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

KUTA: several different meanings -- 1) hooded monk's habit, 2) clump of trees in a swamp, 3) mosquito.

KRZYŻAK: Teutonic Knight (Knight of the Cross, defeated by Poles at Grznwald in 1410); also anything cruciform, eg X-shaped table legs, sheaves of grain tied in a cross, etc.)

SADOWSKI: root-word sad (orchard); topo nick from Sadowo or Sadów (Orchardville).

CIEŚLEWICZ: patronymic form cieśla (carpenter) = carpenter's son

Love / WILDROVERS FIVE YEARS IN POLAND....come to an end...! [132]

Wildrover, congrats and good luck 'na nowej drodze życia' (on your new road through life).
The holy estate of matrimony is a wonderful institution.... (I will eschew the follow-up to that at this point).
Since you plan to stick with PF, we are not losing a stalwarth but are gaining his Mrs.
BTW what is your basic lingo of communication with your fiancée? I seem to recall you were fluent in Russian. More so than in Polish?

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

WIELGOSZ: giant, big burly guy

Food / Bologna & onions in Poland? [44]

Bologna & onions are fried in a frying pan. I doubt if metka would fry up too well.

Genealogy / Popular Polish First Names? [152]

Very interesting. Many dzięks!

Genealogy / Popular Polish First Names? [152]

Thread attached on merging:
Popular first names in Poland?

What are the most popular first names given to Polish babies these days? Gazeta Wybiórcza used to run a page of newly born infants and the names they were given. Maybe they still do.

Is this fad and trend-propelled in Poland? In other words are the names of celebnities most preferred?
In the US we have gone through the Tracy, Stacy, Macy, Lacy, Dacy, Shmacy (just joking) fad for girls. In Poland there was Violetta way back and Isaura in the '80s.

Why are the proud and beautiful old names Czesław, Bolesław, Władysław, Zdzisław, Bogdan and others in disfavour? Why have Stanisław and Jan been making a comeback, but not Józef and Franciszek? Because they are bumpkinish? Can there be any more 'burak' names than Kuba, Maciek and Bartek? Those are names of peasants found in rustic folk songs.

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

It could be Polish, Russian, Bulgarian or Jewish and possibyl something else. Check out this link:
klechevsky.com/israel/ortal

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

MAZURKIEWICZ: patronymic nick = the Masurian's son

JANICZEWSKI: one of a great many surnames derived from Jan (John); here probably a topo nick from Janiczew or Janiczewo (Johnnyville, Jackton)

KLECZEWSKI: topo nick from Klecza; etymology uncertain; kleczeć was once used to describe re-arranging a beehive; a klecz in peasant dialect was a chub (fish of the minnow family), in standard Polish kleń.

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

FRYZ: the spelling is indeed Polish, but it is a Polish re-spelling of the German word "Friese"; it can mean a Frisian (person) or a heavy draught horse from Frisia; in architecture a friese or fryz (Polish) is an ornamental strip.

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

RED£OWSKI: topo nick from Redłowo

REGU£A: regulation, monastic rule

REGU£A: over 1,900 users

RED£OWSKI: 72

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

BUBLIC: this sruname exists in Poland at present whilst Bublicz does not. It calls to mind (to me at least) the famous Russian bread ring бублик (similar to the Polish obwarzanek and Jewish bagel) known from the well-known Russsian song 'Kupiyte bublichki, goriache bublichki..." But this is just my subjective association, and the real etymology is probably quite different.

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

LIZOR: root-word probably lizać (to lick); possibly variant form of lizus or lizoń (lick-spittle, brown-nose).

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

ZIEMSKI: root-word ziemia (planet Earth, land, area, soil); adj. ziemski = terrestrial; n. ziemianin = land-owning noble; possibly topo nick from places such as Ziemin, Ziemiany, Ziemięcin et al.

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

GOLIK: from golić (to shave); perhaps a nick for a home-spun barber; or a synonym of golec (naked person), often used to mean a down-and-outer, some without a pot to pee in or a window to throw it out of! Possibly a topo nhikc from Golice (Nudeville).

GUZIK: button or small bump or lump (tumour)

SOCHA: primitive wooden plough

BOGIEL: possible hypocoristic (endearing) form of old first names Boguchwał or Bogusław or topo nick from the village of Boglewice.

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

WYSOCKI: topo nick from places in Poland and Ukraine called Wysokie (Highton, Tallville).

MITA: along with Mitek, Mitko, Mituś dervied from hypocoristic (endearing) form of Ruthenian/Russian first name Dymitr, Dmitry, Dmytry, etc.

UZDROWSKI: probably root uzdrowić (cured, heal, restore to health); most -owski surnames or of topo origin, dervied from some such locality as Udrowo, Uzdrów or similar.

MAKURATH: uncertain; looks to be Yiddish.

Food / What's your favorite Polish coffee? [73]

Is Gold Blend a brand? If so, who produces it? Nestlé, Kraft Foods, somemone else?

Food / What's your favorite Polish coffee? [73]

Thread attached on merging:
Polish coffee brewing?

Anyone have an educated estimate as to what percentage of Poles, who drink coffee at home, brew it:
-- In the glass or cup method (ground coffee drenched with boiling water)
-- cooker-top espresso pot
-- home electric espresso machine
-- American-style automatic drip coffee maker
-- French-style coffee press
-- instant coffee (ugggh!)

