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)

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

CZAPIK: probably from czapka (cap, head cover); possibly dialectic pronunciation of capik (young billy goat).

TOBO£A: from archaic toboła (travel bag); in some cases pet form of Tobiasz = Toby

Genealogy / Anyone Heard Of A Family with the surname Fabich or Similar? [8]

FABICH: dervied from first name Fabian; other derivatives incldue Fabiś, Fabisz and Fabula.

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

JURGIEL: probably derived from the Lithuanian equivalent of George -- Jurgis

katmell
FELDMAN: German or Yiddish fieldman

OSTROWSKI: root-word ostrów (Old Polish for island), probably topo nick from Ostrów

ROSZKO: hypocoristic (pet) form of first name Roch

PRÓCHNAK: patornymic nick for son of someone nicknamed Próchno (literally rotting wood, figuratively 'stare próchno' said of a decrepit oldster)

£UDWIG: from German first name Ludwig (Louis).

Genealogy / Polish name? Hunzah Swantek (Swiatek?) [9]

Munchin

Some names predominate in a certain region whilst others are more evenly distributed. It all depends on the name.

HODUR: a misspelt variant form of Teodor (Theodore) which also appears in such regional variants as Chodur, Chodor, Fiodor, Teodor and Todor.

JAD£O: food, grub, chow

KOMOROWSKI: topo nick from Komorowo or Komorów (Chamberville).

KWAŚNIK: probably a patronymic nick for the son of someone nickname Kwas or Kwaśny (sourpuss).

ŚWIĄTEK: root-word święty (saint, sacred, holy); probably topo nick for inhabitant of Świątki or Świątkowo (Saintvile).

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

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

There are 21 people in Poland surnamed Kaczanow and 5 using the Kaczanów version.
The Polish word kaczan means a core of cabbge or rutabaga.
Kacznowski is a fairly popular name in Poland, but Kaczanow is less so and probably originated in Russia.

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

SOBCZAK: patronymic nick from Soba, Sobek, Sobko, Sobuś (pet forms of the old first names Sobiesław or Sobimir). It is quite popular in Poland esp. in Mazowsze, Kujawy, Wielkopolska and the £ódź region.

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

JAKIEL: or in Russian Якель was almost exclusively Jewish and a hypocoristic (pet) form of Jakub. We cannot say 'always' or 'never' with names, because so much has happened to them over the generations and to the people who used them.

RUP: Old Polish word for worm, larva or maggot; also possibly hypocoristic form of Ruprecht or Rupert, names from which Robert eventually evolved.

KRUPA: common peasant name; means grain (of barley or other corn); eg krupnik (vegetable-barley soup).

GREJER: does not exist in today's Poland and is not of Polish origin; if it were Grajner (German Greiner) that would have meant cry-baby in German/Yiddish; just my speculation, but Grejer might have been a Jewish toponymic nickname for someone from Grajewo.

BURKOWSKI: probably topo nick from Burki; burek is a common name for a cur or mutt esp. in the countryside.

BIELECKI: root-word biel (whiteness); probably topo nick from Bielce (several such localities in Poland).

NOTE: for more info on these and other Polish last names please contact me

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

ZIEMIAŃSKI: adjectival spin-off of ziemianin (landowner, squire).

Language / Differences in Polish and English idioms [69]

noreenb
Isn't 'summa summarum' the equivalent of 'the bottom line'?

Genealogy / Want to find a person [762]

KOŚCIK: possibly a hypocoristic (pet) form of Konstanty or a topo nick from a locality starting with Kość- or Kost-.

ANDRUSZKIEWICZ/ANDRUSKIEWICZ: patronymic nick from Andrzej (Andrew), one of many including Andrzejczak, Jędrzejczyk, Jędrusik, Andrzejewicz, Ondraszek, etc.

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

CIOROŃ: meaning probably as indicated above; 29 users, mostly in Śląsk and elsewhere in South Poalnd.

STOICKI: this name meaning stoic does exist in Poland. Check if Stoick came over from the Old World in that form or did it get the final vowel lopped off.

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

You can try contacting the public records dept (Ewidencja Ludności) tel. 013 - 46 56 564
at the Sanok Municipal Office (Gmina Sanok). They may be able to tell you whether anybody with those names lives in their jurisdiction. Naturally, you will probably have to do this in Polish. If you're not fluent in the lingo, get a native speaker of Polish to help you.

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

Yes indeed, the major Olejarz stronghold is concentrated is in SE Poland's neighbouring Krosno, Zamość and Tarnobrzeg areas which includes Sanok and vicinity. Olejasz is a misspelling and only 20 people in Poland use it, only 1 of them in SE Poland.

Bearers of the Fal (not Fał as I mistakenly had assumed) surname are also concentrated in the Poland’s extreme SE corner in the Krosno area bordering Slovakia and Ukraine.

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

£AŃCZYCKI: hypothetical reconstruction - someone was nicknamed £anio or £aniek from łania (female deer) or topo nick from £any or £ańce, his son became £ańczyk and the grandson £ańczycki(???)

£UKASZEWICZ: patronymic nick from £ukasz = Lucasson

RADOSZEWICZ: patronymic nick from Old Polish first name Radosz = Rad's boy

OLEJASZ: variant spelling of olejarz - occupational tag for oil-maker or trader

FA£: regional variant from verb falić (chwalić) się (to boast) or pet form of old first name Falimir (Chwalimir)

ANIKA: probably derived from such first names as Anna, Hanna, Han or Jan

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

Genealogy / Want to find a person [762]

PAWLINA: topo nick from Pawlin in Lublin region.

