Genealogy / Auberzinski family name [18]

AUBERZIŃSKI: doesn't exist in today's Poland; the au diphtong does not occur in indigenous Polish words, only in borrowings such as auto. Neither could I find Oberżyński which is more Polish in form. Since what you gave is already quadrisyllabic, it is diffciult to imagine it being shortened from something even longer. Sorry I couldn't help but with so little to work with... See if you can't dig up some of your ancestor's Old Country documents which should give the original spelling.

Life / A detailed description of the Easter tradition in Poland [41]

You should visit Our Lady of Częstochowa parish in Sterling Hts some day. It's like being in Poland. All the traditonal liturgical and Polish paraliturgical forms are painstakingly maintained. In fact, hardly a word of Enlgish can be heard in the chruch, adjoining communtiy centre, parish offcies, car park or elsewhere in the parish compound.

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

Lucka or £ucka may have been pet versions of Lucyna (Lucille) or £ucja (Lucy). Wawrzyniac does'nt sound right, and no-one in today's Poland uses that spelling. There are a number of people surnamed Wawrzyniec (Lawrence). Could be that the document, if hand-written in that fancy European script, was misread, the e appearing to be an a.

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


Warczak could have hailed from Warcza and his son could have become Warzakowski.
Or maybe, Warczak was a nickname for someone who constantly growled at people (warczeć=to growl). But his son would have been dubbed Warczakowski all the same.

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

HORACZEWSKi: Probably topo of Ukrainian origin from Horaczew/Goraczew); indigenous Polish equivalent would be Góraczewski or Goraczewski; root-word góra (hill).

MACHNIC is rare but exists (3 bearers); Machnica is more common (183). Could well have been os Scottish origin.

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

BRENCZUK: Only Brenczuków is used in today's Poland. Origin uncertain, obscure, unclear. The only bren root in Polish is a borrowing from German brennen (to burn). The -czuk is an eastern patronymic indicator. There are localities in Poland called Brenna and Brenica which might have produced the topo nick Bren. When he father a son: instant Brenczuk! But this is only a wild a guesstimate. And why Brenczuków whcih soudns mroe like a palce-name than a surname?

WARCZAKOWSKI: probabyl topo nick from Warcz. Perhaps someone from there was called Warczak, and when he fathered a son -- Warczakowski.

Food / Traditional Polish Soups. [85]

Barszcz na gwoździu is kind of a joke. Similar to a British tale about pebble soup, because besides a pebble or two it contained veggies, hambone, spices, etc.

If I recall, the Polish 'nail' soup included a kilo of kiełbasa and a pint of sour cream.

Food / Traditional Polish Soups. [85]

How is wodzionka made? There is a simple Polish water soup which consists in pouring boiling water over 1-2 buds crushed garlic, adding salt and that's all. Once eaten during Lent.

Language / Is the term 'Polak' derogatory?? [254]

Negroes can jokingly call one another 'nigger' but when whitey does it it's an insult.

Life / A detailed description of the Easter tradition in Poland [41]

You could add the Passion Plays held at Zebrzydowice, Pacław, Górka, Czerwińsk and other venues across Poland which attract thousands during Holy Week. These are not passively watched stage plays (as in Bavaria’s much overrated Oberammergau) but interactive events where the pilgrims play the role of the crowds of Old Jerusalem going from one site to another (the house of the Last Supper, Herod’s Palace, the Garden of Olives, etc.) connected to the Passion of Christ. Also the Lenten Retreats (Rekolekcje wielkopostne) held in every Polish parish and fairly well attended. They include youth retreats and others for individual professional communities.

Sunrise Easter Mass (Rezurekcja) begin with a procession that thrice encircles the outside of the church before the service begins inside -- plenty of beautiful old hymns, the scent of incense, the sound of churchbells, also firecrackers being shot off in the distance (artillery if it’s a garrison town) in memory of the thunderous rumblings thought to have accompanied the opening of Christ’s tomb. All in all, it's a good thing there is a Poland and a Polonia. Otherwise we'd all have to sink into all that hyper-commercialised secular slime!

Mar 29, 10, 04:31 - Thread attached on merging:
How are you celebrating Niedziela Palmowa?

To the native Poles on PF: how are you celebrating this important festival? Procession, palm-making contest, Easter duty (confession), Easter fair, Passion Play, etc.?

Food / What exactly is Polish Bread? [90]

Industrially pre-sliced bread exposes more surfaces to airborne microbes, hence more chemcial spoilage retardants have to be used in the dough. Unsliced bread is better also becasue you can regulate the thickness you want.

