Monday, March 28, 2016

Explaining Ukrainian Surnames Part Three

1740 Map showing Ukraine in Yellow.


This post is the third part of my summary of Greg Gressa's article "The Origins and Meaning of Ukrainian Surnames."   I found this article on the Ukrainian Genealogy site at least 15 years ago and it has disappeared.  Greg Gressa compiled this information from texts by Jeff Picknicki of the University of Manitoba, and works by John-Paul Himka, Frances A. Swyripa of the University of Alberta and others.  He included a short biography of sources of information about the history and meaning of Ukrainian names.  I would be happy to share this list with interested people.  Please email me at pauline.noznick@gmail.com or leave a comment at the end of this post and I will get back to you.

Structural Classifications of Ukrainian Surnames.
Ukrainian surnames can be classified according to their grammatical structure and morphological features as adjectives and nouns.


Adjectival Surnames
Most Ukrainian surnames that behave like adjectives have the following suffixes:
 –sk,-ck,-zk , as well as the endings yj /ij, (masculine ending) or a/ia, (feminine ending).

In the Ukrainian language, adjectives must agree with nouns in number, gender and case.  Adjectival surnames will have a masculine, feminine and plural form.  In the United States, the “j” was dropped from many surnames that ended with yj, and many times the feminine ending was no longer used.

Adjectival surnames are formed from the name of a place where an ancestor lived or originated.
Ukrainian root word
suffix
Adjectival ending
Masculine form
Feminine form
Plural form
English Meaning
More
sk
yj
Morskyj
Morska
Morski
Lived near the sea/shore
Brod
sk
yj
Brodskyj
Brodska
Brodski
From the city of Brody
Halych
sk
yj
Halytskyj
Halytska
Halytski
From the city of Halych


Adjectival Surnames which formed from first names.
Ukrainian first name
Suffix
Adjectival ending
Masculine form
Feminine form
Plural form
English meaning
Pavlov
Sk
Yj
Pavlovskyj
Pavlovska
Pavlovski
Children of Pavlov (Paul)
Fedir
Sk
Yj
Fedorivskyj
Fedorivska
Fedorivski
Children of Fedir (various forms of Theodore)
Tomko
Sk
yj
Tomkivskyj
Tomkivska
Tomkivski
Children of Tomko





Nominal Surnames

Nominal surnames behave like nouns. This type of surname makes up one of the largest groups in the Ukrainian language.  Most are based on nicknames.  The origins of many of these names are obscure and how they came to be is anyone’s guess. The actual reasons behind the formation of the surname probably will never be known.

Surnames from names of birds:
Soroka                                                      magpie
Vorona                                                      crow
Derkach                                                    crake
European Crake
European Magpie

Surnames from names of animals:
Baran                                                            ram
Buhaj                                                            bull
Vovk                                                             wolf
Medvid                                                          bear
Kovbe                                                           type of fish
Kotyk, koshka                                                cat

Surnames from plants and trees
Kulbaba                                                dandelion
Bereza                                                  birch
Kalyna                                                  cranberry

Surnames from names of foods
Maslo                                                        butter
Maslianka                                                  buttermilk
Smetana                                                   cream
Kapusta                                                    cabbage


Surnames suffixes that indicate progeny, regional origin or regional characteristics.

The following suffixes are added to first names to indicate progeny
-chuk            -chak            -uk             iuk            -ak-            -ych            -evych            -ovych            -ets                -iv               -yn            -enko                       
 Nominal Surnames with suffixes that indicate Progeny
First name
Suffix
English meaning
Surname
Sava
chuk
Progeny of Sava
Savchuk
Maksym
chak
Progeny of Maksym
Maksymchak
Taras
uk
progeny of Taras
Tarasuk
Pavlo
iuk
progeny of pavlo
Pavliuk
Harasym
ak
progeny of Harasym
Harasymak
Roman
ych
Progeny of Roman
Romanych
Danylo
ovych
Progeny of Danylo
Danylovych
Mykhailo
evych
Progeny of Mykhailo
Mikhailevych
Prokip
ets
Progeny of Prokip
Prokipets
Fedir
iv
Progeny of Fedir
Fedoriv
Pavlo
yn
Progeny of Pavlo
Pavlyn
Vasyl
enko
Progeny of Vasyl
Vasylenko

Historical Regions of Ukraine

The following surnames indicate the place name where an ancestor may have originated.
Place name
Suffix
Meaning in English
Surname
Podillia
chuk
From the region of Podillia
Podolianchuk
Polissia
chuk
From the region of Polissia
Polishchuk


Although this is a French map, the Ukrainian Oblasts are clearly labeled.

Suffixes that indicate regional characteristics
Western Ukraine: Surnames with the following suffixes are most common to
Western Ukraine, especially in the oblasts of Volyn, Roven,Ternopil’, L’viv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Mykolayiv.
–chuk, -chak, -uk, -iuk, -skyj, ckyj, zkyj.

Central and Eastern Ukraine: Surnames ending with –enko are most common in central and Eastern Ukraine, especially in the oblasts of Kiev, Cherkassy, Poltava, and Kherson.   Greg Gressa states that “Surnames with the –enko suffix are said to be the most typically Ukrainian.  They are common only among surnames of Ukrainian origin and are not found in any other Slavic group.” 

Surname suffixes that are common Ukrainian and other Slavic groups.
Surnames ending in the following suffixes are also found among Russian and Polish surnames, but are spelled differently.
-chuk, -chak, -ych, -ovych and –evych. 

