The Origin and Meaning of Terebka / Terepka
Discussion and analysis
Last updated: 24 Mar 2004, 02:14 PM

Discussion:
The Origin and Meaning of Terepka (Part 1), 3 Jan 2001
The Origin and Meaning of Terepka (Part 2), 14 Feb 2004
The Origin and Meaning of Terepka (Part 3), 2 Mar 2004
The Origin and Meaning of Terepka (Part 4), 5 Mar 2004
The Origin and Meaning of Terepka (Part 5), 22 Mar 2004
The Origin and Meaning of Terepka (Part 6), 23 Mar 2004

Analysis:
Distribution of Interchangeable Surnames as of 1990 by Province in Poland Prior to 1 Jan 1999

The Origin and Meaning of Terepka (Part 6)
(response to a reply from Prof. dr hab. Aleksandra Cieślikowa, Instytut Języka Polskiego Pan)

Please send feedback / updates / corrections to Thomas F. Terepka

From: Thomas F. Terepka [mailto:terepktf@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 8:10 PM
To: Prof. dr hab. Aleksandra Cieslikowa (AleksandraC@poczta.ijp-pan.krakow.pl)
Cc: William F. Hoffman (WFHoffman@prodigy.net); ...
Subject: FW: Terebka/Terepka

Droga Prof. dr hab. Aleksandra Cieślikowa,
 

Again I am honored by your reply (attached). Dziękują!

Since 24 September 2000, my research has indicated that the surnames Terebka and Terepka are “interchangeable”. Many “Terepkas”, including my father (born 20 September 1930 in Brooklyn, NY, US) and grandfather (born 05 July 1891 in Borkowo, Łomża, PL) are recorded in Church Records as “Terebka”. My grandfather (like others who used the surname Terepka but were often recorded as Terebka) could read and write; especially in Polish. Therefore, I am not positioned (yet) to explain exactly why this happens, nor which is correct, but am aware that it still happens to this day, i.e., “records”, here, and in Poland frequently “interchange” Terebka and Terepka.

As I think you now know; neither Terebka nor Terepka are common surnames. Of the 2, Terepka is more common; here and in Poland. I have evidence that Terepko was originally Terepka, and occurred when a family(ies) moved to Olszyny, Łomża; east of the where most can be found in Łomżyńskie, dating back to the early 1800s, possibly late 1700s. Therefore, your feedback that, “…the forms in  ko were both very popular in Ukraine and in the former eastern borderland of Poland. There, the people preferred using rather those ending in –ko  than in –ka, even if according to the etymology of the word the only authorized ending should be –ka”, support my findings, yet comes from an entirely different perspective. Although my findings are based on researching family, yours are based on your distinguished knowledge and understanding of Polish and other Slavic names = I very much appreciate your help!!!

Additionally regarding Terepko, I have evidence that Polish Government Records confirm our findings, e.g., Terepkos have been told by the Polish Government that there “real name” is Terepka (interestingly, they are not told their name is Terebka). Furthermore, most, if not all Terebkas I have come into contact with tell me their “real name” is Terepka. There are examples where everyone in a family is named Terepka, and by an error in a Baptismal Record (in Poland), the name was changed to Terebka – and further propagated with each generation. Therefore, although the proper spelling of the name Terepka would be Terebka, of the 2, Terepka “may” be the correct spelling – at least in Łomżyńskie. Possible family members east of Łomżyńskie, but still in Poland, e.g., in Białostockie use Torebko.

My research also indicates that during the late 1800s – early 1900s, many of the Terebkas / Terepkas from Łomżyńskie came to “America”. Many came here to work only, ultimately returnimg to Poland, while some, like my grandfather stayed. I have very little evidence of Torebkos from Białostockie coming to “America”; and the few that did, ultimately used the name Terepka – and there are still, to my knowledge, very few Torebkos in “America”, but based on data from Słownika nazwisk współcześnie w Polsce używanych, Torebkos outnumber Terebkas and Terepkas in Poland – and again, Torebkos occur with most frequency in Białostockie while Terebkas and Terepkas occur with most frequency in Łomżyńskie.