Genealogy / Help with ancestry...Trzynka [12]

Trzyniec (aka podrywka) once meant a kind of fishing net which lay on the bottom and was raised on a long pole, catching whatever little fish were swimming above it.

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

Śnios exists in Poland, root-word sen (sleep, dream). If you say it was pronounced Snyosh, then it might have originally been Śniosz or (less likely) Śnioś. A kindred surname is Śnioch. They all mean the same: dreamer, day-dreamer, someone with his head in the clouds.

Language / Is the term 'Polak' derogatory?? [254]

The standard word for Poland in German is Polen as in: Er ist aus Polen (he is from Poland).
Similarly. Die Polen = the Poles, whilst die Polacken = the Pollacks.
Pollakei and Polacken are rude, dismissive and deprecatory as in: Er is aus der Pollakei (He's from Pollackland). It is comparable to English Kraut or Polish Szwab for German.

Let's nto forget that during the Nazi period Poles were referred to almost exclusively as 'die verfluchten Pollacken' (cursed or damn Pollacks).

History / MAP OF POLAND IN 1880'S [95]

Fine, but what kind of Gatesian meanders must be followed to actually see the map rather than just that funny little coloured box at upper right? Couldn't you have done the required clickery and gadgetry at your end so the map would immediately show up?

Language / Is the term 'Polak' derogatory?? [254]

Mar 25, 10, 21:15 - Thread attached on merging:
Is 'Pollack' offensive?

In the mouth of an English speaker do you find the term 'Pollack' offensive? I migth have added 'German speaker' as well. They've even got a nasty term for Poland: Polakei instead of the standard Polen.

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

VOY-chekh (ch sound as in Scottish loch at end)

kah-tah-ZHI-nah

Food / Traditional Polish Soups. [85]

Of course, it's not the same, it is an ersatz that roughly apprioximates the szczawiowa. But spinach is more readily available in many places than sorrel.

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

SOCASH is impossible in Polish. Could it have been Socharz or Sochacz (a peasant licenced to sell meat at the local market)

Genealogy / Wierzcholek family surname [14]

WIERZCHO£EK: tree-top, mountain-top; possibły topo from Wierzchocin or similar

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

JACHIMOWICZ: patronymic nick = Joachim's son

DAWIDOWSKI: topo from Dawidów

KUPER: fowl rump

£ABUDA: sluggish, sloth-like person

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

Grosz could have been someone's nick. Maybe it started out as dusigrosz (penny-pincher --attention Scots!) and later got shortened just to Grosz. When the bloke fathered a son, etc., etc. Conversely, it could have started out as the German/Yiddish Groß (big, large), but the -ewicz ending would have been a patornymic indicator all the same.

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

WNOROWSKI: topo nick from Wnory or Wnorów; root.word: wnorzyć się (archaic)=pogrążyć się (to immerse oneslf, sink into something)

KOWALEWSKI: topo nick from Kowalewo (Smithville)

£OMASZKIEWICZ: patronymic nick (son of £omaszko or £omaszek): possible root-word łomaz (kindlewood)

OLEŃSKI: topo from locality such as Olenówka (Alton)

Food / Polish v Western farm produce? [14]

Sometimes I feel Poland made a mistake by not speciaisng in ecological, natural farming as soon as the regime collapsed. One European country Poland's size specialising in such produce would probably have found enough niche markets around the globe to make a go of it, despite lower yields and scrawnier lookign but natural produce. Intead, Poladn now produces the same kind ogfhyperprocessed instant slop and fake foods known in the West. Many of the meat products contain a little meat, fat, blood plasma (for colour) and lots of soy granules-- just add warer, stir and you get mountains of processed lunch meats, sausages, patés, etc. Wielka szkoda!

Genealogy / Polish Romani (gypsy) surnames [64]

Polish (and not only Polish) immigrants coming to the US often shortened theri names. Eg Kowal from Kowalewicz, Kolodziej (possibly respelt Kolojay) from Kołodziejczak, etc. It is not inconceivable that some Roma might have done the same, but I don't believe that to be a uniquely Roma tendency.

Language / Do Poles prefer US American or UK English language? [147]

I've found many Poles really freaked out by black gehtto speech. Anybody on PF agree?

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

URBAŃSKI: pattonymic nick from Urban or topo from Urbany, Urbanów, &c.

FIZIA: uncertain; perhaps rare pet for of feminine first name Felicja.

History / MAP OF POLAND IN 1880'S [95]

Isn't there a map somewhere on the net shwoing pre-partition Poland with the three partitions superimposed thereon in different colours showing the Russian, Prussian and Austrian partitions?