-ski/-ska, -scy/ski, -wicz - Polish surnames help

Are you sure that "Sz" wasn't just tacked on to "Margowicz"? I'm asking because my great-great-grandma (z"l) was the daughter of a Margewiczówna.

Your comments have continued to have me thinking, Nicki, about my mother's Polish side. The "Filipki" areas I have pinpointed seem like small towns in northeastern Poland, which might fall within areas of the old Pale of Settlement. They did also emigrate to the States in the very early 20th century, which is right during the peak of migration of Polish Jewry to the states. And I find a -owicz name and a mysterious "Pawacki" name to boot? I've always thought my maternal grandmother did not look like the "typical Pole". I believe my mother's sister, my aunt, is type "AB", blood-wise, which apparently is of above-average frequency among Ashkenazi Jews. Food for thought, I guess.

In all fairness, I should also not neglect to mention that my mother's mother was Catholic, prior to converting to Lutheranism upon marrying my Danish maternal grandfather. Not that this neccessarily pokes holes in my theory that my Polish side was at least partially Jewish. I'm sure many converted to Catholicism during the 18'th-'19th-early 20'th centuries.

Many did, to escape horrid and wretched persecution.

How about Cassickowicz ??

Root word kind of reminds me of the word "Cossack"- not that I'm claiming it Means that. Not sure. Maybe Nicki will chime in. She knows more about all things Polska than I do.

what could be the origin and meaning of the name Kuciewicz?? thanks!

KASIKOWICZ would be the pOlish spelling. The -wicz is a purely patronmyic (son of somebody) ending. The basic root migth have been Kazik (pet form of Kazimierz).

KOZAKIEWICZ: would mean the Cossack's son, as kozak is the Polish for Cossack.

KASIEWICZ: could have been derived from Kasia (pet form of Katarzyna/Cahterine).

You must also look into the Slovak side of the border for even more Legersky records who start in Skalite, SK (on the Polish/Czech border). This is also a highland Carpathian town. This is where my ancestors originate from. This town is only 10 km from the other towns mentioned in this post. The Catholic church baptism book is on micro-film at the FamilySearch.org site and has Legersky back to 1700s. You have good luck searching for the females as "Legerska" (the female noun declination is Slovak and Polish). Also, older spellings or misprintings in the database are: Legerzsky and Legertzsky, etc. so dabble with the spelling or use the root "Leger."

Finally, the towns of Sol and Spiske Vlacky, in Spis, near Nova Ves in Slovakia (once part of Galicia, Poland) have Legersky recorded back to early-mid 1700s. These are also highland mountain towns.

I have speculated that the settlement of Legersky moved through the mountains from south to northwest through the Carpathians. The evidence suggests we were Vlachs (Romanian shepards) that settled in these mountain towns during the Vlach migration into the mountain ranges on the Slovak, Polish border sometime probably between in the 1400-1600. I don't believe we got this surname - at least in recorded records I've found so far until early 1700s.

Even back in Slovakia, relatives are trying to figure out what Legersky means. Lege or Leger are Latin roots that again could point back to the Romanian theory. Leger is a Czech word meaning "Legion," but the origins of Legersky are in not in Czech. There is no word in Polish, Slovak or Hungarian that is "Lege" or "Leger." In Romanian, "Lege" means -- law, rules or sanctions, a legal act or ruling, principles, a set of religious beliefs, or traditions -- depending on the context. (My wife is Romanian and I lived there about five years, but this doesn't influence my opinion on the facts).

Best of luck,

Randy Legersky
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Tereska... if you come back to this forum. Why did you ask about Polish szlachta? It may be just a coincidence, but my great-grandfather also said Legersky was from noble origin. We've since cracked this up to romanticism or pragmatism in trying to integrate into America as an immigrant and not be so looked down upon. But now I find you asking about this too, and I wonder why. We have found no evidence to back this claim yet, just poverty and rocky fields that wouldn't grow in the search.

Thanks.

