[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Virginia Less-Surname:LESS

[Otto]

Evening Virginia,

May this prove helpful.

It brought to mind Emil Jennings and Marlene Dietrich in the classic  
German movie,"Der Blaue Engel".
Are you aware Marlene's real name was Maria Magdalene von Losch?

The surname is an old name and a good name, making it attractive to  
anyone looking for a surname.

Virginia stated:
 >my husband's father spoke platdeutsch<

This is in itself an indication of migration from the Baltic coast.

Virginia stated:
 >where in Poland may this family have been<

The 'ke' suffix indicates an Old time resident of the Baltic coast.

-Some variations of spelling found in the SGGEE Members Only database-

Less<Loesch<Losch<Leske<Löschke<Loeschke<(Lieschke?)
A probable succession of spellings. - See Old Prussian below
It is not a matter of not knowing how to spell, but a matter of  
passing through centuries of time and subjected to language change.

Leis-ke>Lejske>Leiss>Lesch-ke>Leske>
Variations of spelling.

Loesch-ke>
Lösch
loess 1833 (in Lyell), "unstratified deposit of loam," coined 1823 by  
K.C. von Leonhard from Ger. Löss "yellowish-gray soil," from Swiss  
Ger. lösch (adj.) "loose" (cf. Ger. los; see loose).

http://www.bartleby.com/65/lo/loess.html
Loess NOUN A buff to gray windblown deposit of fine-grained,  
calcareous silt or clay. ETYMOLOGY German Löss, from German dialectal  
Lösch, from lösch, loose. See leu- in Appendix I
http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/larson/loess.html
Loess is a geologic term that refers to deposits of silt (sediment  
with particles 2-64 microns in diameter) that have been laid down by  
wind action (aeolian activity to geologists).

See> Old Prussian LAÛKS     laucks 10510: Feld / field

•Blend of MARIA and MAGDALENE. Refers, therefore, to Mary Magdalene,  
a character in the New Testament. The name was first used by the  
German actress and singer Marlene Dietrich, whose real name was Maria  
Magdalene von Losch.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Germanic-speaking_cultures_surnames
. . .  Otto

                      " The Zen moment..." wk. of March 5, 2006
                      ________________________________
                         "Remove what isn't... What is remains."