Share Your Interesting Surnames

**White Swan** · 08-02-2022, 04:36 AM

I recently found out a set of my great great grandparents were born in Poland. One of their names is Kurzawa.

The things is, I'm used to hearing surnames that have to do with the family legacy (skilled trade, caste, patriarchs, etc.).

So, why would a surname translate to "whirling cloud of dust"? Lol (Sometimes interpreted as "sandstorm").
(Are there even sandstorms in Poland?) Could it be a reference to a military tactic? An allusion to clan history? Is it a metaphor for a personality trait? An attempt to intimidate surrounding clans?
Please, thoughts.

How common is it to have a surname with this type of etymology?

Does anyone here have any fun surnames?

**Polak** · 08-02-2022, 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by White Swan

I recently found out a set of my great great grandparents were born in Poland. One of their names is Kurzawa.

The things is, I'm used to hearing surnames that have to do with the family legacy (skilled trade, caste, patriarchs, etc.).

So, why would a surname translate to "whirling cloud of dust"? Lol (Sometimes interpreted as "sandstorm").
(Are there even sandstorms in Poland?) Could it be a reference to a military tactic? An allusion to clan history? Is it a metaphor for a personality trait? An attempt to intimidate surrounding clans?
Please, thoughts.

How common is it to have a surname with this type of etymology?

Does anyone here have any fun surnames?

A common surname type, I have similar surnames in my tree and they were peasantry from Western, Central and South-Eastern Poland. One of the surnames in my family means "One who twirls", and another means "Flammable". They were likely physical or personality descriptors as you have correctly alluded.

**Laly** · 08-02-2022, 01:27 PM

My maternal grandmother, an aristocrat, had a funny name, because it sounds in French pretty much like "dogs' war".

**White Swan** · 08-02-2022, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by Polak

A common surname type, I have similar surnames in my tree and they were peasantry from Western, Central and South-Eastern Poland. One of the surnames in my family means "One who twirls", and another means "Flammable". They were likely physical or personality descriptors as you have correctly alluded.

'One who twirls' and 'flammable', wow! Haha thank you. I love it; I'm glad this is a thing. Could flammable mean like short tempered or just generally passionate and one who twirls could mean elated, happy disposition? Do you feel like you have a sense of what they may be referring to?

**White Swan** · 08-02-2022, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by Laly

My maternal grandmother, an aristocrat, had a funny name, because it sounds in French pretty much like "dogs' war".

That's so funny! What does it really mean?

**Laly** · 08-02-2022, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by White Swan

That's so funny! What does it really mean?

I don't think it means anything special, it's the name of a locality. In French, "dogs' war" would be "guerre de chiens", so her surname sounds pretty much like that.

**Varda** · 08-02-2022, 01:41 PM

My surname have suffix IĆ as most of the Serbian surnames. But some surnames of my ancestors by both lines were without IĆ and don't sound mainstream Serbian (all my ancestors with that surnames were Serbs): Vunduk, Tintor, Reljan, Dragaš, Bursać and Grmuša.

**Victor** · 08-02-2022, 01:44 PM

My surname is presented in Poland and even belongs to szlachta

Even tho I don't have known Polish ancestry, but it's a fact lots of Poles were assimilated in the times of Russian Empire and some Polish surnames (Zhuravski, Kovalevski, Vishnevski, Levandovski, Kaminski) are normally seen as Russian ones when they belong to Russians.

**Varda** · 08-02-2022, 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by Varda

My surname have suffix IĆ as most of the Serbian surnames. But some surnames of my ancestors by both lines were without IĆ and don't sound mainstream Serbian (all my ancestors with that surnames were Serbs): Vunduk, Tintor, Reljan, Dragaš, Bursać and Grmuša.

Meaning/origin:
Vunduk - probably version of Funduk which allegedly came from name for Turkish golden many from 18th century. In region of my ancestors people originally did not use voice F, and they often used V instead of F. Surname Funduk also exist. Other version of the origin of surname Vunduk is that originated from place Fundina in Montenegro.
Tintor - probably of Romance origin. In 1550. in the Ottoman defter in northern Dalmatia is mentioned "Vukosav sin Radka Tintora" ("Vukosav son of Radko Tintor").
Reljan - from medieval Serbian name Hrelja which was common among nobility. It should be Hreljan, but Christians from Dinaric region lost voice H in 17th century and it is Reljan because of that.
Dragaš - from Serbian word "drag" ("dear"). My cousin famous Serbian economist Branko Dragaš claim origin from Serbian noble family Dejanović-Dragaš (Helena Dragaš mother of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI Palailogos was from that Serbian noble family) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dejanović_noble_family
Bursać - probably came from Burse, nick of their paternal ancestor. Maybe is related with Herzegovinian medieval clan Burmaz.
Grmuša - came from Serbian word "grm" ("bush").

**rothaer** · 08-02-2022, 03:05 PM

I found the odd ancestral surname Klebsattel. It means "glue to the saddle". Likely someone who hardly got off the horse.

Some emigrated to the US name bearers made Clapsaddle out of it. Barbarians!

EDIT: Ordinary German surnames are roughly from abt. 1350 +/- 100 years, so they are real "time capsules". From the German law it's close to impossible to change a surname or arbitrarily create a new.