[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Milewski and Myskow

[Spaghettitree at aol.com]

I think Gary is correct, Rose-Marie.  I think it will help you enormously to 
learn the Polish (and German) pronunciations, or maybe you have already done 
so, along with the meanings of each section of these names and any and all 
spellings as they evolve over time and place.  There were no single "correct" 
spellings until around 100 years ago.

Here are some definitions I found:

In A Dictionary of German-Jewish Surnames:  Milewski - from a location named 
Milewo in northeastern Poland (with Polish adjectival suffix "ski"), a Polish 
and German surname.

Nothing in there for Myskow.

In Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings:  Mil-ancient dithematic names with 
the root mily, "dear, beloved" - listing of about 35 names beginning with Mil- 
incuding Milewski.  There are some 17,000 plus people in Poland with that 
surname now.

Myskow:  Mysz- "mouse", or name element Mys, including Myszko and other 
names.  The German word for mouse is Maus (my Cuxhaven grandmother Johanna called 
her baby daughter Johanna "Maus" and she grew up to be known to all as Aunt 
Mousie.  My father as a baby she called Hannamaus ("Jo"hanna's little mouse) who 
grew up to be Henry, thank goodness.)

In A Dictionary of Surnames:  Maus - German nickname for someone supposedly 
resembling a mouse, etc.  There are several derivatives, including the 
habitation names in Polish - Myszk(or)owski.

No Milewski, but Mil - Czech, affectionate nickname for an attractive person 
from Czech mily (diacritical over the y), dear, beloved.  

The "ski" I believe indicates "from the estate or family of" whatever the 
root is, but a Polish native may certainly correct that, or anything else here.

If you haven't already, go to Cindyslist.com - then Poland/Polish names, and 
also poke around in all the search engines, Google, Yahoo, Ask, Dogpile.

Maureen Schoenky


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