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ArchivesRe: Jewish names from the border of Poland and the Ukraine
in reply to a message by Caitlin
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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