I have recently made contact with a Torebko near Białystok whose family is last known to originate from Starosielce, Białystok who was told by his grandfather that his “real name” was Terepko. This may be an isolated case, but as I learn more about his family, and other families of Torebko, it may prove that the families are the same – and in some cases, I already have evidence that this is true. However…

I am aware of a Terebka from the Ukraine, now living in / near Montreal, Canada that I have yet to make contact with = I still don’t “really” know where the surname originates, nor which spelling is correct.

I very much appreciate and am honored that you took the time to investigate and reply to me. Dziękują!

I am also planning to learn more re “…Professor Kazimierz Rymut in his work entitled: Nazwiska Polaków 'The Family Names of  Poles' derives the surnames Terepka, Terepko from the Ukrainized base terep- coming from the Polish one trzep- of the verb trzepać 'to flip, to flit something away; to beat (a carpet)”. I have not seen, nor was I even aware of this effort, but plan to try to obtain a copy.

I will continue with my research from a family perspective, including the name Torebko (which I expect to learn more soon). When I know more, or if I have a more direct question for you, I hope that you will again find the time to research / reply.

Thank you very much for all your help.
 

Sincerely,

Tom Terepka

P.S.: I do not know yet when I will get to Poland, but have invitations from family; mostly in / around Łomżyńskie. However, there are Terebkas in Kraków, plus, there is someone who died “here”, but whose remains were returned to Kraków (the City she loved) whose grave I would like to visit = who knows …I may get to Kraków “someday” and perhaps could buy you a coffee J.

Dziękują!

-----Original Message-----
From: Aleksandra Cieœlikowa [mailto:AleksandraC@poczta.ijp-pan.krakow.pl]
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 8:36 AM
To: Thomas F. Terepka
Subject: Terebka/Terepka

Answer: Could Terebka/Terepka be of Lemko origin

The Origin and Meaning of Terepka (Part 5)
Per Prof. dr hab. Aleksandra Cieślikowa, Instytut Języka Polskiego Pan
(response to a request from Thomas F. Terepka)

Please send feedback / updates / corrections to Thomas F. Terepka

-----Original Message-----
From: Aleksandra Cieœlikowa [mailto:AleksandraC@poczta.ijp-pan.krakow.pl]
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 8:36 AM
To: Thomas F. Terepka
Subject: Terebka/Terepka

Answer: Could Terebka/Terepka be of Lemko origin

Dear Mr. Terepka,

This time I answer your e-mail of March 5, 2004.

It is quite possible, and from the linguistic point of view quite correct, that the surname spelled Terepka / Terepko could come from an, unknown now, Lemko word terep and the surname Terebka /Terebko from the base Tereb-, of the Ukrainian verb terebyty, with the diminutive suffix -ka / or its morphological variation -ko. However, when Terebkas / Terepkas were farmers it was also not excluded that they took their nickname, which then became a surname, from the noun terebka explained by me in my previous letter. The main problem here is that the surname spelled Terepka and  Terebka was borne, according to your information, by the members of the same family, so their surname must have come either from the root terep (I must take it for granted that such a word existed in the Lemka dialect) or from the verb terebyty or the noun terebka.

I must add here that Professor Kazimierz Rymut in his work entitled: Nazwiska Polaków 'The Family Names of  Poles' derives the surnames Terepka, Terepko from the Ukrainized base terep- coming from the Polish one trzep- of the verb trzepać 'to flip, to flit someting away; to beat (a carpet)'. I think, however, that the basic form is rather Ukrainian Terebka coming from either the noun terebka or possibly the root tereb- (from  terebyty ) + suffix -ka, with further phonetical changes of  b > p, explained in my previous letter.

As far as the variation Terebka - Terebko; Terepka - Terepko is concerned, the forms in  ko were both very popular in Ukraine and in the former eastern borderland of Poland. There, the people preferred using rather those ending in –ko  than in –ka, even if according to the etymology of the word the only authorized ending should be -ka.

In Poland there is a lot of people who bear the family names of Ukrainian origin. Therefore, if we find in this language a word that is quite equal in form with a given family name we suppose that just this word was the motive of naming but, as we know, practically all the words functioning in a given language can be motives of naming, although we don't know why this very word was exactly the motive.

