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

Kimpiński does exist in Poland but is extremely rare. It looks to be a spelling variant of Kępiński.

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

Stachowice sounds like a hamlet or town, not someone one could marry. The surname must have been Stachowic (older form) or Stachowicz (newer version). It means Stanson (son of Stan) or the bloke from Stachowice (Stansonville). For more information please contact: research60@gmail

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

[Moved from]: American equivalents of Polish names - Mitchell and Stanley are not Mieczysław and Stanisław

Mitchell, Stanley, Chester, Bill and Jesse are NOT the lingustiically correct translations of Mieczysław, Stanisław, Czesław, Bolesław and Zdzisław, even though they are often the customary equivalents of choice in N. America.

The same holds true for Bernice, Harriet, Stella and Grace which are NOT the true equivalents of Bronisława, Jadwiga, Stanisława and Grażyna.

But every language has names of its own not readily translatable into other tongues. There are no Polish equivalents of Kenneth, Kevin, Nigel, Trevor, Bruce, Brian, Heather, Holly, Lindsey, Tracy, Dacy, Macy, Lacy, Shmacy...etc.


It probably originally was Świątek whose root is świąt~święt and has generated such words as święto (holiday, feastday), święty (saint, holy), święcić (to bless, consecrate, sanctify).

The -ula ending is a diminutive that expresses pity. For instance biedula means poor, sorry, little thing and contains a note of feeling sorry and expressing sympathy for the person thus named. Cebula is onion and Gawlik is a diminutvie of Gaweł (Gaul, Gall).

For more info on how these suranmes came about, how many people use them, where they live and whether a coat of arms accompanies them

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

I was using the term patronymic to indicate a Polish surname's etymology as opposed to surnames of other origin such as toponymic (based on place-names), occupational, nationality, religion, common objects, characteristics and so on. Polish patronymic surnames do nto have the same function as Russian patronymics such as the Fiodorovich in Ivan Fiorodov Petrov which actually indicates that this peron's father's Christian name was Fiodor (Theodore).

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

Merged:FUN WITH POLISH PATRONYMICS (-WICZ, -AK, -UK, -SKI, ETC.)

The "-wicz" ending in Polish, "-vić" in the South Slavonic tongues and "-вич"
(-vich) in Russian are all patronymic endings indicating someone's filiality (sonness).
Other languages also have such features to mention only Peterson, Petersen in teh Germanic langauegs, Perez (son of Pedro) in Spanish, dePierre (French). diPietro (Italian), etc., whose Polish equivalence would be Pietrzak, Pietrzyk, Pietraszek, Piotrowski, Pietraszewski, Pietrzykowski and a slew of others. Other foreign patronymic indicators include Mc, O' (Gaelic), ibn (Arabic) and ben (Hebrew),

Incidentally, Yiddish-speaking Jews living in the Slavonic countries adopted the
-vitz/-wicz ending as in the well-known Judeo-American wine Manischevitz.
But Polish also had several other patronymic endings indicating that someone was eitehr the son or (in the case of occupations) the son or helper/apprentice of someone else. Examples include: Adam Kowalski or Kowalczyk = Adam the blacksmith's son; Bednarski or Bednarczyk = the cooper's boy; Krawczyk = the tailor's son/helper; Adam Pastusiak = the shepherd's/cowherd's son; Woźniak = the coachman's kid; Jasiak, Janik, Janowicz, Jasiewicz, etc. = John's boy; Bartosik = son of Bartosz; Stasiak = son of Staś. Common patronymic endings included:

-czak, -czyk, -wicz, -ski, -ak, -icz, -ic, -ik, -yk and (in the east) also -uk and
-czuk.

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

1480 in Poland now use the Ludwig surname. The name's ancestral stronghold would appear to be ŚLąsk (Silesia) including the southern industrial city of Katowice and environs (525), the Opole area to the west (242) and the adjacent Częstochowa area due north of Katowice (129). The rest are scattered. Only 29 Ludwigs today live in our around Gdańsk.

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


Comes from "ryk" which is usually the loud sound made by an animal or violent wind. In English (depending on the animal species) is might be a roar, low, bray, growl, bellow, trumpet (elephant),etc. But the root notwithstanding, as with nearly all

-owski ending surnames it probably started out as a toponymic nickname, ie derived from places called Ryków or Rykowo (rough translations: Roarton, Bellowshire, Growlville, Braymont or something in that general vein.

So some distant ancestor may have been called Andrzej z Rykowa (Andrew of Roarton) which over time adjectivalised into Andrzej Rykowski.

