I am wondering if the name Samuel is Americanized? Would there be a name in Polish that translates to Samuel? Margaret

Hi, Margaret <Marlo50@bex.net> wrote: > I am wondering if the name Samuel is > Americanized? Would there be a name in Polish > that translates to Samuel? Poles use the name in that form, Samuel, but it's not terribly common these days. 2001 data cited in Jan Grzenia's book _Slownik imion_ [Dictionary of First Names] showed only 1,152 Polish males named Samuel. Grzenia says back in the 17th century, it was a very popular name among the nobles, perhaps because the Protestant Reformation had produced a trend toward using Biblical names. But in recent centuries the name has been used less often. Actually, Jews in Poland tended to prefer the form Szmul, because it's closer to the original Hebrew version, which we'd spell phonetically as Shmu'el. Jews going to synagogue would hear that name, and would be familiar with it. Over time the Hebrew version was simplified slightly to Szmul (we'd spell it phonetically Shmul). I think as time went on Jews may have felt Samuel was a "less authentic" form, one that Christians used; Szmul was a more appropriate version for Jews. I'm sure there were Jews who used the form Samuel, especially German Jews. But at least in the Jewish records I've seen, it's much more common to see Szmul. So the name Samuel does appear in Poland, but it's not very common. Until the Holocaust, Szmul was a fairly common version of the name in Poland, but it was used exclusively by Jews. Samuel could be used by Christians or Jews alike, but I suspect more often by Christians. Fred Hoffman

Fred, thank you for your message. I had thought about the name being Jewish but was not sure. I appreciate your message. Margaret ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fred Hoffman" <wmfhoffman@sbcglobal.net> To: <polandbordersurnames@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 11:46 AM Subject: Re: [PBS] name Samuel > Hi, > > Margaret <Marlo50@bex.net> wrote: > >> I am wondering if the name Samuel is >> Americanized? Would there be a name in Polish >> that translates to Samuel? > > Poles use the name in that form, Samuel, but it's > not terribly common these days. 2001 data cited in > Jan Grzenia's book _Slownik imion_ [Dictionary of > First Names] showed only 1,152 Polish males named > Samuel. Grzenia says back in the 17th century, it > was a very popular name among the nobles, perhaps > because the Protestant Reformation had produced a > trend toward using Biblical names. But in recent > centuries the name has been used less often. > > Actually, Jews in Poland tended to prefer the form > Szmul, because it's closer to the original Hebrew > version, which we'd spell phonetically as Shmu'el. > Jews going to synagogue would hear that name, and > would be familiar with it. Over time the Hebrew > version was simplified slightly to Szmul (we'd > spell it phonetically Shmul). I think as time went > on Jews may have felt Samuel was a "less > authentic" form, one that Christians used; Szmul > was a more appropriate version for Jews. I'm sure > there were Jews who used the form Samuel, > especially German Jews. But at least in the Jewish > records I've seen, it's much more common to see > Szmul. > > So the name Samuel does appear in Poland, but it's > not very common. Until the Holocaust, Szmul was a > fairly common version of the name in Poland, but > it was used exclusively by Jews. Samuel could be > used by Christians or Jews alike, but I suspect > more often by Christians. > > Fred Hoffman > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > POLANDBORDERSURNAMES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.14.8/1063 - Release Date: > 10/11/2007 9:11 AM >