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ArchivesJewish names from the border of Poland and the Ukraine
This line is Jewish and immigrated to New York from the border of Poland and the Ukraine in the late 1800's.
Pensak - I looked in a Polish dictionary; might it be related to panski, meaning "nobleman"?
Spitz
Greenberg - pretty obvious, "green mountain"?
Sisselman - related to Solomon, by chance?
Pachomitsky (sp?) - only had an old handwritten paper to go by
Kalnitsky (probably) - same as above
Breines
Pensak - I looked in a Polish dictionary; might it be related to panski, meaning "nobleman"?
Spitz
Greenberg - pretty obvious, "green mountain"?
Sisselman - related to Solomon, by chance?
Pachomitsky (sp?) - only had an old handwritten paper to go by
Kalnitsky (probably) - same as above
Breines
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Replies
Sisselman is a form of Cecil + man ...
Cecil
English: transferred use of the surname of a great noble family, which rose to prominence in England during the 16th century. The Cecils were of Welsh origin, and their surname represents an Anglicized form of the Welsh given name Seissylt, apparently a Brittonic or Old Welsh form of the Latin name Sextilius, from Sextus “sixth”. In the Middle Ages Cecil was occasionally used as an English form of Latin Caecilius (an old Roman family name derived from the byname Caecus “blind”), borne by a minor saint of the 3rd century, a friend of St Cyprian
Cecil
English: transferred use of the surname of a great noble family, which rose to prominence in England during the 16th century. The Cecils were of Welsh origin, and their surname represents an Anglicized form of the Welsh given name Seissylt, apparently a Brittonic or Old Welsh form of the Latin name Sextilius, from Sextus “sixth”. In the Middle Ages Cecil was occasionally used as an English form of Latin Caecilius (an old Roman family name derived from the byname Caecus “blind”), borne by a minor saint of the 3rd century, a friend of St Cyprian
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Very interesting, thanks!
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Greenberg - yes "green mountain", probably a place name, but, just possibly, a house name.
Spitz - probably a place name (German), though one source suggests the possibility that it's from the Yiddish shpitsn, meaning "lace", which might be a metonymic for a lace-maker or seller.
Breines - from the name of a female ancestor, Breine or Braine. The literal meaning is "brown" (Yiddish).
Sisselmann - I'd say it's from another female name, Yiddish Zisse, German Suesse, meaning "sweet". So "man descended from Zisse", or diminutive form Zissele. Siskind and susskind have a similar meaning, "child of Zisse, or Suesse.
Kalnitsky - I'd say from a place name, Kalnik or Kalnica, both names are Polish toponyms. Kalnica is pronounced KalnEEtsa in Polish, and a surname from those place names would be in Polish, Kalnicki, pronounced KalnEEtsky.
Pachomitsky - the -sky ending suggests another place name origin.
Pensak - I'm stumped! It might be from some word meaning penny or pennies, a monetary reference. I don't think it's connected to the Polish PAN, but nothing can be ruled out.
Spitz - probably a place name (German), though one source suggests the possibility that it's from the Yiddish shpitsn, meaning "lace", which might be a metonymic for a lace-maker or seller.
Breines - from the name of a female ancestor, Breine or Braine. The literal meaning is "brown" (Yiddish).
Sisselmann - I'd say it's from another female name, Yiddish Zisse, German Suesse, meaning "sweet". So "man descended from Zisse", or diminutive form Zissele. Siskind and susskind have a similar meaning, "child of Zisse, or Suesse.
Kalnitsky - I'd say from a place name, Kalnik or Kalnica, both names are Polish toponyms. Kalnica is pronounced KalnEEtsa in Polish, and a surname from those place names would be in Polish, Kalnicki, pronounced KalnEEtsky.
Pachomitsky - the -sky ending suggests another place name origin.
Pensak - I'm stumped! It might be from some word meaning penny or pennies, a monetary reference. I don't think it's connected to the Polish PAN, but nothing can be ruled out.
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Ah, I suspected Breines might mean brown. Charlotte Breines doesn't have recorded parents. Might her mother have been named Breines? She was born around 1840. Probably unlikely. How would a female name become a surname to begin with though?
For some reason I thought -sky / -ski denoted nobility. Evidently that is a myth.
Thanks!
For some reason I thought -sky / -ski denoted nobility. Evidently that is a myth.
Thanks!
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It's possible that Charlotte B's mother, or grandmother, was named Breine. Most Jewish subjects of the Russian Tsar did not have surnames until ordered to adopt them in 1847. There seems to have been some confusion among the Jewish population about how to go about this, I don't know if it was some sort of religious scruple. Some adopted existing Jewish names, such as Cohen, Ginzburg and Horowitz, without having any connection to these surnames. It's as if they were thinking "If it's OK for them to be called that, then it's OK for other Jews." A lot of families adopted a metronymic, surname from the given name of a female ancestor. I have an idea why this was done; it's a bit complicated, suffice to say I think it's to do with religious practices and probably adopted by stricter Jews, possibly Hassidim. Lees (Leah), Bayliss (Beile, "white"), Perlis (Perle), are some of those ending in S, like Breines. Those German looking surnames beginning with Rosen and Gold are often ornamental forms indicating descent from a Rosa or a Golda. There are lots more.
On the subject of the -sky or -ski ending; it was originally adopted by Polish nobles who took their surnames from their estates. As the non-noble status groups took surnames they sometimes imitated this fashion, adding the adjectival ending to names from occupations, etc. It would have been very unusual for a Jew to be Permitted to own land, so any -sky/-ski surnames from place names would be from a place of residence rather than from an estate.
On the subject of the -sky or -ski ending; it was originally adopted by Polish nobles who took their surnames from their estates. As the non-noble status groups took surnames they sometimes imitated this fashion, adding the adjectival ending to names from occupations, etc. It would have been very unusual for a Jew to be Permitted to own land, so any -sky/-ski surnames from place names would be from a place of residence rather than from an estate.
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Wow, very educational, thanks!
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