                                                                          Sincerely

                                                                          Prof. dr hab. Aleksandra Cieslikowa

The Origin and Meaning of Terepka (Part 4)
(response to a reply from Prof. dr hab. Aleksandra Cieślikowa, Instytut Języka Polskiego Pan)

Please send feedback / updates / corrections to Thomas F. Terepka

-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas F. Terepka [mailto:terepktf@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, March 05, 2004 7:10 AM
To: 'AleksandraC@ijp-pan.krakow.pl'
Cc: William F. Hoffman (WFHoffman@prodigy.net); 'Jeri Terepka-Poshkus'
Subject: Could Terebka / Terepka Be Of Lemko Origin?

Dzieñ dobry Profesor Cieślikowa,

I am sorry to bother you again but would very much appreciate your thoughts regarding the possibility of Terebka / Terepka being of “Łemko” origin: which is close to your findings, “…This surname came from an Ukrainian appellative Terebka”.

My cousin Jeri Terepka-Poshkus spoke with a gentleman who said, “…the word terep is an old word in the Łemko tongue that is no longer used but meant a field or a piece of land and the ka at the end means small”.

Free online translation utilities available at http://www.tranexp.com/InterTran/FreeTranslation.html somewhat support this notion, i.e., per http://www.tranexp.com/InterTran/FreeTranslation.html, both Tereb and Terep translate in:

Polish: “terrain, space, playground, field, area, site, range, premises”,
Croation: “site, terrain”
Romanian: “ground”
Serbian: “site”
Slovenian: “field”

Per Mr. William F. Hoffman who referred me to you, and in an email yesterday spoke very highly of you:

“…The closest thing I can find is one book's discussion of the Ukrainian root seen in the verb _terebyty_, "to peel, shell, husk, pare, bark; to eat greedily; to clear (a field); to continually speak of the same thing"; and the noun _terebiy_ means "an avid, greedy eater, gulper." When the diminutive suffix -ka is added to a root ending in -b, that -b devoices, that is, it is pronounced as if it were a p. So TEREBKA would be pronounced TEREPKA, and since spellings were often phonetic, it might well be spelled that way also. If so, the name may have started out referring to one who lived in a clearing, or who cleared land, or possibly as a nickname for one who bolted down his food".

To the best of my knowledge, Terepkas / Terebkas were farmers.

I realize that you are very busy, and I am honored that you responded to my previous request. However, if at all possible, I would very much appreciate your thoughts regarding the above.

Sincerely,

Thomas (Tom) F. Terepka
2503 Saint James Church Rd
Village Of Lindell
Wilmington, DE 19808-4031
United States
302-998-0904

The Origin and Meaning of Terepka (Part 3)
Per Prof. dr hab. Aleksandra Cieślikowa, Instytut Języka Polskiego Pan
(response to a request from Thomas F. Terepka)

Please send feedback / updates / corrections to Thomas F. Terepka

-----Original Message-----
From: Aleksandra Cieœlikowa [mailto:AleksandraC@poczta.ijp-pan.krakow.pl]
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 6:23 AM
To: Thomas F. Terepka
Subject: The surname Terepka

Dear Mr. Terepka,

In reply to your e-mail of February 14, 2004, concerning the meaning and origin of the Terepka surname, I explain you as follows:

1. The surname Terepka cannot be derived neither from any of Polish common nouns nor from any of Polish proper names.

2. Out of the 6 spelling forms, quoted by you in your letter, the original one is Terebka. This surname came from an Ukrainian appellative terebka meaning ' nosebag i.e. a bag for food, mostly oats, fastened on a horse's neck'. I found this word, written of course in a Cyrillic alphabet, in a work: Slovar ukrainskoi movi (A Dictionary of Ukrainian Language) by B. Hrincenko, 4 vol., Kiev 1907 – 1909.

3. The form Terepka instead of Terebka appeared because of pronunciation reasons. In Slavic languages an original voiced consonant, here b, before a voiceless one, here k, is always pronounced voiceless, thus bk is always pronounced pk.

