 30 different ways by different Western newspapers.).

Bednarèuk is the speling in Croatia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Genealogy / Looking Into The Surname Bednarczuk: Ukrainian, Polish, Ruthenian, Belarusian, etc? [27]

TURCZYN: Turk, one of many natioanality-derived surnames in Polish including Rusek, Rusin, Niemiec, Czech, Szwed, Cygan, Żydek, Węgier, Madziar, Włoch, Szwab, Duńczyk, Holender, etc.

Life / Why Polish people should be proud of being Polish? [370]

Merged: Polish and proud?

At the various Polish fests, fêtes and festivals held esp. in the warmer months across Polish America, in addition to the kiełbasa, gołąbki and pierogi circuit, there are the inevitable stalls selling ethnic novelties and bric-a-brac. These include T-shirts with such slogans as 'Polish & proud' and 'Kiss me, I'm Polish!'

That raises the question: If you are Polish, are you proud, and if so -- what of?
This is addressed to the Old World Poles on PF as well as world-wide Polonians of the Diaspora. Assorted poms, limeys, jocks, micks and other...

Idiotic racial slur removed

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

KOWYNIA: root “kow-” as in Old Polish kować (to forge, modern Polish kuć), from which sprang kowal, et. al. Probably topo nick from village of Koweniec near Lwów (now in Ukraine) or Russian Ковыненкa (Kowynienka).

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

MA£EK: root-word mały (small, little, diminutive, tiny); nickname for dwarf or midget; or topo nick from Małki, Małków, Małecz, etc.

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

PRYZYBY£OWSKI: root-word przybyć (to arrive). Like nearly all surnames ending in -owski this orignated as a toponymic tag to identify a native or inhabitant of villages such as Przybyłów or Przybyłowo (Arrivalton, Comeville, etc.).

Genealogy / "Choroszucha" - Jewish family name? [19]

CHOROSZUCHA: root-word chorost (Ruthenian for brush wood, Polish chrust); probably the fem. form of Choroszuch (possibly the kindlewood-gatherer); most live in NE Poland's Podlasie region around Białystok where Polish and Ruthenian (Belarussian) cultures have long intermingled. The bearer of the name is another story - Poles, Jews, Germans and others can bear Polish, Russian, Ukranian, German, Czech, Lithuanian and even French, Dutch, Scandinavian, Itlalian and other surnames which does not necessarily reflect their ethnicity.

Variant forms: Choroszczuch, Chroszuk et al.

Genealogy / Crest and the meaning of last name Sumski [33]

If you say it was with a zed (or sz in other words) and was longer, then it might have been: Szumkowski, Szumiłowski Szumiński, Szumliński, Szumotalski, Szumicki; Szumnarski, etc.

But 'might have been' is prue guesswork. You would have to come up with some documents or other evidence pointing to one of those names, otherwise you'll be off on a wild goose chase.

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

ANUSKIEWICZ: variant spelling of Anuszkiewicz and Hanuszkiewicz; patronymic from Hanusz, regional peasant form of the first name Jan (John) = Johnson.

D£UGOWOLSKI: topo nick from village of Długowola

KOZA: goat; maybe the original nickname-bearers raised them, smelled like one or came from some village with 'Koza' in its name.

Genealogy / Crest and the meaning of last name Sumski [33]

What's the clan-name of her family coat of arms? If unknown, what is her maiden name?

Genealogy / Crest and the meaning of last name Sumski [33]

No coat of arms for Sumski, but there were nobles amongst the Szumskis who belonged to two separate clans: Poronia and Jastrzębiec.

Genealogy / Crest and the meaning of last name Sumski [33]

SUMSKI: as already stated it could be a 'Masurianised' pronunciation of Szumski from, szum (rustle, murmur, metaphorically commotion as in 'narobić szumu'); or from sum (sheatfish), now the largest sweet-water fish in Poland (often 7 ft in length and 150 lbs).

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

KARASIEWICZ: patronymic nick for the son of someone called Karaś (crucian, a fish).

£AZIŃSKI: topographic from łazy (a field full of stumps and branches after a wooded area has been cleared) or toponymic from the village of £azy.

For more info please contact me

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

Gruzvalski is impossible (no letter v in Polish). Gruzwalski is orthographically possible but nothing close exists in Polish that I could find. Please re-check spelling.

Genealogy / Just found out I'm Polish! [45]

There are two kinds of people in the world: those that are Polish and those that wish they were. Amen!

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

Could it have been Kalem(b)czuk? Sonmeone may have been thinking of the English hard C (with a K sound) and respelt it that way.

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

MAJDOSZ: could have originated with majda, one of the terms for a lefty (soutpaw); others include smajda, smańda, smaja and szmaja. Majdosz could have been a patronymic tag for the southpaw's son.

KALINOWSKI root-wrod kalina (guelder rose); topo nick from Kalinów or Kalinowo

KLECHA: pejorative term for priest (preacherman or some such)

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

D£UGOWOLSKI: dithematic comprising długi (long) and wola (will); actually topo nick from Długowola, roughly translatable as Freetown of Longville.

WYSOCKI: Topo nick from Wysokie (Highville, Upton, Talltown); 19 different heraldic lines including Grzymała, Prawdzic, Odrowąż and Rawicz.

For more details on the above and other surnames please contact me

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

DZIECIĄTKOWSKI: probably topo nick from Dzieciątków (Infantville).

