Surname Saturday: ZAKRZEWSKI

Welcome to the very first “Surname Saturday” of 2012.  Somehow I managed to go through all of 2011 without a single surname post! But I have many more family names to get to, so I am hoping to post a different Surname Saturday at least once a month.  Let’s see what happens this year… Surname - ZAKRZEWSKI [...]

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Surname Saturday: HÖCK

Surname – HÖCK Meaning/Origin – According to the Dictionary of German Names, Second Edition by Hans Bahlow, the name HÖCK be dervived from either dwelling near a hedge (hecke) or from street trader or huckster (höcke). Countries of Origin – The surname HÖCK is German. Spelling Variations – The surname has many variations in the [...]

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Surname Saturday: DROGOWSKI

Surname – DROGOWSKI Meaning/Origin – The name DROGOWSKI (hear it pronounced in Polish) is derived from the Polish word drogi meaning “dear” .   (Source: Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings, Second Edition by William F. Hoffman) Country of Origin – The surname DROGOWSKI is Polish.  According to the World Names Profiler, Poland has the highest frequency [...]

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Surname Saturday: MCGEEHAN

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day this week, I have chosen to highlight an Irish surname.  The only problem with that is that I personally have no Irish ancestry.  But my niece does from her mother’s paternal side! Surname – MCGEEHAN Meaning/Origin – The name MCGEEHAN is an anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Gaoithín or [...]

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Surname Saturday: WOJCIECHOWSKI

Surname – WOJCIECHOWSKI Meaning/Origin – The name WOJCIECHOWSKI (hear it pronounced in Polish) is derived from the Polish first name Wojciech, which in turn comes from the root woj-, meaning “battle”, and ciech, meaning “joy”.   (Source: Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings, Second Edition by William F. Hoffman) Countries of Origin – The surname WOJCIECHOWSKI is [...]

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Surname Saturday: FISCHER

Surname – FISCHER Meaning/Origin – The surname FISCHER really does mean “fisher” as in “fisherman.”  According to the Dictionary of German Names, Second Edition by Hans Bahlow, the frequency of the name in Germany “is evidence of the former importance of this ancient occupation.”   I find it ironic that my particular Fischer’s were actually [...]

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Surname Saturday: ZAWODNY

Surname – ZAWODNY Meaning/Origin – The name ZAWODNY (hear it pronounced in Polish) is derived from the Polish word zawodny, meaning “unreliable” or “deceptive”.  The root zawod- comes from the word zawieść, which means to disappoint or deceive. (Source: Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings, Second Edition by William F. Hoffman and the University of Pittsburgh [...]

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Surname Saturday: PLUTA

Surname – PLUTA Meaning/Origin – The name PLUTA (hear it pronounced in Polish) is derived from the Polish word pluć, meaning “to spit”.  Pluta means “spitter” or bad weather!  (Source: Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings, Second Edition by William F. Hoffman) Countries of Origin – The surname PLUTA is Polish. According to the World Names [...]

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Surname Saturday: SLESINSKI – ŚLESIŃSKI

Surname – SLESINSKI or ŚLESIŃSKI Meaning/Origin – The name SLESINSKI or ŚLESIŃSKI (hear it pronounced in Polish) is derived from the place name Ślesin, a town in central Poland near Konin founded in 1231.  The suffix -ski is usually added to a person or place name to indicate a relationship such as “son of” or [...]

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Surname Saturday: ECHERER

Surname – ECHERER Meaning/Origin – I have not found a definitive answer on the origin of the ECHERER name, but it may be related to ECKER or EGGER.  According to the Dictionary of German Names, Second Edition by Hans Bahlow, these names are found frequently near Munich and they mean “from the dwelling place on [...]

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Surname Saturday: PATER

Surname – PATER Meaning/Origin – The name PATER comes from the Latin pater, meaning “father”.  In English, it is pronounced PAY-ter or PAH-ter.  Hear it pronounced by a Polish speaker here. Countries of Origin – The surname Pater can be found in several countries.  According to the World Names Profiler, the countries with the highest [...]

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