4. The form Torebka occured in a Polish language community where the meaning of the word terebka was unknown. This word, however, resembled the Polish common noun torebka 'a little bag; handbag'.

5. In Poland live 104 bearers of the Terepka surname and 52 bearers of those of Terebka. Most of them live in the former Lodz province of Poland (Terepka 51 people, Terebka 20 of them). The others are spread all over Poland.

This was all I could do for you

Sincerely

Prof. dr hab. Aleksandra Cieslikowa

The Origin and Meaning of Terepka (Part 2)
(response to a reply from William F. Hoffman, Author "Polish Surnames: Origins & Meanings")

Please send feedback / updates / corrections to Thomas F. Terepka

-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas F. Terepka [mailto:terepktf@yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2004 7:25 AM
To: 'AleksandraC@ijp-pan.krakow.pl'
Cc: William F. Hoffman (WFHoffman@prodigy.net); Jeri Terepka-Poshkus (ejpgaplg@aol.com)
Subject: Request to Learn the "Origin and Meaning" of Terepka

Pani Aleksandra / To Whom It May Concern:

I hope you will please accept my apology for writing to you in English; but my “Polish” is atrocious. Also, if I have written to you in error, I hope that you will please be so kind as to forward this request to the appropriate resource(s).

I have been researching my family history since my father first started the project on 24 September 2000 (see http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/t/e/r/Chester-F-Terepka/).

I would like to know the “Origin and Meaning” of my name / the name “Terepka”. I was referred to the “Instytut Polskiego Jezyka” by Mr. William F. Hoffman, Author, "Polish Surnames: Origins & Meanings” who on 19 October 2000 very kindly attempted to provide the Origin and Meaning of Terepka in an email he wrote to my cousin Jeri Terepka-Poshkus (see http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/t/e/r/Chester-F-Terepka/FILE/0001page.html). I found your email address at http://www.ijp-pan.krakow.pl/polski/polski/00/01/antroponimia.php.

Based on my research to date, my name “Terepka” is “interchangeable”, i.e., I have evidence (documented and verbal) suggesting that my name “Terepka” is the same as (at least) the following other surnames:

Terebka
Terebko
Terepko
Torebka
Torebko
Torepko

I am not requesting an analysis similar to http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/t/e/r/Chester-F-Terepka/FILE/0003page.html. Rather, I am requesting an in-depth study regarding the true “Origin and Meaning” of my name / the above surnames, similar to what Mr. Hoffmann attempted to provide, but kindly defers to the Instytut Polskiego Jezyka.

Surnames beginning with “Te”, i.e., TErebka, TErebko, and TErepko appear to “originate” in the former Woj. Łomżyńskie, while names beginning with “To”, i.e., TOrebka, TOrebko, and TOrebko appear to “originate” in the former Woj. Białostockie. However, I am aware of 1 Terebka family from / claiming they originate in the Ukraine.

While I have not included the surname “Trepka” (and “Trepke”, “Trepko”, etc.), this surname, at least to a novice like myself appears to be similar, enough to warrant consideration. Unlike my name “Terepka” and those known to be interchangeable, where Mr. Hoffmann speculates might originate east of present day Poland, e.g., Belarusian, Russian, or Ukrainian, the surname “Trepka” (and “Trepke”, “Trepko”, etc.) appears from my own naïve / humble perspective to originate west of present day Poland, e.g., Germany.

There are “other” surnames, again, to a novice like myself that might also be considered. For example, the names “Perepka”, “Kerepka”, “Tereska”, “Trabka”, “Terebkow”, etc., can be found in United States Census and Immigration data. These names may have been “changed”; as I have documented evidence that others have been changed in the US and Poland: by Churches, Government Officials, etc.

I hope you will please consider this request, and begin / assign it at your earliest convenience. Please don’t hesitate to contact / reply me should you have any questions, concerns, or comments.

I look forward and am anxious to hear from you. Thanks in advance for your time and consideration regarding this matter.