For more info on how the name came about, where the Dzieciątkowskis live, what their heraldic links are, etc. please contact me

KAJZER: Polish spelling of German Kaiser (emperor)

SZTEFKO: Pet form of Stefan pronounced the German way

BALCERZAK: patronymic tag from Balcer (German version of first name of Baltazar)

LDZIARSTEK: ????? (please re-check spelling)

KOWALCZYK: patronymic tag from Kowal = blacksmith's son or helper

For more info on name development, places of origin, heraldic links, etc. please contact me

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

Some Stolarz descendant named Stolarski (meaning 'the carpenter's son') did achieve noble status as was entitled to use the Stylarski c-o-a.

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

LICZEWSKI: German spelling Litschewski; topo nick from Liczewo

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

MRÓWCZYŃSKI: This is the msot likely Polish spelling; root-word mrówka (ant); probably topo nick from Mrówczyno (Antville); surnamed pronounced: mroof-CHIN-ski.

Genealogy / Jambrich/Yambrick surname? [34]

JAMBRYCH: Has been reocrded in Poland together with the Jambryk, Jamryk and Jamrych versions as names derived from the German first name Emryk/Emrich. They are shared throughout the Polish-Bohemian-Slovak area.

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

Indeed, we are one big Indo-Eurpean family. And the typo alata in the previous post should have read plata.

DOMAŃSKI: probably topo nick from Domaniew, Domaniów or Domanin

BABIACZ: from baba (woman, hag); variant of babiarz (womaniser)

PILIPCZUK: A variant spelling of Filipczuk which originated as a patronymic tag (the -czuk is a typcially Ukrainian patronymic indicator). Some 1,000 people in today's Poland sign themselves Pilipczuk. Variant forms include: Pilipczak, Pilipczyk, Filipczak, Filipczyk and Filipczuk. Eng, equivalet: Philipson.

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

SOCHA: a primitive wooden plough used by early agrarian Poles.

BOGIEL: Probably an adaptation of the German word Bügel (ring, hoop, stirrup and bagel).

PLATTA: probably from German Plätte (flat iron), which went into Polish as alata (tin plate or armour plate); possibly from German adjective platt (flat, level) - Polish płaski.

Genealogy / Looking for any and all information on Dabrowski/Dombrowski from Poland [88]

DOMBROWSKI/DĄBROWSKI: both spellings are used in Poland, the dominant one being Dąbrowski (over 80,000 users), whilst the Dombrowski version is used by some 2,700; a topo nick from places such as Dąbrów nad Dąbrowa (Oakville).

For more info on the name's origin and etymology, where its users live, the noble clans they belonged to and the story behind their coat of arms, please contact me

Genealogy / ROMANOWSKI HISTORY [24]

ROMANOWSKI: nearly all Polish srunames ending in -owski are of toponymic origin. In this case that is all the more likely due tot he existence of many localities that could have generated it including dozens of villages called Romanów, Romanowo, Romany and Romanówka.

Language / -ski/-ska, -scy/ski, -wicz - Polish surnames help [185]

BO£TNOWICZ: origin obscure; possibly from Bołtniewo in Smolensk area of Russia or Bołtowo in Belarus (both once part of Poland).
Other possible sources -- bołtać (to stir up trouble, cause confusion) or (literally) to beat or whisk a liquid (modern Polish bełtać).
The basic Lithuanian form would have been Boltnovièius and its feminine form Boltnovièienė.

Genealogy / Grzeskowiak/Homski [3]

From this soruce not on the poeple, only their names....

HOMSKI/CHOMSKI/FOMSKI/TOMSKI: These are alternative spellings depending on the locally prevailing dialect in different parts of the eastern reachesss of the old Commonwealth. Their root is Toma (pet form of Tomasz) and are patronymic nicks that mean nothing more than Thomson.

GRZEŚKOWIAK: patronymic nick from Grześiek/Grześko (hypocoristic forms of Grzegorz); UK equivalents include Greggson and McGregor.

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

DĄBROWSKI/DOMBROWSKI: topographic for someone living in or near an oak wood or toponymic from localiteise named Dąbrów, Dąbrowa or Dąbrowo (Oakville)

ROSZKOWSKI: toponymic from Roszków or Roszkowo; root-word Roszek, Roszko - pet form of first name Roch.

TOBO£A: from Old Polish word toboła (travel bag); or pet form of first name Tobiasz.
Incidentally, the correct spelling of the first name is £ukasz (Luke, Lucas).

Merged thread:
Patronymics all: Adamczyk, Banasiewicz...

One of the more prolific surname-forming areas has been the patronymic nickname (derived from one's father's first name). Some Polish examples:
ADAMCZYK (Adamsom)
BANASIEWICZ: from peasant form of Benedykt - Banaś (Benson without the Hedges)
GABRYSIAK: from Gabryś, pet form of Gabriel (Gabrielson) and its Ruthenian version:
HAWRYLUK: means the same as Gabrysiak
JANOWICZ: from Jan (Johnson)
JÓ-WIAK: from peasant form of Józef - Józwa (Josephson)
PIETRZYK: from Pieter, peasant form of Piotr (Peterson)

For more info on the above and other Polish surnames please contact me

POSTSCRIPT: Patronymic nicknames-turned-surnames exist in other nations as well:
Dipetro (IT), Depierre (F), Petersohn (D), Petersen (DK), Пётрович (RU), Perez (ES) and many Polish variants: Piotrowiak, Piotrak, Pioterek, Piotrkiewicz, Piotrkowicz, Pietras, Pietrewicz, Pietrowicz, Pietrzak, Pietrasiewicz et al.

JAKUBOWSKI: topo nick from Jakubów or Jakubowo (Jamesburg, Jimton, Jakeville)

PIASKOWSKI: topo nick from Piasków or Piaskowo (Sandville, Sandbury); piasek = sand

SIWULKA: grey horse; siwy = grey; perhaps topo nick for someone from Siwiałka (Greyville)