Sorbian surnames
Your last name gives you a sense of identity and helps you discover who you are and where you come.
Last names have changed during the history. So it is important to discover the origin surname to give the answer of meaning.
This overview should help by genealogy research.
Continue reading: How to search properly
If you are looking to contact a particular parish, I can offer you to contact them for you. I also translate documents from the Slovenian language into the English language. If you have any questions, please contact me.
1) Buk, Buck, Bucke, Bugk
The name was recorded as early as 1396. It has a West Slavic origin, buk means beech.
2) Czornack, Tschernig, Zarny, Zerny, …
They can all be traced back to the Upper Sorbian word čorny (in German: “black”). The origin of these surnames lies in the year 1400.
3) Doman, Domann, Dommach, Domusch, …
The year was 1136 when the surnames Doman or Domann first appeared. This surname was derived from first names such as “Domaslav”, which were formed from the ancient Slavic word dom for house or doma for home.
4) Heidusch, Hejda, Heiduschka, Heiduscke, Hejduska
They come from the Sorbian word for buckwheat or heather grain “hejduš”. In Upper Sorbian the word also means “groats”.
5) Kowal, Kowar
The exciting thing about these surnames is that the last letter of Kowal and Kowar tells you whether your surname has an Upper Sorbian or Lower Sorbian origin. We first encountered “Kowal” in 1388 and it means blacksmith.
6) Kortschmar, Kretschmar
The name was borrowed from Old Czech in 1425 and means “innkeeper” or “tavernkeeper”.
7) Kral, Krahl
Kral means king. The name can be interpreted ambiguously, for example servants of a king.
8) Krawc, Krautz
Means tailor and was first mentioned in 1374.
9) Lieschka, Lieschke, Lischka, Lischke, Liszka
The name is derived from the West Slavic word liszka, which means fox.
10) Noak, Nowak, Nowy, Nauck, …
The name comes from the West Slavic word nowy, which means “new”. In a figurative sense, this surname was given to beginners, newcomers, new settlers or someone who had adopted a new faith.
11) Schmoler, Schmoller, Smola
These name bearers had a profession in the Middle Ages that no longer exists today: The names Schmoler, Schmoller, Smola can be derived from the West Slavic word “smołar”, the Lower Sorbian word “smolaŕ” or the Upper Sorbian version “smoler” for a pitch burner, boiler or dealer.
12) Witschas, Witschask
“Wićaz” is an old Upper Sorbian word for “free farmer”, “feudal farmer” or “feudal estate owner” (in German: Lehmann). Feudal farmers use a piece of foreign land by paying tribute to the owner. “Lehnen” is linguistically related to the more common word “leihen”. The estate or field was therefore “loaned”.
Would you like to know more about your surname? I am researching your surname. Contact me for research!
Source
Walter Wenzel, Lausitzer Familiennamen slawischen Ursprungs, Domowina-Verlag, 2020.