Surnames that are combinations or root words
These surnames combine two root words.
Adjective + noun                             Bilodub             white oak
Noun +verb                                    palyvoda           person who could burn even water
Pronoun + verb                               samokhval         person who praises 
                                                                              himself
Numeral + noun                              sorokolat           forty years


Ukrainian Surnames of Foreign Origin                 
Some Ukrainian surnames have foreign origins, but these are small in number. There are  several ways  that Ukrainian surnames show foreign origins.  One way was when a foreigner settled in a Ukrainian area, he/she might be named for his/her foreign origins. Some examples include; Besarab/Besaraba, from Bessarabia, Moskalyk, from Russia or Shvedyk, a Swede.
Sometimes he/she would have a name that came from his/her native language.  Lahenza and Bonk are from Polish, Shpot, German; Halibey and Murza are of Tatar origin and Lupul and Dzera are Romanian.
In the case foreign origins of Ukrainian surnames, there is a family story that some of my ancestors were Czech.  The family name was Rychlyj, and in my genealogy research, I have come across this name many times, especially in immigration records.  The few times I saw this name attached to a Ruthenian(Ukrainian) immigrant, it was to a member of my family.  All the other immigrants were either Bohemian or Moravian, which are regions in the Czech Republic today,



24 comments:

  1. Hi, my family surname is Hominuk (Homeniuk, Hominiuk). I've noticed no mention of this name in your three articles.

    Do you have any information about this surname? You indicate that -iuk suggest a link to progeny. So does that mean there was a Homen nobel?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My last name is similar, "Hadyniak." Based on what I have learned about Ukrainian surnames, "Hadyn" is one part of my last name, and "iak" is another, indicating progency. My theory is that, then, my last name is derived from "Halych" and then "iak," in other words "Halychiak" is very similar to "Hadyniak."

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    2. Hi Tyler, I also have the surname Humeniuk, I was told it may be related to a type of country goose, called Gumennik.

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    3. Hi there. My grandma from my dad's side came from Ukraine (USSR then) in the late '20s to my country of birth, Argentina, and she was also Homeniuk/Gomeniuk. Note that the G sound before a vowel in the Ukrainian language is pretty similar to an H. That's the case of my grandma, her Argentinian ID was written down as Gomeniuk, whilst her siblings were written Homeniuk.
      I've spent a long time trying to figure out her place of birth, but I haven't succeeded so far. The only reference that I have leads me to the Kamen Podolska province, to a village called Melnik/Melnyk which doesn't seem to exist anymore.
      I live in Europe for a couple of years now and I wanted to visit West Ukraine in the near future but the the war started so my plans will have to hold on.
      I'd be glad to meet people with this last name in order to have some mutual support, if any if you is interested please email me to eerojo@gmail.com so we can join efforts and share what we know about our forebears. TIA.

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  2. My grandmother's surname was Machij. Is this a Ukrainian name or was it originally Machyj? I'd really appreciate your help on this.

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  3. I have two surnames that I am trying to decipher: Didenko and Pletin. Any suggestions?

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  4. Hello...
    My families last name is FILIMONCZUK.
    Can you offer any information regarding my last name?

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  5. mine is Hanusiak ? love to hear more

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  6. My grandmother’s maiden name was Wrubel and she was from Horodenka. My grandfathers surname was Goyan and all I know is he was born in Zoluczy, Galicia (a place I cannot find). My grandfather was born in 1897 when they were under Austrian rule.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Goyan is the same as romanian Goian. There a lot of Goian surnames in Romania so my guess would be he has romanian roots

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    2. Wrubel sounds German to me. No Slavic at all. Maybe your forebears come from a German settlement in those areas.

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  7. Hi, very good article, I found de surname Rychlik in my searches in Szumlany, Galicia, it would be a Czech surname too?
    Thanks

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  8. My last name is Hoochuk. Now I understand the “chuk” or “uk” part but where could the “Hoo” or “Hooch” come from? I do not know anybody except for my immediate family with our last name.

    ReplyDelete
  9. My last name is Hoochuk. Now I understand the “chuk” or “uk” part but where could the “Hoo” or “Hooch” come from? I do not know anybody except for my immediate family with our last name.

    ReplyDelete
  10. My last name is Hoochuk. Now I understand the “chuk” or “uk” part but where could the “Hoo” or “Hooch” come from? I do not know anybody except for my immediate family with our last name.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mine is Techanchuk and my immediate family are the only ones we know with this name. We have some old pictures with different spelling on the back. We believe the spelling was likely changed to match the way it sounded to the immigration officer back in the day when the family migrated. Unfortunately I bet that is the case for most folks on here searching origin. Great article though.

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  11. Is last name Niconchuk Ukrainian?

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  12. Can be, after first name Nikon
    Νίκωνος
    https://uk.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9D%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BD

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  13. Researching HOSZKOWICZ/HOSZOWCZYK AND STADNYK / STADNIK FROM USTIANOWA SANOK.

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  14. Hello, my father emigrated to the United States a few years before WW1. He was born in the town of Kladno which is in Bohemia. My father always told us our surname of Stadnik, spelling possibly change at Ellis Island, meant City of the Saint. Could that possibly be the correct meaning?

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  15. My last name is Galich, so i think it comes from Halych. Spelling Variation i guess

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  16. Thank you for these wonderful articles. My last name is Pylypciw. I am thinking pylyp is probably a form of Phillip. Is ciw son of maybe? Thank you.

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  17. Thank you for these articles. Could anyone explain my surname which is Kasianczuk. Was or is Kasian a place? Thank you

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