LEGERSKI: from "lagier/legier =camp/cantonment oraz = wine lees in a barrel

The fate of Polish nobles, especially under Habsbourgs and Romanovs was frequently wery bad. So called "szlachta cząstkowa" (partitive tenant nobles), "szlachta zagrodowa" (nobles from behind the wall) and especially "gołota" (nacked nobles) suffered poverty sometimes worse than peasant class. Not to mention things like "rabacja galicyjska" (nobles slaughter) in 1846 when thousants of more wealthy noble families were murdered.

The most distinctive thing of these people was their special attitude either towards theirselves or the others or their nation (nation had nothing to do with ethnicity by XIX era). Their style of live was frequently admired by foreigners. They also undrestand they group interest perfectly and by the end of XIX era they entred the idea of common interest and became patriots in good sense of this word. They started to work on the beaconing and independence missions, etc. In fact they created the country we know today.

Now, we can forget that all, forget our family history with it's style of live and try to integrate with one more cheeseburger behind the pond. Yet we (PL-bacground citizens) are the part of lower class socjety, not American elites (who perfectly take care about their past). But we have to remember that this is one way proces. We can sell sth. for money, but there is no money we could buy it back.

Thank you!

This is why my family keeps its highland Slovak and Romanian traditions as much as possible. We taught my ten year old daughter to make the Kolbasi the way my grandfather and great-grandfather and their fathers and grandfathers did it in the old country. Cut the wood and smoked it in the smoke house that my grandfather built. Nons McDonalds for us.

And to know the history, the songs, the dances, the stories, the languages.

Hi !
Please,
Do you know what my last name means : dziemieszkiewicz ? Son of what ? I can't find.
Thanks for your help

Rychorcewicz. I've been told that my last name once began with an H - making it hychorcewicz. some years ago, eat told if it was a H that my last name could be related to the Russian spelling for Gregory. My grandfather was suppose to have been either in the Russian imperial army..) my dad always said he was a Cossack and that he was granted land by the czar for his service.I can find no one beyond relatives with my last name. Anyone with the name Rychorcewicz is a direct relative.seems that we're the only faily with that name.

Dziemieszkiewicz: from first name Damian, first recorded in Poland in the 12 century as Damijan (1178), Doman (1250), Demijan (1405). The name came to Polish from Latin Damianus, which came to Rome from Greece and to Greece from Egyptian godess Damia. All in all, Dziemieszkiewicz is the son of an Egyptian godess. Currently, 50 Dziemieszkiewiczs live in Poland.

Rychorcewicz/Hychorcewicz: No such names in Poland. Both most likely misspelled. There are many similar names to "Hychorcewicz": Hryhorkiewicz, Hryhorkowicz, Hryhorowicz, Hryhorowski. They all mean "son of Gregory."

If you're going back as far as the ancient Egypt then the Polish surnames' endings go back also the ancient time:

Proto-Indo-European *-iskos

Descendants
Balto-Slavic: *-iškas
Latvian: -isks
Lithuanian: -iškas
Slavic: *-ьskъ
Germanic: *-iskaz

They do. The ending -ski creates an adjective. All ski-names are adjectives. The name of Poland in Polish "Polska" is originally also an adjective (since the 19th century also used as a noun). However, Polish ski-names started to form not earlier than the 13th century and became very popular only in the 16th century. The equivalents of Slavic -ski and -cki in English are -ic and -ish. Celtycki=Celtic; brytyjski=British.

I think it's not good at all. Polska is noun. But it can makes some problems because we say sth like this: polska broń ( polish gun) polska granica ( polish border) polski prezydent ( polish president) Polska is definitely noun. It depends on the case, but dont be scared xd in hungarian there are 29 cases ;/

Originally in Polish, "polska" was an adjective always attached explicitly or implicitly to ziemia (land) "ziemia polska" (Polish Land). It still survives as an adjective in the name of the country "Rzeczpospolita Polska." Polska as a noun is a colloquial abbreviation, common since the 19th century. In the Constitution of May 3, 1991, "Polska" is used both as an adjective and a noun.

Firstly, in Poland girl's names end with the letter 'a', all of them; 'Frances' does not end with the letter 'a'.
Secondly, the Polish ending is '-ski'; '-sky' is Russian or Ukrainian, not Polish.

