# Polish: Belavski/Bielawski



## Borislav

I have a family name of Belavski. My question is this a polish name?


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## slowik

Yes, you're most likely to be Polish  It's actually _Bielawski _(Byelavski, stress on _a_) - I guess it was just made _Belavski _to be simpler to pronounce.


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## Borislav

So it is polish.... I do have family and ancestors from Poland so this explains why I have this family name. 
Do you know what this family name means in polish? I know that Biela means white.


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## Thomas1

It doesn't mean anything in modern Polish. _Biela_ is not a Polish word, I would, however, associate it with the coulour you mentioned. The ending -_ski_ implies nobility.

It can also be a Ukrainian surname as they also have the -ський ending Russian -ский or even Czech -ský. Although, I think the -ski ending is particularly characteristic of Polish surnames.

Tom


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## dudasd

Thomas1 said:


> It doesn't mean anything in modern Polish. _Biela_ is not a Polish word, I would, however, associate it with the coulour you mentioned. The ending -_ski_ implies nobility.
> 
> It can also be a Ukrainian surname as they also have the -ський ending Russian -ский or even Czech -ský. Although, I think the -ski ending is particularly characteristic of Polish surnames.
> 
> Tom


 
Just a small addition: 

Slavic suffix -ski generally means just belonging to something or its genesis (in this particular case - belonging to a family). It's a productive suffix used for making adjectives. It doesn't imply nobility, but doesn't exclude it as well.

"-ski" family names are also prevailing in Macedonia and rather common in northern Serbia (Vojvodina). But what's interesting in your family name, it's suffix -va added to the root (and the root is unmistakably meaning "white"). There is a number of rivers and mountains all over the Slavic world that are named "Belava" or "Bjelava, Bielava". So I guess your surname derived from that toponim; probably from where your ancestors had lived. It would be an interesting research. You can try it. For example, there's a mountain called "Belava" in south-eastern Serbia. But if you are sure your ancestors came from Poland, then I would suggest *town Bielawa in south-western Poland*. 


Hope I helped.


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## Woland

It might be ,as well,an Ukrainian name,because it sounds like the name of an Ukrainian(who nows lives in Slovenia)chess player*  Белявский Александр *


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## Kolan

Also to mention that the Russian word *белявый, -ая *(Belorussian = *бялявая*) means *a blond guy, girl*.


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## Thomas1

dudasd said:


> Just a small addition:
> 
> Slavic suffix -ski generally means just belonging to something or its genesis (in this particular case - belonging to a family). It's a productive suffix used for making adjectives. It doesn't imply nobility, but doesn't exclude it as well.


Thanks for the info, dudasd, this is interesting.  In Polish this suffix is generally associated with nobility, this is what I read in various sources. The surnames made with it formed from the names of places, pointed out the belonging of the place to the person. Such surnames were highly regarded from a social point of view, showing that their bearer belonged to the nobility since in Poland mainly people form this level of society owned villages, towns, and other geographical areas. 


Tom


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## dudasd

My mistake, I wasn't precise enough. That note of mine referred to the function of "-ski" suffix in Slavic languages generally. It wasn't about Polish surnames particularly. But of course I know that in Poland it suggests nobility in the most of cases (I don't know Polish, but I know rather much about Polish history because it's so rich and interesting). It was "just for a case" note - for example, in Macedonia you will hardly find a surname without -ski. In Vojvodina, -ski suffix was often adopted by people who had a high rank in Austro-Hungarian army or were rich enough (merchants usually), even if they didn't have any official title. (For example, I have an acquaintance from there whose surname is "Beljanski" - he just had rich ancestors.)

But  I managed to find Bielawsky family on Internet, and yes, they belonged to Polish nobility, and there are also their coats of arms (they split into two branches apparently). So the mystery is solved.  I suggest Borislav to type *Bielavski, Poland* or *Bielawsky, Poland* in his browser, and he will be surprised with the information he will get. Borislav, now you can even check to which branch you belong and put your coat of arms as your avatar!  

Now I am sure I helped.


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## Athaulf

dudasd said:


> But  I managed to find Bielawsky family on Internet, and yes, they belonged to Polish nobility, and there are also their coats of arms (they split into two branches apparently). So the mystery is solved.  I suggest Borislav to type *Bielavski, Poland* or *Bielawsky, Poland* in his browser, and he will be surprised with the information he will get. Borislav, now you can even check to which branch you belong and put your coat of arms as your avatar!



However, I think it should also be pointed out that bearing the name of a noble family is by no means a guarantee of noble origins. Until a couple of centuries ago, in most places in Europe, common people didn't even have family names (they would just call themselves "X, son/daughter of Y" -- in Iceland they still do). When feudalism was abolished and the modern system of civil service was set up that required everyone to take a family name, many former serfs simply took the family name of their former feudal lord. 

Also, belonging to the noble class in Poland wasn't such as exclusive privilege as in most other countries -- almost a quarter of ethnic Poles in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth belonged to it. Even my Polish housemate happens to have credentials of nobility.


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## dudasd

As much as I know I know about Poland, Thomas1 is probably right, but it doesn't mean that all the -ski Poles are of the noble lineage, of course. (See my first post.) That's why I mentioned the cases of Macedonia and Vojvodina, and there's the point where I agree with you. But I can't agree with your statement that the common people didn't have their family names - at least Balkan Slavs had their family names very early. Well, now I'm off topic. Back to Bielawski.

What's the point - now Borislav can search his genealogy and find out if he is of THE Bielawsky family.


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