Language / WHICH AUNT IS THE WUJENKA IN POLISH? [9]

If the father's sistrer is a stryjenka, does that make the outsider she marries a stryj, or is he simply a wujek?

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


For information on the Koladycz surname please contact me.


Molik might have been derived from the verb молиться (Ruthenian for "to pray"), so it could have arisen as a nickname fro someone who prayed a lot, a pious person. The Polish equivalent would be Modlik

I wonder if it migth be connected to the insect known as the praying mantis (modliszka) which copulates with the male mantis and then proceeds to devour him for lunch.

Genealogy / Looking for any Glaszcz's from Poland (Głaszcz surname) [2]

The Głaszcz surname (Glaszcz does not exist in Poland!) appears derived from the verb głaskać (to pet, stroke, fondle). It is shared by some 150 people in today's Poland. For a complete surname analysis please contact me.

News / Original cars manufactured in Poland [64]

In 2007 Poland's top-selling marques in this order were:
Toyota, Skoda, Opel, Fiat, VW, Ford, Renault, Peugeot, Citroën and Honda.

Merged: Anyone ever seen a Mikrus (car)?

A Maluch (126P) was Lincoln stretch limo compared to the miniscule Mikrus which appeared at the turn of the 1960s. It was really tiny, had pram-sized, perhaps 10" wheels and you felt you'd lose your fillings if the road was less than perfectly smooth. It could hasve motorised Poland a good decade before the Maluch but Big Brother said "nyet". He felt it would be comeptiton for their Zaporozhets. Probabylno more than about 2,000 units were built, so it was still in the prototype stage.

News / Original cars manufactured in Poland [64]

It's hard to say what you saw, but a few decades ago there were 3-wheeled Czech-built vehicles for the handicapped -- basically an enclosed motorbike with windsreen, hood, side-screens or doors. The body was made from a brown, leatherette-type substance. I'm sure they haven't been produced for years.

Is the Velorex 3-wheeler what you saw?
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikrosamoch%C3%B3d

Genealogy / Looking for Sakowski ancestors (near Kierzek??) / also Szymanski [30]

Larry in Polish is Wawrzek -- short for Wawrzyniec (Lawrence).

News / Original cars manufactured in Poland [64]

About the only pre-war Polsih-buitl cars still about are the Polski Fiats. They turn up at oldtimer parades and rallies, esp. the miniscule Topolino (a two-seater with a small jump seat fro a child or very small adult in back) which was produced in the largest number. One does occasionally still encounter pre-war Mercedes, BMW Dixi and a few others, but these were not produced in Poland. Chevrolet assembled their cars in Warsaw in the 1930s. There is an old car museum in the Warsaw suburb of Otrębusy. In general, Poland had few motorcars on the road before WW2, and many were taken abraod (to Romania) when refugees began fleeing the combined German-Soviet invasion of 1939. The Germans and Russiasn confiscated many of those that remained, and the war destroyed most of the rest. Some survived hidden in sheds, haystacks and forest dugouts -- often in good condition.

News / Original cars manufactured in Poland [64]

Merged: POLISH MOTORCARS THEN AND NOW?

Anyone interested in the history and current sitauton of Poland's motor industry? Has anyone on this forum heard of such pre-war makes as SKAF, Polonia, Iradam or CWS? How about such post-war models the Meduza, Mikrus, Smyk, Brzdąc, Wars and Beskid? Closer to our times, although lightly protected, the Honker light military reconaissance vehicle has performed well in a torrid, desert climate. One of the world's most outstanding and pricey sportscars, owned by kings and sheiks, is also produced in Poland?

Language / Polish words difficult to translate into English [66]

That calls to mind anotter difficult word -- murowany as in "murowany zamek"... English is more precise in specifying whether it was made of brick or stone.

Yes, wychwoanie is upbringing or rearing, but how does that sound in a proper name: Departament of Upbringing, Child Education and Rearing Department???

Can you think of any other such untranslatable or difficult to translate Polish words.

Genealogy / Want to find a person [770]

[Moved from]: USING PEOPLE-FINDERS TO TRACK DOWN POLES?

Has anyone used or know how effective Internet people finders are in Poland?
For instance: peoplesite.com/search.asp
Unfortunately, this one requries the name and address. ISstehre any population data base that would list all the people using the Chrisitian name and surname with their addresses, phones and e-mails? Probably not. Does anyone know for sure?

