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Can anyone tell me the origin of the above maentioned i have traced it as a surname back to Hydra Saronic islands greece but am confusd is the name still used in that area there appears to be no letter B in alphabet can anyone help
many thanks Bernard
many thanks Bernard
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Replies
Hi Bernard,
We have been in touch before ~ I think that we are third or fourth cousins.
I traced the name Svombo back to Hydra, with the help of telephone directories and some Greek-speaking helpers.
I have been in touch with someone who hailed from the island, and who said that the name was very rare, and existed, originally, only on that island.
I have seen it written in Greek, but this board would not accept the Greek letters that I posted.
This name can be transcribed in a number of ways:
Svombos, Svompos, Svobos, Svopos
The female version is:
Svombou, Svompou, Svobou, Svopou
So the root is:
Svombo, Svompo, Svobo, Svopo
As Jim said, 'our B-sound is represented by the letters mp in Greek', so, while we can assume that a two-letter Greek-sound has been translatee into 'mb' in English, we should also assume that it would be just 'b' in Greek.
Although 'Svombo' is unusual, 'Svobo' is not ~ and a number of examples of the name can be found in Eastern Europe ~ including among members of the Hydriot 'Svombo' family, to whom I think we must be related.
I think that it might be related to the name Svoboda, which means 'freedom'. There are various other similar names, eg Svoboden.
I found the word 'svobou' in Czech ~ it means 'Liberty'.
I contacted someone in the Balkans about the name (I have his details, but forget them at present) and he thought that the name 'Svobo' might be related to the name 'Schwab'. There are other similar names, too, eg Szabo.
Schwab comes from the same root as 'Swabia' and might indicate that a person of that name might originate from that part of Germany.
There are similar names in Scandinavia, which might have a similar root, but I don't know.
Various people have suggested various origins for the name, including Venice & Asia Minor. Personally, I think that it originated in the Balkans and was then altered, to fit with the Greek surname system, when the family migrated to Hydra.
Who they intermarried with, I do not know, but some of them must have had 'real' Greek surnames. Greek friends told me that this did not sound at all Greek.
We have been in touch before ~ I think that we are third or fourth cousins.
I traced the name Svombo back to Hydra, with the help of telephone directories and some Greek-speaking helpers.
I have been in touch with someone who hailed from the island, and who said that the name was very rare, and existed, originally, only on that island.
I have seen it written in Greek, but this board would not accept the Greek letters that I posted.
This name can be transcribed in a number of ways:
Svombos, Svompos, Svobos, Svopos
The female version is:
Svombou, Svompou, Svobou, Svopou
So the root is:
Svombo, Svompo, Svobo, Svopo
As Jim said, 'our B-sound is represented by the letters mp in Greek', so, while we can assume that a two-letter Greek-sound has been translatee into 'mb' in English, we should also assume that it would be just 'b' in Greek.
Although 'Svombo' is unusual, 'Svobo' is not ~ and a number of examples of the name can be found in Eastern Europe ~ including among members of the Hydriot 'Svombo' family, to whom I think we must be related.
I think that it might be related to the name Svoboda, which means 'freedom'. There are various other similar names, eg Svoboden.
I found the word 'svobou' in Czech ~ it means 'Liberty'.
I contacted someone in the Balkans about the name (I have his details, but forget them at present) and he thought that the name 'Svobo' might be related to the name 'Schwab'. There are other similar names, too, eg Szabo.
Schwab comes from the same root as 'Swabia' and might indicate that a person of that name might originate from that part of Germany.
There are similar names in Scandinavia, which might have a similar root, but I don't know.
Various people have suggested various origins for the name, including Venice & Asia Minor. Personally, I think that it originated in the Balkans and was then altered, to fit with the Greek surname system, when the family migrated to Hydra.
Who they intermarried with, I do not know, but some of them must have had 'real' Greek surnames. Greek friends told me that this did not sound at all Greek.
This message was edited 3/31/2007, 8:51 PM
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Some interesting information here. Clearly you've been hard at work on this name and it's a pity you have not yet got a satisfactory explanation. I think Szabo is an unlikely origin, and I think the Scandinavian link is unlikely.
I do agree that a possible non-Greek original is worthy of further consideration. The various Slavic "Svoboda" names might be worth further investigation, after all there are Macedonians who are Greek citizens, and who speak a Slavic language. One problem, I think the L spelling, i.e., Sloboda, is more likely in the Balkan Slavic languages.
The Schwab suggestion is also intriguing. I'll try to find out what the Greek word for "Swabian" is.
I do agree that a possible non-Greek original is worthy of further consideration. The various Slavic "Svoboda" names might be worth further investigation, after all there are Macedonians who are Greek citizens, and who speak a Slavic language. One problem, I think the L spelling, i.e., Sloboda, is more likely in the Balkan Slavic languages.
The Schwab suggestion is also intriguing. I'll try to find out what the Greek word for "Swabian" is.
1
"Freedom" is sloboda in Macedonian and Serbo-Croat, but it's svoboda in Bulgarian. I can't find the Greek for Swabian.
1
You are right about the letter B, our B-sound is represented by the letters mp in Greek. This raises a question - how was your ancestor's name written in Greek letters? I have read on the net that there are people of your surname living in Greece today, I don't know if that's true. If it is it should be possible to learn the Greek spelling of your name and so begin the search for its meaning. I can see several possible permutations of letters.
I suggest you seek out a forum that publishes queries about Greek surnames, I'm sure they exist.
There is a Hydra website with a historical article that mentions several local families. Unfortunately there is no name like yours there.
http://www.hydra.com.gr/history/
I suggest you seek out a forum that publishes queries about Greek surnames, I'm sure they exist.
There is a Hydra website with a historical article that mentions several local families. Unfortunately there is no name like yours there.
http://www.hydra.com.gr/history/
1