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Archivesethnicity of surname
am trying to determine my late father's true ethnicity . was born in Podhorjany Hungary in 1910. last name on his baptismal certificate listed as Stinic but on his mothers Ellis island papers last name is Stinicova. Her maiden name may be Oleana Kokunda or Oleana Kokonga. we have no relatives living in the USA to help and have only recently found these papers in my late mothers possession. thank you for any help.
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I'm no historian but I tend to agree with the first post. Also, immigrants to America in that time often ended up having their names spelled incorrectly for the simple fact that they just weren't used to non-English names but also the literacy rate was really low. Just because you worked a public job didn't mean you could spell, read, or write in an acceptable manner. It was probably easier for the English speakers to say and spell Stinic than Stinicova (not that it's actually a complicated name but things were very different 100 years ago). A similar scenario happened to my Dutch and Irish ancestors. It could have also been your gradmother's choice to have him baptized with Stinic too, just for the sake of sanity. You'd be surprised how often that happened.
Have you checked with Ancestry.com? It's not usually free but they have so much information and maybe there's something there that can help you.
Have you checked with Ancestry.com? It's not usually free but they have so much information and maybe there's something there that can help you.
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Well the ová (Czech, Slovak) suffix is attached to most Czech and Slovak female surnames, which means that his mother may have adopted the affix to identify her gender. This was not uncommon in many Eastern European countries, and exists today in some Adrican cultures (such as Nigerian). Thus, Stinic becomes Stinicova. the feminine ending is not necessarily passed on to male heirs.
The -ova ending as a Czech affix would also be supported by the actual surname of Stinic, since the -ic ending constitutes "son of" in Czech surnames as well.
Stinich is a similar surname that is most popular in the Ukraine and Russia, which lends to the idea that the surname has gone through a couple of evolutions similar to the Italian Dijoys of the United States, who are original DiGioias.
CONCLUSION: Since Czechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe that existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until its peaceful dissolution into the Czech Republic ... I would guess that your father was Hungarian, but his ancestors lived in what is now part of the Czech Republic and migrated through the empire to wherever your father's mother (your Grandmother) was born. Or at least where her ancestors were born.
Hope that helps!
The -ova ending as a Czech affix would also be supported by the actual surname of Stinic, since the -ic ending constitutes "son of" in Czech surnames as well.
Stinich is a similar surname that is most popular in the Ukraine and Russia, which lends to the idea that the surname has gone through a couple of evolutions similar to the Italian Dijoys of the United States, who are original DiGioias.
CONCLUSION: Since Czechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe that existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until its peaceful dissolution into the Czech Republic ... I would guess that your father was Hungarian, but his ancestors lived in what is now part of the Czech Republic and migrated through the empire to wherever your father's mother (your Grandmother) was born. Or at least where her ancestors were born.
Hope that helps!
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