Language / NAMES POLES GIVE THEIR DOGS [76]

As far as I know, all Polish bitch names end in -a. But there's no reason why you couldn't blaze a new trail and give your female dog a male name or anything else for that matter.

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

Not many Lichotas live in the Płock area. The biggest concentrations are in southern Poland. The name's meaning is none too flattering. For more inforamtion please contact research60

[Moved from]: SURNAMES JADCZAK & HODAR

There are a couple of thousand people named Jadczak in Poland. However not a single person spells his name Hodar at present. There are quite a few people surnamed Hodara and even more spelling it Chodara. There is only one Chodar. Please re-check your immigrant ancestor's Old World documents if possibłe.

Language / NAMES POLES GIVE THEIR DOGS [76]

some common names for Polish bitches:
Abra
Aga
Asia
Basia
Bera
Dora
Figa
Fryga
Kaja
Kasia
Klara
Kora
Kropelka
Kropka
Kropla
Lala
Lalka
Lila
Maja
Misia
Mucha
Nana
Nora
Niusia
Perła
Psotka
Pusia
Saba
Sara
Śnieżka
Śnieżynka
Tara
Zuzia
Zyta

USA, Canada / Are there any Polish people in Florida? [311]

This is only a partial listing, but may be the place to start….
Vero Beach has an unusually large (for Florida) concentration of Pol-Ams.
Polish American Social Club of Vero Beach, Florida, Inc. 7500 North US 1,
Vero Beach, FL 32967
PO Box 6508, Vero Beach, FL 32961-6508
Tel: 561-778-0039
Florida. Sounds of the South at the Polish American Society, 1343 Beach Dr. SE., St. Petersburg, Fla., dinner 2:30-4:00 p.m., $7.50; music 4:00-7:00 p.m., $5 members, $7 non-members. For details call (727) 526-6835.

Florida. Northern Sounds at the Polish American Pulaski Association, Holiday, Fla., 7:00-11:00 p.m. Check locally for details.
Polish-American people and activities may also be encountered at the Polonian parishes of OL of Częstochowa in Pompano Beach and St Joseph’s in Davies, FL.

There is also a Polish club in Titusville.

Food / Polish Milk Soup [72]

Milk soups are an excellent way to use up the preceding day's leftover noodles or any kind of pasta, cooked rice, buckwheat or barley groats.

To 2 pint hot milk add 1-3 cups of any of the above, and let your diners either salt or sweeten it to taste. A pat of butter may be added.

If there's nothing leftover from the day before, into the boiling milk pour egg-batter in a thin strema to make lane kluski: 1 egg beaten with a heaped tablespoon flour a pinch of salt and just enough liquid (boiling water or milk) to get a nice pourable batter. Cook several minutes and serve as above.

Food / Polish Potatoes [48]

Nowadays many people process raw, peeled, cuebd ptoatoes in a blender or processor instead of the knuckle-scraping manual grating. These can then be mixed with an egg and a bit of floor to form pyzy or kluski śląskie and boiled in salted water. The same mixture can be fried in lard or oil for potato pancakes (placki kartoflane). Pursits claim: Jeśli nie tarte to gówna warte (meaning only the hand-grated kind are any good).

Genealogy / Polish surnames - Origin and Meaning [29]

The -ski, -cki and -dzki in Polish surnames are adjectival endings (that is why they must agree with the person they describe: Mańkowski for males and Mańkowska for females). In the majority of cases, these are surnames of toponymic origin, ie they were derived from the name of a region, town, village or, in the case of nobility, estate.

In general, the -ki ending surnames were used by more people of noble stature than other surnames. In the olden days a nobleman owning the village and/or estate of Dąbków (Oakville) would have been known as Jan z Dąbkowa (John of Oakwood), but in time it got adjectivalised into Jan Dąbkowski (in English tradition the ‘of’ got dropped and it became simply John Oakwood).

But peasants living in the village would also be referred to by the Dąbkowski nickname which eventually evolved into a bona fide surname..
According to rough estimates, at various times in Polish history up to 10% of the population enjoyed noble status. The percentage among the bearers of ski-ending names would be somewhat higher.

The main reason for many non-ski-type surnames amongst the nobility was the practice of ennobling entire villages in exchange for defending the local prince’s castle or performing some service to the Crown. We therefore got a whole class of impoverished gentry who differed little from peasants in a neighbouring village in terms of wealth but had a coat of arms and sword to prove their noble status. This was especially true of the Podlasie region along the Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian borderlands. That area’s castle-towns were frequently attacked by the pagan Jadvingians and the local peasantry had to be enlisted to fend off the assault.