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

HORNBEAM: species of tree, German: Weißbuche (literally 'white beech').
BTW, the beam in hornbeam was older English for tree (related to German Baum). English used to be much closer to German than it is today.

MICA£: one of many nickname-turned-surnames derived from Mikołaj (Nicholas); others include Micek, Micuła, Miciak, Mićka, Mika etc.

ZYCH: derived from first name Zygmunt or as topo nick from places such as Żychlin and Żychowo pronounced the peasant way — Zychlin and Zychowo respectively.

MAGIELSKI: could be derived from magiel (linen-pressing room) so Magielski would have been its owner or attendant; possibly also variant spelling of Magierski — a metronymic nick from magiera or megiera (a ****** old hag or shrew); but a magierka or madziarka was a Hungarian-style hat, so Magierski might have dennoted someone’s Hungarian connection.

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

GRABOWSKI: root-word grab (hornbeam tree); -owski indicates topo nick from places such as Grabów or Grabowo (Hornbeamville).

Po polsku / Stereotyp Polaka brutala, gbura, antysemity? [67]

Inna książka o podobnej tematyce to 'Wojna Hollywood z Polską':
thenews.pl/international/artykul127994_hollywoods-war-with-poland-.html

Po polsku / Stereotyp Polaka brutala, gbura, antysemity? [67]

Należy pamiętać, że tu nie chodziło o Polaka krajowego lecz Polonusa -- a pierwsza fala emirgacji za chlebem w II połowie XIX w. i w pierwsyzch 10-leciach XX składała się z głównie ludzi biednych, zacofanych, niepiśmiennych, o silnych grzbietach nadających się do najcięższych prac w "majnach', hutach i fabrykach. Czyli o zurbanizowanego polskiego włościanina w Ameryce. "Tramwaj zwany pożądaniem" jest tego flagowym przykładem.

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

KEYOWSKI: no such name in today's Poland but the Kijowski hypotehesis looks to be a good guesstimate. Some immigrant must have changed the spelling in an Anglo country to retain the original pronunciation. If he hadn't the name would have got Anglo-mangled into something key-JOW-ski.

TESARSKI: from Czech word for carpenter tesař, so could have orignated as a patronymic nick (carpetner's son). Polish word for carpentaer is cieśla.

PASZKOWSKI: Probably more than 95% of lal Polish -owski surnames are of toponymic origin, so we should look for villaeges called Paszek, Paszka, Paszki, Paszków or Paszkowo.

In fact, an even better respelling would have been Keyoski. Retaining that pesky little 'w' has undoubtedly caused many uninitiated Angloglots to say:
key-YOW-(rhyming with 'cow')-ski.

FRĄCKOWSKI: The Christian name Franciszek (and its hypocoristic forms Franek, Franio, Francyk, etc.) was once extremely popoplar in Poladn. As a result, it generated a whole slew of patronymic nicks including: Frącak, Frącik, Fronczak, Frontczak, Franczyk, Frankowski, Fronczkowski, Frąckowski and many more.

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

KOSIBA: root-word kosić (to harvest, mow); possibly occupational nick for a grain harvester.
P£AZA: possibly from płaz (reptile) or płaz (broadside of a sword); or topo nick
from Płaza, Płazowo ot Płazów.
FRODYMA: used by 380 people in Poland but menaing unknown; appears to be of Germanic (possibly YIddish) origin; NB: no inidgenously Polish names start with the letter 'F'.

FRODYMA: possibly a variant spelling of Furdyna, a surname derived from the word furda (trifle, something unimportant not worth borthering about), probably of Romanian origin???

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

KRUSZYŃSKI: root-word kruszyna (crumb, morsel, small bit, something or someone small and fragile); -ski tells us that this probably orignated as a topo nick from places called Kruszyn or Kruszyna (Crumbville, Bitborough, Morselton).

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

JAB£OŃSKI: root-word jabłoń (apple tree); most likely originated as a topo nick from places such as Jabłonna, Jabłoń, Jabłońskie and similar (Appleville, Appleton, Applewood).

WILK: wolf; either a nickname derived from its bearer's characteristics (sharp teeth. aggressive manner) or topo nick form numerous localities such as Wilków, Wilkowo, Wilkowisko, Wilkasy, etc. Wolfton, Wolfville, Wolfwood, Wolfly, etc.)

JADACH: derived from peasant version of Adam (Jadam) as an Jadam i Jewa.

GÓRCZYŃSKI: topo nick from places like Górczyn and Górczyna (Hillton, Hillborough).

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

Дякую (thanks)! I should have guessed the general Slavonic roots, but somehow I missed them. In Polish youth slang today there is the term przeginka (from przeeginać - to bend)meaning an exaggeration, going overboard or doing something to excess. How would the surname be in Ukrainian - Perehins'kiy? Does it mean anything as a nikcname (someone inclined towards exaggeration or maybe it originated as a toponymci nick from some place-name).

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

Another thing pointing to Ukraine is the fact that Canada is that country's biggest Diaspora.
In that case, the name originmally might have been something like Perhynśkij (Polish phonetic spelling).

Genealogy / Polish surname Gil. My ancestors were from the town of Widelka. [74]

Spanish Gil and Polish Gil are a freak of coincidence. Neither are related to the other.
Another example is the root dur- means somethign entriely different in various languages:
In Enlglish and Latin-dervied tongues inclduign Psanish: strength, endurance, durability
In German (with an umlaut): something dry, parched or withered
In Polish and other Slavonic lingos: foolish, stupid, imbecilic (durak, dureń, durnocie)