Name «Semashko»

The personal name Semashko is derived from the diminutive suffix -ko added to the name Semash, which has been referenced in Ukraine since 1565 as Semasz (OKZR I 268). In Poland, the oldest record of this name dates back to 1430. For example, there is a record of Johanne Semach (SSNOV 54). The original meaning of the name Semash is evidently similar to that of the name Semak.The earliest Ukrainian mention of the anthroponym Semashko dates back to 1434: Mr. Semashko - the city of Lutsk (SSUM II 336); in 1478: Mr. Sjemashko Euphanovich - the city of Lviv (same source). In 1649, among 40,000 Cossacks, only one bore the name Sjemashko (Ostash Ind. 515). In the 16th century and later, the lexemes Semashko and Syomashko increasingly began to be used as surnames. For instance, there is a record from 1542 of Petro Siomaszko (OLZ 161).