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

TOMCZEWSKI: root-word Tomek, pet form fo Tomasz; probably topo nick from Tomczew or Tomczewo (Tomsville, Tomton)

MICHALSKI: patronymic nick = Michalson

BIELA: root is biel (whiteness); either descriptive of some white-blond individual or topo nick from localities containing the 'biel' root such as Biel, Biela, Bielanka, Bielawa, etc.; rough English equivalents: White, Whiting, Whitely, Whitman, etc.

SADOWSKI: root-word: sad (orchard); topo nick from Sadowo or Sadów (Orchardville).
Five noble lines amongst the Sadowskis belonging to the Drogomir, Janina, Lubicz, Nałęcz and Ostoja clans.

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

PUKLERZ: a small round shield, strapped to the arm and used in ancient times as well as in the middle ages. Puklerski would be the adjectival form. Strangely enough, only the non-standard Puchlerz and Puchlerski spellings are found in Poland as surnames.

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

WANTA: an Old Polish term for rock, boulder, outcropping

SPYTEK or SPYTKO: endearing form of the Old Polish first name Spycimir; or someone always asking questions, inquisitve, curious, snooping

SZYGIEL: variant form of szczygieł = gholdfinch (bird species)

POTĘGA: power, strength, authority

KWIETKOWSKI: variant form of Kwiatkowski; topo nikc from Kwiatków or Kwiatkowo (Flowerville)

LIPIŃSKI: topo nick from Lipno (Lindenville)

LESKI: is a Polish surname which may be derived for las (forest) or a topo nick from Lesko. Leszky looks as though it went through Hungarian (the sz) and Czech or Slovak (-ky), but in those countries it would be pronounced Leski as well.

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

PILIPCZUK: This is the Ukrainian verison of the Polish patronymic nick Filipczak (Philipson).

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

KĘDZIOR: lock of hair, curl; probably nick for curly-headed person or topo nick from Kędziorki or
Kędzierowo

BORCHLEWICZ: possibly patronymic from first name Borchelt (of German origin); or orchel, variant form of burchel (blister); less likely but not impossible - topo nick for Borchów or Borchówka.

For more info please contact me

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

SZYMA£A/SZYMALA: derived from first name Szymon (Simon), most likely a patronymic nick.
It is one of many, because Polish is rich in variant forms. Szymon has produced a slew of spin-offs including Szymula, Szyma, Szymek, Szymiak, Szymak, Szymacha, Szymczak, Szymonowicz, Szymajda, Szymkiewictz, Szymoniak and others.

WIATREK: diminutive of wiatr (wind), hence little wind or breeze. Probably a topo nick from Wiatrowo, Wiatrów, Wiatrowice or similar. Wiatry (the plural of wiatr) can also mean flatulence (breaking wind).

For more info on these names please contact me

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

CIOCHOŃ: from Old Polish verb cochać/czochać (modern Polish czochrać) to rumple, mess up (hair)

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

RaymondStehl
SREBRO: as you said, it means silver; could have emerged as an occupational tag for a silversmith or dealer, many of whom were Jewish. The name’s ancestral nest is the Tarnów area with some spill-over into asurrounding areas of southern Poland.

Total: 415 -- Wa:3, BB:4, Go:3, Kl:2, Ka:29, Ki:1, Kr:24, Lu:4, NS:6, Op:1, Po:14, Sł:6, Sz:3, Ta:312, Wb:2, Wr:1

DZIBISZEWSKI: This is the Polish spelling, Dzibiszewsky looks to be a hybrid Polish-Czech version, as the –sky ending is typical of Czech and Slovak surnames as well as transliterated Cyrillic ones. But the w and sz are not used in Czech where the name would probablły be spelt Ďibiševský.

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

ZAB£OCKI: from za (beyond) and błoto (mud), so topographically it would describe someone living on the other side of a swamp or mud flats; as a toponymic nickname it would identify a villager from Zabłocie (Overmarsh, Swampton, Atwater?).

KRZYŻANOWSKI: another topo nick from Krzyżanów or Krzyżanowo (krzyż=cross), hence Crossville, Crossbury, etc.

DROBIŃSKI: topo nick from Drobin (drobina=bit, speck, morsel), hence Bitburg, Speckville, etc.

For more information on the above and other Polish names please contact me

Genealogy / Need some help with Bublitz family origin. [23]

BUBLIC: less than 2 doz. peope in Poland use this surname whose orginal spelling was probably Bublitz. No-one uses the Bublitz spelling at present. The toponymic explanation tracing the name to Bublitz/Bobolice seems quite plausible.

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

SOBOLAK: patronymic nick = son of Soból (Sable); the father may have been called that becuase he was a fur trapper or furrier or, even more likley, hailed from Sobolewo or Sobolice.

WALSKI: probably topo nick from Wale (-ski names are usually toponmyic); or possibly a patronymic nick for someone whose father was called Wal or Walek (short for Walenty or Walerian).

OSTAFIŃSKI: toponymic nick from the Russian city of Ostafievo or a patronymic one from Ostaf, a form of the Ukrainian first name Ostap.