Shalom friends,

 

Could anyone tell me anything about our surname, KUTSCHKE? I have read it is related to / is a Germanized form of the Polish “KUCZKA,” which denotes Succot.

 

In addition, is there any reason why the surname POLLACK/POLLAK and the like would not be Jewish?

 

Any further information would be much appreciated.

 

Jacob Kutschke

My grandmother's first language was Russian, my gfather's was Litvak Yiddish, so my mom born in the US, used occasional words that I assumed were all Yiddish.  One day, after my mom was getting senile, I saw her pushing and squeezing bits of torn napkin into a little pile.  She said, look I made a kuchka.  This it turned out was Russian, for 'a little heap or pile.'  It is apparently not Yiddish.

Jules Levin, Los Angeles

I think you are right about them being Germanized versions of originally Polish or Slavonic names.  I've noticed that German names ending in "ke" frequently have a history in the eastern areas of the former empire, i.e., East Prussia, Silesia, Pomerania etc.

In Czech, a related language, "ka" is often a diminutive form of feminine names and nouns. 

As for Pollack, it is more obvious. "Polak" means "Pole" i.e., someone from Poland, from "pole" field, from the "land of fields." Then there are various variations in spelling like Pollak, Pollack, Polak, Polack, etc. "Pollock" might even be an anglicized version of the name.

There can be non-Jewish Polaks, for example here in Bohemia where I live. However, I've never known a Gentile "Pollak". They may exist, but I've never encountered one.

Rick Pinard, Prague, Czech Republic

Looking in my various source books, there are many possibilities for the various spellings of Kutschke. I suggest getting a good Jewish onamnastic  reference book, looking up the various possibilities and taking your pick.

The famous American artist Jackson Pollock took the name of his adoptive parents who were Presbyterian. They may have had Jewish ancestry but neither he not they were Jewish.

Daniel Nussbaum II, M.D., FAAP
Retired Developmental Pediatrician
Rochester, New York

Jacob,

Alexander Beider has written many books on the topic of Jewish surnames, i.e.  A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Kingdom of Poland,  A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Russian Empire, and others.

His Wiki page lists his books:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Beider

Hi Jacob

Pollock is a Scottish surname (Pollockshields is a district of Glasgow), as opposed to Pollack which is the Jewish name for someone Polish.

Jill Whitehead, Surrey, UK