Nope. The endings "-ski", "-cki" or "-dzki" were traditionally given to Polish noblemen since early middle ages, first example of it was written down in 1282. It was later used by Ukrainian or Latvian people who were polonizing their surnames.

"-ski" and the others above are equivalent of German "von" or French "de"

Hey guys, I'm researching my cultural history, and wondered if anyone can help me trace the name Wolujewicz. What does it mean, and where might it have originated from? Thanks for any help.

Hello my last name is Mickiewicz I know it is a famous name in Poland with Adam Mickiewicz and I was told I am related that could be a load as far as I know but could someone tell me what it means I know it must be son of _____ but do not know for sure I would be greatfull and thank you in advance

Bigmick


your guess is right it is the son of - in this case it is the son of Mitko (Mitko is not a regular first (could have been a nickname I guess) name neither in Polish nor in Belarusian - this is actually a Belarusian or Ruthenian surname)

OK now I have two more names I would like to know about first one is Jankowski then there is Czymbor any idea what they meen? again thank you in advance

Jankowski: first recorded in 1388, toponimic from Jankowo, Jankowice, Jankówki "Johnsville" or more precisely "Littlejohnsville." Jan=John; Janek, Janko=Little John. Currently, 33000 Jankowskis and 35000 Jankowskas live in Poland.

Czymbor: from cząber, cząbr, cąber "aromatic plant Satureja." Currenly, 85 Czymbors live in Poland.

"Cassickowicz" would be "Tsassitskovitsh", unless it was Americanized.

Incidentally, I'm trying to figure out why my cousin Kasis Andrulewitz got the name "Kasis". He was a Litvak, and I wonder if "Kasis" comes from "Qasis" (meaning "kohen") or (G-d forbid!)

Last name is lapkowicz. Is that son of _____?

It could mean "son of the cleaning woman". "Lapko" is apparently Finnish for "cleaning woman".

Thank you to those who contribute to this thread. You provide many clues and answers to people who are searching to better understand their family background and heritage. My surname is Sieniszkiewicz (Šiniškevièius - Lithuanian; Cинюшкевичь - Russian) and for most of my life I thought both of my parents were Polish because they told me so and had Polish papers. They immigrated to Australia after WW11 as refugees after being interned in Germany during the war as forced laborers on farms near Einbeck. In 2004 I used Australian Immigration information to track my parent's history as both had passed away before I was able to get very much information from them. I verified through the Latvian Archives that my Father was born in 1899 in Libawa (now Liepaja) Latvia of parents who had moved from Ramygala, Lithuania. His family travelled to St Petersburg later where he attended school for 4 years and later trained to became a locksmith. My older brother and sister states that my father told them that he was recruited into the Russian Army during WW1. I assume/believe he was also caught up in the Russian Revolution in 1917 but not sure of what side he was on! His documents state that he was 'evacuated' from St Petersburg in 1919. Historians state that many 'foreigners' were told to 'evacuate'/leave Russia under threat of death or transportation to gulags. There is then a 13 year gap in his history until the records show he married my mother (Stanislawa Wieremiejcrykr), in Mscibow, Poland (now Mscibrava, Belarus) in 1932. This gap indicates to me that his family may well have ended up in the gulags (worse case), or returned to Ramygala (best case) but I may never know. Why he ended up in Mscibow is also a mystery but I suspect he was looking for work. In 2005 in retracing my family's footsteps, I found my Aunt still living in Jaralowka, near Mcibrava, Belarus (annexed from Poland after WW11) and in 2007 I found a second cousin on my father's side living in Vilnius. He had no memories of my father or any information on the '13 year gap'.

So, if this background does not belong to this thread, my apologies, but I am very much interested in the origination of our surname and I have seen by this thread how complex the history over centuries has resulted in names such as Sieniszkiewicz and Wieremiejcryk. If anyone has any information relating to these particular names I would be very grateful. I guess I am the son of Sieniszk? But if that is a first name, town, area or an item such a farmer or hat, I do not know. Thanks.

How about the name ending- sci.