PolishOrigins(TM) Forum

Re: Potopnik surname

Agnieszka Pawlus — Wed Oct 14, 2020 7:17 am

Author: Agnieszka Pawlus

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 7:17 am

Derek,
Thank you for clarification. I do not know a lot about the Ukrainian surnames, but this would be the case.

Potopnik surname

Derek — Wed Oct 14, 2020 5:43 am

Author: Derek

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 5:43 am

Agnieszka, thank you for your post. I wonder if the surname potopnik came from the region. my father was from toporow, now toporiv ukraine. there is family’s living in toporiv with the same surname, but not related to my father. Derek.

Re: Potopnik surname

Agnieszka Pawlus — Tue Oct 13, 2020 5:00 am

Author: Agnieszka Pawlus

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 5:00 am

Derek,

I have not found the surname Potopnik in Hoffman's "Polish surnames". I have also checked the contemporary map of the surnames distribution and Geneteka - no results for Potopnik.

This means it is either extremely rare surname or it was distorted over the years, due to incorrect entries in the documents.

To my Polish eye (and ear) it might came from the word "topić" - to drawn, to sink.

I came across a very interesting surname Potiopa, popular in Eastern Poland, originating from the Ukrainian word потьопати, which means “to walk away (splashing in
mud)”.

Sources

Potopnik surname

Derek — Sat Jul 25, 2020 11:26 am

Author: Derek

Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2020 11:26 am

Hello, I would like to find out the origin of the surname potopnik. Regards, derek.