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

BIRDINA?: No clue!

PCZONKA/PCONKA: probably variant spelling of Pstrzonka from verb pstrzyć (bespeckle, cover with spots, dapple, make multi-coloured)

STROJNY: dressy, fancy, smartly decked out, fashionable

USZKO: little ear; also tiny filled dumpling or mini-pierogi (uszka)

GONCIAR: Czech-influenced form of gonciarz (shingle-maker).

For more info please contact me

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

POLIWKA: variant of polewka (a type of peasant soup)

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

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

NOWAK: newcomer, 'new guy in town'; compare German Neumann, English Newman

PIĘTEK: most likely topo nick from Pięty in Świętokrzyskie region

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

KUPCZAK: patronymic from kupiec for the merchant's/trader's/shopkeeper's son

PINDEL: root-word pinda (c*nt, vulgar term for vulva or, by extension, a flirty, pestering slut or tramp); possibly a metronymic nick indicating the son of such a one

KAMIŃSKI: topo nick from one of many localities called Kamień.

SZCZEKAN: from verb szczekać (to bark), hence barker

SKIBICKI: root-word skiba (furrow); topo nick from Skibice (Furrowville)

More info - contact me

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

RUSZKIEWICZ: patronymic nick for the son of someone from Ruszki, nicknamed Ruszek or Ruszko
POLIWODA: root-words polić (dialect for palić=to burn) and woda (water); old colloquial meaning=liar
JAGODZIŃSKI: root-word jagoda (berry), topo nick from Jagodzin or Jagodzineic (Berryville)
DOMACHOWSKI: probably patronymic nick for the son of some Domamir or Domasław nicknamed Domach
MARKOWSKI: topo nick from Marki or patronymic from Marek
PERLACZYŃSKI: possibly this evolution: Perel or Perl (often Jewish jewel name like Rubin, Diament, etc.); Perlak patronymic nick, Perlaczyński - son of Perlak (??)

KICKI: topo nick from Kitki or Kiki; possibly patronymic from rare first name Kilian
ROZP£OCH: a kind of fern or from rozpłoszyć=to frighten and cause to scatter in fear (eg a known cat-hater who has cats scurrying for dear life whenever he appears).

More info contact me

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

SK£ODOWSKI: topo nick from Skłody (3 such places in Podlasie); skłody is possibly a
dialectic peasant pronunciation of składy (stores, depots, yards)

*** For more info please contact me

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

KOCIE£KO: from Old Polish kocieł (kettle, cookpot), modern Polish: kocioł

BUCEK: peasant dialect for Buczek (little beech tree or topo nick from Buczacz -- now in Ukraine)

PILIP: variant form of the first name Filip (Philip)

STOK£OSA: brome grass (coarse forage grass)

JASBIMYSKI???: No such name; spelling isn't Polish; please re-check.

*** For more info please contact me

BRZOSTEK: Scotch elm

SURZAN: from Old Polish szurza (brother-in-law; modern Polish szwagier)

GNIAZDOWSKI: root-word gniazdo nest; topo nick from Gniazdowo or Gniazdów (Nestville).

*** For more info including family tree sources please contact me

URBANIAK: patronymic nick meaning Urbanson

SAKOWSKI: toponymic nick from Saki or Sakówko

HUMIŃSKI: from the nwo archaic word humeń (Russian: igumen, Ukrainian: yhumen), superior in an Eastern Orthodox monastery.

Food / Lost family recipe for Chow-Chow (Polish style) [37]

Polonia's culłinary 'faux amis' (false friends) include city chicken, booyah and chow-chow. As some PF-ers have correctly noted, these are not Polish concoctions, but the old bread-seeking immirgants to the USA were exposed to them early on, adopted them to such an extent that many of their descendats became convinced they were 100% Polish. An example from my corner of the woods (SE Michigan) is city chicken (chunks or pork and veal, on a wooden skewer, breaded, fried and then baked -- very ncie BTW). It has been served at PolAm weddings for as far as anyone can remember and many PolAms regard it as something par excellence Polish. Know of any other examples?

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

GNIAZDOWSKI: root-word is gniazdo (nest); probably originated as a topo nick from Gniazdów or Gniazdowo (Nestville); the star association seems erroneous and must have resulted from a confusion or misspelling of gniazdo (nest) and gwiazda (star).

For more info please contact me

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

WILCZAK: Quite right. Someone was originally nicknamed Wilk (Wolf) for whatever reason. When he fathered a son, locals would have given him the patronymic nick of Wilczak (Wolfson).

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

SZERLONG: Alternative spelling of Szerląg from the German name Scharl which is traceable to Middle-German schar (ploughshare). Incidentally the share part of ploughshare comes from the same Germanic root.

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

SIUDEJ: possibly from siudy (water-carrying yoke) or now carchaic verb siudać (to chase, eliminate)

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

KORALEWO: root-word korale (beads worn by females round the neck); probably topo nick from Koralewo (Coralville). Korlewski would be a topo nick from Korlewo if such a place existed.

SOBOLAK: patronymic nick for someone whose dad was nicknamed Sobół (The Sable).

WALSKI: probably patronymic nick for Val's kid (son of Walenty or Walerian).

For more info please contact me

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

KUPIŃSKI: root-word kup (kupić - to buy) or kupa (pile, heap, mound). May be patronymic (trader's son) but morely likely it's a topo nick from Kupin.

