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

KULASEWICZ: the -wicz ending and its equivalents in the Ruthenian tongues is always a patronymic tag indicating who one's father was. The root-word kulas can mean a cripple, someone who limps, or a horse-blanket. In fact, the term kulasy kozackie was known at one time to mean Cossack horse blankets (the cloth placed beneath the saddle). So Kulasewicz would have originated to identify either 'limpy's kid' or the son of someone somehow associated with horse-blankets (weaving or trading in them perhaps).

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

MAJEWSKI: root-word maj (month of May). Probably origianted either as a topo nick from Majewo (Mayville, Mayfield) or as an indicator of the month someone was born or converted to Catholicism in.

The respelling is understandable, because there would be a tendency in Angloland to Anglo-mangle Majewski into some such monstrosity as ma-JOO-ski. The best respelling would have been Mayeski (because the f-sound of the letter w is barely audible anyway, so why bother indicating it?).

DRZYZGA: regional version of drzazga (splinter, sliver, wood chip); typical peasant name based on words denoting common household objects, food, crops, animals, etc.

TREMBECKI/TRĘBECKI: probably originated either as a patronymic tag 'son of the horn-player or trumpeter' (trębacz) or a topo nick from places such as Tręby, Trębaczew, etc.

DUCHNOWSKI: topo nick from Duchnów, a village near Warsaw. Root-word duch (spirit, ghost, spectre), hence the locality could be roughly trasnlatable as Spiritville, Spectreton or Ghostburg.

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

MAZUR: Masurian/Mazurian; an inhabitant of northern Poland's Mazury region known for its lakes and forests. For centuries it had been part of German East Prussia.

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

JOJCZYK: probable source the verb jojczeć (to complain, gripe, grumble, belly-ache, *****).

MRUCZKOWSKI: probably topo nick from a localtiy such as Mroczków or Mroczkowo (Mumbleton, Mutterville); mruczeć = mutter, mumble, murmur or purr like a cat.

For more info on these and other Polish surnames please feel free to contact me

BOBROWSKI: root-word bóbr (beaver); topo nick from Bobrów or Bobrorwo (Beaverton).

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

CHARCZUK: -czuk is a traditional Ukrainian patronymic indicator. The root of this surname is the verb charkać/charczeć (to clear one's throat, wheeze, growl, speak with a hoarse voice). Such a one might have been nicknamed Charko and when he sired a son, fellow-villagers would have given the offspring ther Charczuk tag. The more Polish equivalent is Charczak.

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

BRZOZOWSKI: Certainly a possibility. If this had indeed been the soruce then it would have origianted as a topo nick from Brzozów or Brzozowo (Birhcville).

Another possibiltiy is:

BROŻEWSKI: In the USA Polish surnames ending in -ewski are often mispronounced -uski, so this could have been an attempt to respell the name the way it was widely pronounced. Brożewski would have been a patronymic from Broż, short for Ambroży (Ambrose).

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

CIS£O: possible root-word cis (yew tree); verb ciskać (to throw); verbal adj. obcisły (tight-fitting /garment/); topo nick from Cisie, Cisowo, Cisowa, Cisów, etc. (Yewville, Yewton); or Polish adaptation of Russian name Tисло.

Since the faint 'f' sound in Zalewski is barely audible, these two names are pronounced almost identically in normal speech. Their etymology however is a different story.

ZALESKI: comprises the prepositional prefix za (beyond) and the root-word las~les (wood, forest). It emerged therefore either as a topographic nickname to indicate someone living beyond the forest or as a toponymic tag for someone hailing from a locailty called Zalesie (Overwood).

ZALEWSKI: the root here is the word zalew (lagoon, inlet, bay). Topographically the adjecival nickame Zalewski would have been used to identify someone living on or near such a body of water or toponymically to indicate a native of a village known as Zalew or Zalewo.

