[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Howard Krushel-TOPSNIK- Meaning of

[Otto]

Evening Howard,
You asked:
Guenther and Otto:
What does the name TOPSNIK conjure up in your mind; little son of TOPS?
Could the origin be from Czechoslovakia, Poland or elsewhere?
Howard Krushel

-Ukraine or Poland.

'Topsnik' is a surname-Some in Freiburg, some in Alsace.
(just a quick net check-foreign databases are available)

I am willing to rise to the challenge as long as I am not considered  
a nudnik, naznik or rodnik
First we'll parse the word.   'Tops - nik'

The suffix 'nik' entered the English language through the Yiddish  
language from the Polish and Ukrainian language. Its implied meaning  
is: one connected with or characterized by being. e.g. 'wordnik'.

Now "Tops" remains to demystify. . .
Is it a Yiddish word?  Is it a variation of the German word "Topf"?  
(pot)  Is it a Polish or Ukrainian word? Some of the college students  
are undoubtedly smiling at the thought of the term 'potnik'.

We need to solidify the language and meaning of the word "TOPS".
I will leave this open to others on the ListServ with a greater  
familiarity of Yiddish, Polish, Russian or Ukrainian.

http://www.spellingbee.com/pre_suf_comb.pdf

Common misspellings and typos for the surname Topsnik
Tospnik, Tosnik, opsnik, Toopsnik, Topnik, Topnsik, Topsniik,  
Toppsnik, Topsnikk, oTpsnik, Tpsnik, TTopsnik, Topsik, Topssnik,  
Topsnki, Topsnk, Topsni, Tposnik, Topsink, Topsnnik.

Richard O. Schienke
. . .  Otto

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