New format of Surname Saturday here on Discovering Latvian Roots – if you want surname meanings, go check out the Facebook and Twitter pages, here on the blog it will be a summary of what’s new on the Latvian Surname
52 Ancestors #21: Trīne (Unconfirmed)
Time for Week 21 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge! As noted in my first post of this challenge, I am starting with my most ancient known ancestors. As I mentioned last week, I’ll be spending a few
52 Ancestors #20: Marija (Unknown)
Time for Week 20 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge! As noted in my first post of this challenge, I am starting with my most ancient known ancestors. Starting with this week, I’ll be spending a few weeks
Surname Saturday – More Latvian Olympians!
We already celebrated Latvian Olympians in last week’s Surname Saturday post, but I’m dedicating another week to them, since Latvia scored one last medal on the final day of the Olympics! This was a silver medal in men’s 4-man bobsleigh,
Surname Saturday – 2014 Latvian Olympians
Just like in 2012, Surname Saturday here at Discovering Latvian Roots is celebrating Latvia’s Olympians! Now, I’m not sticking only to the medalists. And there’s a reason for that, which most Latvians, and others paying attention to the Latvian Olympic
52 Ancestors #2: Walter (Rudzītis) Roop
Time for Week 2 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge! As noted in my first post of this challenge, I am starting with my most ancient known ancestors. This week’s ancestor: Walter (RudzÄ«tis) Roop, born c. 1773 and
Surname Saturday – RudzÄ«tis
Today’s Surname Saturday name is RudzÄ«tis! This Latvian name is the diminutive of “rudzi”, which means “rye”. It is a relatively common surname, found in many Latvian parishes, including Bauņi, Galgauska, Dauguļi, KrÄslava, LÄ“durga, Limbaži, Nabe, Sece, Sidgunda, Skaņkalne, Stopiņi,
Surname Saturday – Missing Parishes!
If you’ve been paying attention to the Latvian Surname Project, you’ll have noticed that I’ve filled in some gaps in the map on the front page – having added names from the parishes of Ainaži, IpiÄ·i, Lode and Vaidava, I
Surname Saturday – Relationship Between Surnames and Farm Names
Like in many other countries, rural properties in Latvia are known by names, rather than by street numbers as is typical in an urban setting. However, unlike most European countries, these rural Latvians really only acquired surnames in the early
Surname Saturday – Latgalian Surnames
If you’ve been to the Latvian Surname Project, and looked at the map on the front page, you’ll have seen that most of eastern Latvia (Latgale) is blank. Not anymore! Recently I’ve had the opportunity to spend time reading a