This Polish surname of DABROWSKI was a habitation name from any of the various places called DABROWA, derived from the Polish 'dabrowa' meaning oak-grove. The name has numerous variant spellings which include DUBROVSKY, DOUBRAVA, DOMBROVOSKI and DEMBROVER. The earliest Polish surnames were patronymic. The personal names from which they were derived were mainly Slavonic, but as the Middle Ages progressed, traditional Slavic given names, began to give way to saint's names, mainly of Latin origin. Surnames derived from Slavonic personal names are of early origin, and tend to be borne by aristocratic families. The suffix SKI is also found as a ending of Russian surnames, but these are usually of Polish origin. It was also used by Ashkenazic Jews. By the time most Jewish people on Polish territory were acquiring family names in the late 18th and 19th centuries, it was already widely used as a general surname suffix. It has long been a matter of doubt when the bearing of coats of arms first became hereditary and it was not until the Crusades that Heraldry came into general use. Men went into battle heavily armed and were difficult to recognise. It became the custom for them to adorn their helmets with distinctive crests, and to paint their shields with animals and the like. Coats of arms accompanied the development of surnames, becoming hereditary in the same way. A notable member of the name was Jan Henryk DOMBROVOSKI (or DABROWSKI) (1755-1818) the Polish soldier, born near Cracaw. He fought against Russia with Kosciuzko (1792-94) then formed a Polish legion in the French army and took a distinguished part throughout the Napoleonic campaigns. On Napoleon's fall he returned to Poland and was appointed by the emperor, Alexander I a general of cavalry and Polish senator. Some names were changed by immigrants whilst on the boat heading for America. These transformations were usually to names thought by the immigrants to be more respected in his native land than the one he bore. Many Poles added 'ski' to their names to attain a higher social status since such names were accorded more respect from people of Polish extraction. Thus a larger proportion of Polish names carried this termination in America than in Poland. |
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