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ArchivesRe: Meaning of Surname Pestotnik
in reply to a message by mblar@charter.net
I have two guesses ...a little too lazy to do much research ...
The Italian word "pesto" means "to crush" so it likely has some similar meaning in Latin. Many Southern Slavic words/names have their roots (like so many European languages) in Latin, Greek or Hebrew (all due to religion)...I'm guessing that this is a Southern Slavic name (Balkan peninsula).
Also, there is a Russian name Peshek, which means “foot” …I would guess that the roots may be related to whatever Slavic name yours comes from.
However, as is so often the case, it still looks a bit like one of those pesky little "Peter" names that ultimately means "rock". The -nik part is definitely a diminutive denoting "little" or often "son of", "descendant of", etc. ...
The Italian word "pesto" means "to crush" so it likely has some similar meaning in Latin. Many Southern Slavic words/names have their roots (like so many European languages) in Latin, Greek or Hebrew (all due to religion)...I'm guessing that this is a Southern Slavic name (Balkan peninsula).
Also, there is a Russian name Peshek, which means “foot” …I would guess that the roots may be related to whatever Slavic name yours comes from.
However, as is so often the case, it still looks a bit like one of those pesky little "Peter" names that ultimately means "rock". The -nik part is definitely a diminutive denoting "little" or often "son of", "descendant of", etc. ...
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