ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1553 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1553 ************************************ 23 Feb 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for information about the possibly-Russian surname . This letter is a brief answer to your question. We did not find a clear answer to your question. We believe that this name is Ukranian rather than Russian: We did find several Russian surnames beginning , though not yours, and Ukranian often has an where Russian has a [1]. This root may have several different sources, one of which is related to a word for "flame" or "burning". For example, we found the Russian word "someone whose home has been burned out". The ending <-eskey> may be a mangled spelling of <-etskyj>, an adjectival ending. Sorry we couldn't be more helpful. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Brian M. Scott and Brian R. Speer. For the Academy, Josh Mittleman 23 Feb 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Unbegaun, B. O., _Russian Surnames_ (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971).