For more info on these and other Polish surnames please contact me

Genealogy / Does anyone know where the name Ciupa is derived from? [29]

Zed is quite correct. I was referring to the name's origin which probably became lexicalised within a generation. In English, Baker, Cooper, Farmer, Weaver, Cartwright, Smith and many more were once occupational tags but have long since functioned only as surnames with no special meaning. So it is in Polish, where no-one thinks of Bednarczyk as the barrel-maker’s son or Brzeziński as ‘the bloke from Birchville’, as these are now just names.

But there are still names in Polish that might evoke giggles amongst primary- or middle-school classmates such as Fiut (pr*ck), Cipka (c*nt), Zad (bum), Pierdoła (old fart), Cycek (t*t) and Wacek (d*ck).

Genealogy / Does anyone know where the name Ciupa is derived from? [29]

Polish is rich in variant regional forms. So ciupa, ciapa, ciapcia, ciapchiocha, capcioń and ciapuga mean a dullard, fool or oaf, as do ciamajda, ciemięga, niezdara, niedorajda, niedołęga and others.

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

CIEMCIOCH: from cicia, ciemcia et al - in baby talk something nice and cuddly, a toy, cat, etc.

Genealogy / Does anyone know where the name Ciupa is derived from? [29]

CIUPA: there's a regional verb ciupać (tap, poke, hit lightly); the noun ciupa can mean a small dingy room, hence by extension a gaol cell; applied to a person it means the same as ciamajda (dullard, fool, village idiot)

Genealogy / KOSIBA in Frysztak and PLAZA in Korczyna [16]

Kosiba*Frodyma*Płaza*Cyran

KOSIBA: harvesting; possibly nickname for a scythesman (kosiarz)

FRODYMA: adaptation of Yiddish version of the German word Freude (joy); name most common in former eastern borderlands (kresy).

P£AZA: from płaz/płaza (flat of a sword) or płazy/płozy (sleigh runners).

CYRAN: teal (type of wild duck).

For more info on these and other surnames please contact me

Po polsku / Rodzice uczciwsi? [29]

Nie, wobec prawa. Także taki odruch jak znalezienie portfela pełnego banknotów. Zanieść na policję, czy zatrzymać. A jeśli zatrzymać to czy wyrzucić portfel z dokumentami do śmieci czy do skrzynki pocztowej, co gwarantuje, że prawowity właściciel je odzyska.

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

Wróblewski*Ryś

WRÓBLEWSKI: root - wróbel (sparrow); topo nick from Wróblewo (Sparrowville)

RYŚ: lynx or topo nick from Ryś (village)

Po polsku / Rodzice uczciwsi? [29]

Na pewno zniewolenie komunistyczne wycisnęło swoje piętno na pokoleniach zyjących w tym systemie, ale USA i Zachód? Podobne tendencje da się zauważyć także tam. Czyli gdy zada się pytanie wprost: czy uważasz za bardziej uczciwe Twoje pokolenie czy pokolenie Twoich rodziców (nie wnikając w przyczyny), dość często spotyka się taką konstatację.

Po polsku / Rodzice uczciwsi? [29]

Tego nie sprecyzowano...może mniej skłonni do kłamstwa, oszustwa, szopenfeldziarstwa (shoplifting), oszukiwaniu na PIT-ach, itp. W Stanach także może to dotyczyć ściągania na klasówkach/egzaminach.

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

*LENDZION*CHOD£OWSKI(??)*KARASZEWSKI*SZWED*NAPIERA£A

LENDZION: probably adaptation of the German word Land (land, province, farm field).

CHOD£OWSKI???: If this name existed, its root could have been 'chod-' (walking, going, moving) or the locality of Chodel.

KARASZEWSKI: root probably karaś (crucean); topo nick from Karaszew

SZWED: nationality name = Swede.

NAPIERA£A: from verb napierać (to press, exert pressure, push, insist).

For more information on these and other Polish surnames please contact me

News / Polish Miracle-Die Welt [12]

One thing nobody can deny is that the Tusk gang is a master in the poltical PR and image-marketing department. The prickly Kaczyński has regularly provided the ruling clique with opporutnities to come across as the more moderate, restrained and sensible ( as well as slick and glib) side of whatever row happens to be raging.

