Message: "2 questions 1 about the surname Radzilowsky"

2 questions 1 about the surname Radzilowsky

by Sara Mae (SMHRS)

9/1/2007, 9:24 PM

My first question is does anyone know anything about the surname Radzilosky, I believe it is Polish because there is a town in Poland called Radzilow.

Second question is what sky/ski means and if there is any difference between the two.

Thanks.

"Alles, was uns begegnet, läßt Spuren zurück. Alles trägt unmerklich zu unserer Bildung bei."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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- Caitlin (earthnut) +2

9/2/2007, 2:19 AM

Jim Young told me: "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."

- Sara Mae (SMHRS) +1

9/2/2007, 9:06 AM

Thanks a lot!

- Jim Young (guest)

9/2/2007, 12:01 PM

It does look like the name comes from Radzilow in North-East Poland (Polish spelling here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radzilow). The Polish ending would be -owski, -owska for a lady; the Ukrainian and Belorussian ending, romanised, would be -ovsky or -ovskij. Your spelling could be from any of those countries.

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