PolishOrigins(TM) Forum

Re: Iskirka (or Iskierka) and Malgraff

Tina — Mon Sep 03, 2012 5:48 pm

Author: Tina

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 5:48 pm

Thank you so much for this information Slav, and the links. I was particularly happy to find the origin of the surname Malgraff, which in our family was sometimes referred to as Malgrave, very close to the explanation "margrave." The Malgraffs also came from Pomerania, which is an area that has a "march" or borderland.
With appreciation, Tina.

Malgraff - Margraf

Slav — Mon Sep 03, 2012 10:37 am

Author: Slav

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 10:37 am

Actually, thanks to the PolishOrigins Databases tool
I found some information on a Polish genealogy website:
http://www.stankiewicze.com/index.php?kat=44&sub=812

A possible variant of Malgraff is Margraff, which means "ruler of a March", a Margrave - see a Wikipedia entry at http://tinyurl.com/bq5dhb6

Re: Iskirka (or Iskierka) and Malgraff

Slav — Mon Sep 03, 2012 10:20 am

Author: Slav

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 10:20 am

Hello Tina,

I believe that you have already received some answers in this thread: http://polishorigins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1343
I can only confirm that iskierka does mean “little spark” as opposed to iskra which means “spark”, and Malgraff is of German origin indeed. And Malgraff does not feature in the Polish surnames database Moikrewni, which is ultimately based on the official PESEL database as of the year 2000-2002.

You may wish to add Iskierka to the Surnames section of your Profile so that someone interested in the same surname can find you.

Click here http://polishorigins.com/databases/index?s=Iskierka to check what can be found about your surname on websites dealing specifically with genealogy PolishOrigins Databases tool.

Have you made any progress since your last post in May?

Re: Iskirka (or Iskierka) and Malgraff

Tina — Sun Apr 22, 2012 6:00 pm

Author: Tina

Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 6:00 pm

I have always wondered about my great-grandparents' surnames.

My great-grandfather was Jan Ignatz Iskirka (or Iskierka). I believe this means "Little Spark" -- so I guess it
would be a "characteristics" surname -- maybe it originated with someone who was cheerful
and sprightly? It doesn't seem to be a very common Polish name.

My great-grandmother Clara's surname was Malgraff - she was from Prussian-occupied Poland, as was Jan, and
according to my aunt, she had a heavy German accent. Is Malgraff a Polish name? I've never been able to
find out anything about it.

Any ideas would be most appreciated!