LACHOWICZ: form Lach (Ukrainian term for Catholic Pole); Lachowicz patronymic nick for the Pole's son

BACHURSKI: from bachur/bachor/bachór (brat, youngster)

KOŚĆ: bone; maybe topo nick from Kościany or similar

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

POLOWY: also possible topo nick from the villages of Pole and Polowa.

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

KAPUSTA: cabbage (some 7,800 users).

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

SĄDEJ: Along with such forms as Sądaj, Sądak, Sądal, Sadaś and similar appear derived from the verb sądzić (to judge) or the old Polish first names Sędzisław or Sędzimir.

For mroe info please contact me

Genealogy / I´m looking for Tuchanowski persons from Olesnica [2]

TUCHANOWSKI: probably topo nick from Tuchań or Tuchanie. Possibly derived from East Slavonic tugan (from the Turkish word for falcon?)

TUCHANOWSKI: root-word possibly archaic verb tuchlić (to hide, conceał); probably topo nick from Tuchań, Tuchanie or (less likely) Tuchlin.

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

LISIECKI: topo nick from Lisiec (Foxville, Foxbury, etc.).˛

POLOWY: adj. from the noun pole (field), hence szpital polowy (field hospital), msza polowa (open-air mass).

ANJELCZYK: At present spelt Anielczyk. A patronymic nick for the son of someone nicknamed Anioł (Angel).

For more info please contact me

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

IWASZEK: derived from Iwan (eastern version of Jan/John).

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

DĄBROWSKI: topo nick from Dąbrowo or Dąbrów (Oakville, Oakton, etc.).

DOMBROWSKI: illiterate alternate spelling in Poland; common respelling in the Diaspora

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

HEJNOWSKI: quite likely from German names Hein or Hin which go back to Old Germanic Hagan. I think the 'Hägar the Horrible' cartoon strip alluides to that name root.

However, since most -owski surnames are of toponymic origin, I'm wondering whether some misspellings might not have occurred over genenrations of re-copying. The ch- variant should be checked out (Chojnowksiu???). Also the g- possibility (from Russian and Ukrainian).

KOWALEWSKi: topo nick from Kowalewo (Smithville). Spelling it Kovaleski would solve the pronunciation problem. With Kovalewski you'll get Anglo-manglers distorting it into
Kova-LOO-ski!

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

CHODAKOWSKI: topo nick from Chodaków; root-word chodak (rustic tree-bark shoe once used by poor peasants)
For more info please contact me

NIES£AWSKI: root-word niesława (infamy, disgrace, notoriety)

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

ZAKLUKIEWICZ: possible source - the Russian locality of Zakluka (Заклюка); an inhabitant would have been Zakluk and his son - Zaklukiewicz (in both Russian and Polish).

HALGAS: no names currently used in Poland start with either halg- or chalg-

KUNCEWICZ: from Kunz, German hypocoristic (pet) form of Kunrad or Konrad; Kuncewicz is the Polonised spelling of a patronymic nick meaning Kunz's son.

For more info please contact me

USA, Canada / Poles in America: How do you pronounce your Polish surname? [128]

A last name is one's most precious possession and deserves respect. Only it's owner can say how it should be pronounced. If someone spells his name Smythe and insists it be pronoucned Jones, so be it!

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

CHRZANOWSKI: root-word chrzan (horseradish); topo nick, from Chrzanów (Horseradishville)
KOWALSKI: patronymic from kowal (Smithson) or topo nick from Kowale or similar.
GUZIELEK: diminutive or root-word guz (bulge, lump, bump, growth); probably topo nick from Guzew, Guźlin or similar (Bulgeville, Bumpton)..
KAIDO: probably variant form of kajda (wooden container attached to belt in which a scythesman kept his whetstone)
For more surname details please contact me

NorthMancPolak:
What is the name that interests you?
As for your question, I make use of online databases including jurzak.pl, herby.com.pl and jewishgen.org/Communities/LocTown.asp, my own resources compiled over the years plus hard-copy sources such as Kazimierz Rymut's Nazwiska Polkaów, the multi-volume dictionary of Karłowicz, Kryński and Niedźwiedzki (Warsaw 1905), Tadeusz Gajl's Herby szlacheckie, assorted German, French, Italian, Russian and other dictionaries, plus a life-long interest in Polish linguistics esp. onomastics. Hope this helps point you in the right direction.

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

BERWERTZ: quite rare, biggest cluster in and around Lublin; according to one hypothesis its source was the word barwa (colour), which came from Old German verwe (modern German -- Farbe).

BERWERC: Polish phonetic respelling; three people in Kłodzko area of SW Poland.

KUNICA: topo nick from Kunice (Martensonsville)
KOWALSKI: patronymic (blacksmith's son) or topo nick from Kowale and similar (Smiths).
BIŃKOWSKI: topo nick from Binkowo (Bennyville).
For more info contact me

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

According to available Polish armorial resources, no bearer of your surname was ever known to have achieved gentry status entitling him to a heraldic device (coat of arms).

Incidentally as for its etymology, it evolved from the German Marstall/Marställe (stable/stables).

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

JAKUBOWSKI: most likely topo nick from Jakubów or Jakubowo (Jamestown, Jacobville); less likely patronymic nick -- son of Jakub or Jacobson.