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

**HODLOFSKI/PABIAN/PRZYBOROWSKI**

GOD£OWSKI?: Names that end up starting with an 'H' in America are often a problem, because they could have originally been with a CH or G. In the absence of Hodłowski and Chodłowski, it may have been Godłowski which in Ukrainian-influenced areas would have come out sounding like Hodłowski, phonetically respellt Hodlofski in the US.

PABIAN: Dialectic form of the first name Fabian. Possibly topo nick from Pabianice near £ódź (Fabvianville).

PRZYBOROWSKI: topo nick from Przyborów or Przyborowo (Edgewood, Atwood).

For more information on these and other Polish surnames please contact me

Food / Polish Christmas cakes? [14]

Dunno about you, but my favourites include makowiec, strucla z orzechami, pierniczki w czekoladzie and keks warsazwski. Of course babka drożdżowa z rodzynkami and sernik wiedeński are always good, although some may regard them as more Eastery than Christmasy.

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

PO£CZYŃSKI/PÓ£CZYŃSKI: topo nick from Połczyn (spa) in West Pomerania or Połczyno in Kashubia (Gdańsk region).

KLIMASZ: root-word Klim, Klimek - pet form of Kliment (peasant and/or Ruthenian form of first name Klement, Klemens); possibly topo nick from Klimaszewnica in Podlasie.

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

Kubice is a village in SW Poland's Opole region. It would take a bit of research in historical geogrphy to determine how it got its name. One guess is that it started out as the holding of the sons of a certain Jakub or Kuba for short. Thta's what the -ice endign in Polłish place-naems means, so we might translate it as Jimson Corners or Jakesonville.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubice,_Opole_Voivodeship

There is also a place in the Czech Republic called Česká Kubice.
Jakub is a biblical name but it has been popular for centuries amongst Polish Jews and Gentiles alike. It remains so to this day.

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

All three forms -- Kubis, Kubisz and Kubiś -- are used as surnames in today's Poland. The origin is a bit obscure - possibly from a place like Kubice or from the endearing form of Jakub, Kuba, although the mroe common diminutives are Kubuś, Kubusiek, even Kubeczek.

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

NAZAR/NAZARKIEIWCZ: As correctly noted above, Nazar is another way of saying Nazarejczyk (Nazarethan). While the name of the Israeli town of Nazareth (where Jesus grew up) is obviously not Polish, the name Nazar, Nazarkiewicz and similar are used in Poland today. If someone had brought it from the Middle East centuries ago, married Polish and all or most of his descendants married with Poles for generations, can we say such people are not Polish?

HOLASSEK: ??? possibly Ruthenian version of gołasek (naked little boy), but why the double 's'? No-one uses it in today's Poland, but there are hundreds of Poles named Gołas.

KUIBIS: ??? the only thing that comes to mind are several Soviet localities named after bolshevik Valerian Kuybyshev (1888–1935).
The closest in today's Poland is Kulbisz.

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

PSIK: Psick looks to be a Germanised spelling. Pronounced psheek, it can be an endearing diminutive of pies (dog) = doggie; psik and psyk are also sounds made to scare away a cat. It also sounds a lot like apsik - the Polish spund of sneezing (achoo).

BORSICKI: the version you gave is not a Polish spelling; derived from Borsik, a hypocoristic (pet) form of the old first names Borzysław and Borzymir. Borsicki would there have originated as a patronymic tag meaning Borsik's boy.

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

B£AŻEJEWICZ: patronymic nick from Błażej meaning 'Blaise's kid'. Not very common. Three noble lines entitled to use Nałęcz, Odrowąż or Sas c-o-a.

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

kah-NYEFF-ski (the capitalised sykkable gets the stress); one can envisage it getting Anglo-mangled into something like ka-NYOO-ski!

ŚWIEC: root-word świeca (candle, taper); possibly topo nick from Świeca, Świecie or Świecko

ŚWIEĆ: from verb świecić (to shine, light. glow); possibly topo nick from the above or similar localities.

WALCZAK: patronymic nick from hypocoristic (pet) form of Walery or Walenty (Walek, Waluś) = Val's boy.