Is this Name more Likely Ukrainian or Belarusian?

[CordedWhelp]

Part of my Polish ancestry is from one or more small town in northeastern Poland (Podlasie). The surname is Orlenkowicz. They were Catholic (not sure if roman or greek catholic), and had typically polish given names (Ewa, Jan....stuff like that)...

The first part of the name really does suggest east slavic ancestry given the first part of it.

It seems like an even toss up, as the northeast is known for having some of the most ukrainian and belarusians in Poland. What do you think?

[CordedWhelp]

Bump

[Peterski]

Etymology of the surname Orlenkowicz according to "Stankiewicze & friends" Genealogy website:

http://www.stankiewicze.com/index.php?kat=44&sub=547

Orlenkowicz - od orlean ‘gładka tkanina półwełniana’ lub bezpośrednio od nazwy miasta Orlean.

In English: from orlean 'a type of smooth half-woolen cloth' or directly from the city of Orlean.

Perhaps they had something to do with the textile industry in Podlasie since the 1700s. The Białystok Industrial Region was mainly textile industry (initiated by the Branicki family in the 1700s).


They were Catholic (not sure if roman or greek catholic)

No such thing as Greek Catholics in Podlasie. It was Roman Catholic and Orthodox. Russians abolished Greek Catholicism in the 1800s* - it survived only in Austrian-controlled Galicia.

*See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_of_Chełm_Eparchy#Background

There was a forced conversion to Orthodoxy of all Greek Catholics in Russia.


as the northeast is known for having some of the most ukrainian and belarusians in Poland.

Belarusians - yeah. But Ukrainians? Rather not.

They don't extend any further north than Polesie*. Maybe some transitional dialects more similar to Ukrainian than to Belarusian, but these people don't consider themselves Ukrainians.

*Polesie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polesia

[CordedWhelp]

Etymology of the surname Orlenkowicz according to "Stankiewicze & friends" Genealogy website:

http://www.stankiewicze.com/index.php?kat=44&sub=547

Orlenkowicz - od orlean ‘gładka tkanina półwełniana’ lub bezpośrednio od nazwy miasta Orlean.

In English: from orlean 'a type of smooth half-woolen cloth' or directly from the city of Orlean.

Perhaps they had something to do with the textile industry in Podlasie since the 1700s. The Białystok Industrial Region was mainly textile industry (initiated by the Branicki family in the 1700s).



No such thing as Greek Catholics in Podlasie. It was Roman Catholic and Orthodox. Russians abolished Greek Catholicism in the 1800s* - it survived only in Austrian-controlled Galicia.

*See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_of_Chełm_Eparchy#Background

There was a forced conversion to Orthodoxy of all Greek Catholics in Russia.



Belarusians - yeah. But Ukrainians? Rather not.

They don't extend any further north than Polesie*. Maybe some transitional dialects more similar to Ukrainian than to Belarusian, but these people don't consider themselves Ukrainians.

*Polesie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polesia

Thanks for commenting, when I made this thread I was still 50/50 on the Orlenkowicz side was either a town in N.E Poland or Belarus. I've kind of progressed in my paper trail since then and it's looking like Belarus.

I figured it was more likely a Belarusian-related name...

[Bobby Martnen]

Summon Lyssy to this thread

[Nurzat]

the telephone book only shows two Orlenkovych (Орленкович) in Ukraine

http://n0mer.org/allukraina/lastName_ОРЛЕНКОВИЧ_pagenumber_0.html


the same site gives 66 results for my last name which is Ukrainian but quite rare, we stem from the same region in the Carpathians, so if Орленкович was Ukrainian it should give more than two results.


edit. I've searched the name on vKontakte and it is found in Belarus, it seems to be a Belorussian name