Sincerely,

Thomas (Tom) F. Terepka
2503 Saint James Church Rd
Village Of Lindell
Wilmington, DE 19808-4031
United States
302-998-0904

The Origin and Meaning of Terepka (Part 1)
Per William F. Hoffman, Author "Polish Surnames: Origins & Meanings"
(response to a request from Jeri Terepka-Poshkus)

Please send feedback / updates / corrections to Thomas F. Terepka

Hi,

On October 19, 2000 you sent me the following note:

Would you possibly know the origin of the name Terepka?

The majority of this family is from Kolno, Poland and the nearby area? I look forward to hearing from you.  

Jeri Terepka Poshkus.

I'm sorry I couldn't answer sooner. I've been overwhelmed with notes asking about names, and have had very little free time in which to answer them, so I've fallen behind.

I have not saved this reply, so it will not be published.

As of 1990, according to the best data available (the _Slownik nazwisk wspolczesnie w Polsce uzywanych_, "Directory of Surnames in Current Use in Poland," which covers about 94% of the population of Poland), there were 104 Polish citizens named TEREPKA. The largest numbers lived in the following provinces: Bialystok 13, Gdansk 12, and Lomza 51. Unfortunately I don't have access to further details such as first names or addresses, so I can't tell you how to find that info. I'm assuming the Kolno you mention is the one near Lomza (there are several places by that name), and that the 51 Terepkas in Lomza province are the ones you're referring to.

None of my sources discuss the origin of this name, and it doesn't really sound Polish. It's Slavic, no question, but it sounds as if it might have originated in one of the Eastern Slavic languages (Belarusian, Russian, or Ukrainian), and thus in the area east of Poland's modern borders. I don't know how to account for this name's frequency in the Lomza area if it is of non-Polish origin; Polish would tend to make this name Trzepka or something like that. It may be used mainly by one extended family who originally came from Belarus or Ukraine but resettled in the Kolno area.

The closest thing I can find is one book's discussion of the Ukrainian root seen in the verb _terebyty_, "to peel, shell, husk, pare, bark; to eat greedily; to clear (a field); to continually speak of the same thing"; and the noun _terebiy_ means "an avid, greedy eater, gulper." When the diminutive suffix -ka is added to a root ending in -b, that -b devoices, that is, it is pronounced as if it were a p. So TEREBKA would be pronounced TEREPKA, and since spellings were often phonetic, it might well be spelled that way also. If so, the name may have started out referring to one who lived in a clearing, or who cleared land, or possibly as a nickname for one who bolted down his food.

Please note that this is an educated guess, nothing more. It might be dead wrong. But it is at least plausible. If the name were of Belarusian or Ukrainian origin, in the form Terebka, it could well come into Polish as Terepka. My gut feeling, based on a lot of work with names, suggests this is a plausible analysis. That's not always enoug, however. So treat this analysis with caution; recognize that it might be right, but it's not a sure thing at all.

I don't have the time or resources to do more detailed research on names; all I can give is "quick and dirty" analysis. If you would like to get an opinion from the real experts and don't mind spending about $20, you can write the Anthroponymic Workshop of the Polish Language Institute in Krakow. The staff consists of Polish scholars specializing in name origins, with access to large collections of material on the subject; there is surely no one else in the world better qualified to answer questions on Polish names. They can correspond in English, and the charge for researching a single name is seldom more than $20-30. You write to them with your request, and the individual who does the research will reply, and will tell you how much he/she is charging and how best to send payment. It is usually quite painless, and most people I hear from are very satisfied with the results; but the staff has been a bit slow lately in answering letters -- they have lots of other work to do, after all -- so patience is advisable. If you'd like to give this a try, here's the address:

I've been hearing from folks that the Workshop has been slow to answer lately. This probably means they're all busy working on a major project. The scholars who answer letters on name derivations do so in their spare time, and they may be backed up because they haven't had much spare time lately. But generally people have told me they were happy with the work done by the staff of the Workshop, and also with the price -- a single request seldom costs more than $20 at most. And if they can answer, these scholars are the best folks I know to ask about a name like this.

If you write them and do get an answer, I'd be very interested in hearing what they say, so I can put basic info on this name in future editions of my book.

That's about all I can tell you. I hope it's some help, and wish you the best of luck with your research.

William F. Hoffman
Author, "Polish Surnames: Origins & Meanings"