Polish last name... Meaning? Origin? Ethnicity?

Question

My grandmother's maiden name was Choyke. It's Polish in Origin, but as far as I can tell, it's not a very common name.

She was born in 1940, I believe, and moved to the U.S. at a very young age. She refused to talk about her family before she died, but I've been told much of her family died in n**i death camps. This has lead to speculation that perhaps she was Jewish, even though she lived as a Christian. I know that many Poles did die in n**i camps along with Jews.

Her origin is just very mysterious, does anyone know something about this last name?

Answer 1

Have you talked with your older relitives.

Unfortunatly many names mine included were changed when imagrents come here. Lazy or because of language bariers

caused many imagration workers to spell the name like they thought they heard it.

Ellis Island in NJ is a great place to visit to learn how the imagrant transition was made.

Answer 2

There were many Jewish children smuggled out and raised as Christian during the War.  The woman who was the hero just died.  Maybe your mother was one that was saved.

It is too bad she didn't like to talk to her family life, but since she was so young, maybe she really didn't know that much.

Good luck on your search.

Answer 3

If you share her first name, I'll try to find more specific information on her. It's not as uncommon as you think. I have over 100 records for that last name.