Terleccy

Abstract

The paper presents a linguistic analysis of the surname Terlecki. The semantics of the name's base is ambiguous. The base Terło may be regarded as derived from the Ukrainian toponym terło ‘a place where fish lay eggs’. Alternatively, this base may be traced back to the Ukrainian antroponymic noun terło ‘a tool used for rubbing or grating’. Finally, the polyfunctionality of the suffix -‘ecki adds to the complexity of the picture. Other semantic interpretations of the surname under analysis include the one under which Terlecki is the owner of Terło (town), the one where Terlecki is a burger or a village patronymic surname meaning son of Terło, where Terło is yet another surname form. Finally, Terlecki may also be seen as a modification of the name Terło, in order to make it sound similar to the prevalent aristocratic patterns in -ski and -cki. The phonological structure of the base Terło reveals its Ukrainian origin. Its Polish counterpart is Cierlecki (from the place name or personal name Tarło). However, the form Terlecki might have emerged among the speech communities of the Mazovia region, as a secondary derivative from the form Tarlecki, derived from Tarło, with the unchanged element Tar-. Apart from the etymological analysis of the surname Terlecki, the paper also presents quantitative data concerning the geographic distribution of the name on the territory of present-day Poland. These geographical variants have been discussed in the context of other related forms of this surname and of other surnames of well-known figures of Polish culture that reveal their Ruthenian roots.