View Message

Hi Jim,
I've contacted another person, Fred Huffman, about this and their reply is as follows:
I deal primarily with Polish names, not Czech. I'm not
totally ignorant about Czech names; the languages
are similar in many ways, so that analysis of
Polish names is often valid for Czech names
pronounced essentially the same way. But it's kind
of iffy -- there are times a Czech name can look
or sound like a Polish name, yet turn out to be
very different in meaning. It's unwise to make
assumptions, as the study of names can often throw
you a curve.

---

The best I can do is tell you about KURECZKA, the
Polish name pronounced the same way. Polish name
expert Kazimierz Rymut mentions this in his book
_Nazwiska Polakow_ [The Surnames of Poles], and he
lists it under the many names coming from the root
seen in the nouns _kura_, "hen," and _kurek_,
"chicken, cock." KURECZKA would be a diminutive
from _kurek_, meaning something like "little
cock." It probably started as a nickname for an
ancestor who reminded people of a little cock,
perhaps because he wasn't very big but had a
cock's fighting spirit. Or he could have been the
little chicken guy, someone who cared for
chickens -- this could have been meant as an
affectional diminutive.

---

I believe this might also be applicable to Czech
because the same root shows up in Czech, for
instance in _kurnik_, "hen house." But the root
Kur- shows up in other Czech words, including ones
meaning "crust of bread" and "smoking." Still, the
root _kur_ is associated with chickens in
virtually all the Slavic languages. I think it's
very plausible the surname you ask about does come
from that root.

---

I wish I could give you something more definitive
and reliable, but that's the best I can do.
Perhaps you can contact a Czech genealogical
society such as the Czechoslovak Genealogical
Society International (http://www.cgsi.org/) and
through them find some source of info on Czech

... Load Full Message

Hi Jim,

---

Well, all I can say is the family name of Kurecka is what has passed down through the generations to present day.

---

Whether it is a feminine form of Kurecky or not, I haven't a clue.
I wouldn't think so as it has passed down as a surname and
remember the artist guy's website I spoke of, Kurecka.com?

---

That is today, now, in the old country.

---

So, He has the surname as well.

---

Not to mention the other guy I found on facebook.

---

In the old country too.

---

So, there we have it, a surname for sure still carried forth
in the old country today.

---

I have the pronounciation as "Koorech-Ka", as I understand it.

---

We 'are' getting somewhere, I think, here with more and more data added.

---

Is there such a thing as a Czech/Moravian dictionary translated to English on the web?

---

Also, the Kurecka name had a hash mark over the 'c', if I remember correctly.

---

Maybe this will come out right, I'm copying and pasting the name with the hash mark over the "c": Kureèka. Well, it didn't, it came out as Kureeke.

---

Sometimes this changes to another form of the spelling automatically.

---

So, you think the name means a small rooster or cornish rooster of some sorts??

---

Hummmmmmm.....I woulda never.....

---

Imagine that?

---

Maybe one of the two people I emailed from the old country will write back and give us a little more input to go with this.

---

We still have the origin issue to solve, as well.

---

Thanks for all of the input you've provided though.

---

Your being a big help that we didn't have.
I appreciate that man.

---

Thanks again,

---

< JLS

---

This message was edited 10/20/2008, 4:42 PM