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ArchivesRe: About Klebba...
in reply to a message by Calanthe
Here is one explanation:
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/Fact.aspx?fid=10&ln=Klebba
However, I'm not convinced. The evidence is confused. Here's a statistic - in 1998 there were 651 people surnamed Klebba in Poland, and 578 of the were living in the Gdansk area.
As your dad will no doubt confirm, Gdansk/Danzig was ethnically mixed. There were German and Poles; some of the Germans had Polish names, and some of the Poles had German names. In addition some people living in that region were known as Kashubians (Kaszub). It seems that some Kashubians considered themselve German, others Polish. What is more there were Kashubians surnamed Klebba.
Regarding the surname, the double-B gives it an un-Polish look to my eyes, though I've also seen the spelling Kleba.There is also a Polish name Klebowski. But just to confuse the issue there is a German surname, Klebbe.
German or Polish? I can't make my mind up.
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/Fact.aspx?fid=10&ln=Klebba
However, I'm not convinced. The evidence is confused. Here's a statistic - in 1998 there were 651 people surnamed Klebba in Poland, and 578 of the were living in the Gdansk area.
As your dad will no doubt confirm, Gdansk/Danzig was ethnically mixed. There were German and Poles; some of the Germans had Polish names, and some of the Poles had German names. In addition some people living in that region were known as Kashubians (Kaszub). It seems that some Kashubians considered themselve German, others Polish. What is more there were Kashubians surnamed Klebba.
Regarding the surname, the double-B gives it an un-Polish look to my eyes, though I've also seen the spelling Kleba.There is also a Polish name Klebowski. But just to confuse the issue there is a German surname, Klebbe.
German or Polish? I can't make my mind up.
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Replies
Wow, you're amazing! It took me months to glean that much information from my family. My dad and my uncle have told me before that we may have Kaszub roots, but I didn't/don't know what to make of it. Thanks for all the work you did, though. It's been a pain in the rear trying to find out this meaning for sure. I guess the quest goes on. :)
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It is ten years ago you wrote about Klebba...
My grandma was born as a Klebba too. She came from a little Kaschubian town and later lived in Zoppot/near Danzig - today Gdansk in Polen.
In Danzig lived 85% German People before the second world war.
Later 1945 my Grandma had to leave Zoppot which became polish and escaped with my Mother to Germany ...
sorry my english is not good....
Kind regards
Maria
My grandma was born as a Klebba too. She came from a little Kaschubian town and later lived in Zoppot/near Danzig - today Gdansk in Polen.
In Danzig lived 85% German People before the second world war.
Later 1945 my Grandma had to leave Zoppot which became polish and escaped with my Mother to Germany ...
sorry my english is not good....
Kind regards
Maria
1
Still trying to find the meaning I came across a website that gave Klebba as the Mazurian dialect for bread. So your dad may be right. Mazuria is to the East of Pomorze, or Pomerania, where the Kashubs hung out. Mazurian is classed as a Polish dialect, Kashubian as a language closely related to Polish. Who knows? Maybe Klebba is also Kashubian for bread.
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