Bielinski or Belinski?

The old Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in the Rio Claro do Sul colony, in Mallet (PR), built of wood by Polish immigrants who arrived in the region in the late 19th century, is a symbol of their deep religiosity. The church, erected through great collective effort, was not only a place of worship but also a central gathering point for community life, reflecting the faith and values of our people.

"Is your last name Bielinski or Belinski?" – this is a question I am often asked. However, the correct answer is Bieliński. Yes, the "ń" has an accent because that is the proper Polish spelling. Still, it is common to find the variation Bieliński without the accent due to the challenges of adapting to other languages.

The confusion surrounding the surname began when my great-great-grandfather, Konstanty Bieliński, along with his wife, children, and other Polish immigrants, arrived in Brazil in 1893. They were farmers with little formal education, and due to the language barrier, they could not ensure the correct spelling on official records. Moreover, Poland’s political situation at the time made things even more complicated: the country was divided among three empires and had no autonomy. Our family came from the region under Russian control, where official documents were recorded in the Cyrillic alphabet, and our name appeared as "Белинский".

Upon arriving in Brazil, the direct transliteration from Russian language may have led immigration authorities to mistakenly register the name as Belinski— a form that does not exist in the Polish language.

Another possible variation, "Biliński," also exists in Polish and has a toponymic origin, referring to several places in Poland. The root "biel-" comes from Proto-Slavic, meaning "white." This linguistic element frequently appears in Polish surnames and place names, often associated with snowy landscapes, bright fields, or even personal traits, as well as marshy regions of Mazovia.

The suffix "-ski," in turn, is a typical adjectival marker in noble and old Polish surnames, indicating origin or land ownership. Thus, Bieliński could refer to someone from a place of that name or a noble family that once owned land there.

Our relatives settled in the "Częstochowa of Paraná," specifically in the Rio Claro do Sul colony, now part of the municipality of Mallet. This region was one of the main destinations for Polish immigrants in Brazil in the late 19th century, predominantly from Western Galicia, preserving the culture, language, and traditions of their homeland.

Although the surname has undergone modifications over time, its root remains unchanged: Bieliński—a name that carries not only an etymological meaning but also the entire history of a Polish family that crossed the ocean in search of a new life in Brazil.