Was Gretzky Polish, Ukrainian or Belarusian?

[User9992]

I wonder what were Gretzky Family origin... Polish, Ukrainian or Belarus?


His own words in his HOF induction in 1999: 'Thanks god I am Polish'... This suggests he is of Polish origin.

But according to various other sources he is of Ukrainian or Belarus origin. His grandfather Terentiy (Anton) Lavrentievich Gretzky (Grecki/Gritzko) was a farmer from Grodno (now Belarus), while his grandmother Maria Khodenetsky was from Pidhaitsi, Ternopil Oblast (now Ukraine). His father Walter Gretzky once stated their parents were 'White russians from Belarus', however in his aubiography Walter stated their family's first language was ukrainian.

Ethnicelebs currently states that Wayne's father Walter Gretzky is of Belarus / Ukrainian descent: Wayne Gretzky - Ethnicity of Celebs | What Nationality Ancestry Race

Wayne Gretzky once visited & spoke at Ukraine Gala held in Toronto, Canada



Also Wayne appeared in a documentary film about hockey players with Ukrainian origins called 'UKE'

“Uke” director and producer Volodymyr Mula (left) holds a Ukrainian flag together with hockey legend Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky's father Walter Gretzky with Ukrainian flag

Click to read more...

 

[User9992]

Wayne meets his distant relatives in Belarus

 

[mattihp]

Borders have changed so much there and for some families it has been quite fluid. The Gretzky name sounds more russian/belarusian than polish to me. But the same name should exist in Poland too, maybe spelled differently.

 

[User9992]

I think Walter Gretzky is mixed Polish & Ukrainian origin IMHO!

 

[kabidjan18]

How do you decide what someone from a diverse array of cultures "actually" is? I think he will more likely be remembered as canadian than anything else...

 

[I Hart Conor Garland]

Wayne Gretzky is Canadian, and that’s all you need to know about that!

 

[mattihp]

I think Walter Gretzky is mixed Polish & Ukrainian origin IMHO!

I am not sure everyone there even sees it as a mix. Ethnicity is complicated in those areas. Some families who carried the legacy of greater Poland in their family history could call themselves polish even if they have no ancestry that leads to Poland proper.

The difference between nationality/ethnicity and just sense of belonging can be quite odd when one is used to more well-defined borders or differences between peoples.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Wayne Gretzky is Canadian, and that’s all you need to know about that!View attachment 452309

I thought he was American at first. I thought Bond was American at first too.

 

[Human]

Borders over in Europe were all over the place throughout history.

Lavrentievich sounds of jewish origin to me, though.

 

[Shark Finn]

I thought he was American at first. I thought Bond was American at first too.

If they're not American, they're nothing.

 

[jetsforever]

I don't know, but it's possible it could be a combination of those countries - doesn't need to be just one
Canada's the most important though

 

[Albatros]

It is futile to try to define historical identities in modern-day terms. You could just as well argue he is all of those or none of those.

 

[Albatros]

Borders have changed so much there and for some families it has been quite fluid. The Gretzky name sounds more russian/belarusian than polish to me. But the same name should exist in Poland too, maybe spelled differently.

Grecki is the Polish spelling, a noble family belonging to the Prawdzic lineage. The founder of Patek Philippe watchmaking company is also from this clan so quite possibly a distant relative.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

None of those.

He’s a 3rd GOAT.

 

[JackSlater]

Seems like the answer is yes, he has ancestry from those places.

 

[SatanicToedrag]

He is the whole of Belarus

 

[Number 57]

It's always interesting to note that every Canadian/American has ancestors in Europe or somewhere else in the World. I would be curious to know the Habs' ancestors history for exemple. Just going by their name;

Gallagher - Irish
Price/Byron/Anderson/Caufield/Evans/Allen/Perry/Edmundson - English
Suzuki - Japanese
Danault/Drouin - French
Weber - German
Kulak - Russian
Staal - Dutch
Chiarot - Italian

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Wonder what Crosby’s ancestors would be?? Irish??

 

[koteka]

I thought he was American at first.

He probably is an American now, or at least a dual American/Canadian citizen. Like all the best Canadians, he moved to LA and married an American actress. (Alan Thicke and Ryan Reynolds are examples of other Canadians who followed this path.)

 

[Kleefeld]

It's always interesting to note that every Canadian/American has ancestors in Europe or somewhere else in the World. I would be curious to know the Habs' ancestors history for exemple. Just going by their name;

Gallagher - Irish
Price/Byron/Anderson/Caufield/Evans/Allen/Perry/Edmundson - English
Suzuki - Japanese
Danault/Drouin - French
Weber - German
Kulak - Russian
Staal - Dutch
Chiarot - Italian

Staal sounds more Norwegian for me. I think it's interesting that many Swedes have very German-sounding names.

 

[mattihp]

Borders over in Europe were all over the place throughout history.

Lavrentievich sounds of jewish origin to me, though.

Vich is slavic. The origin of the name isn't jewish even if would be mostly jewish people with that name

 

[mattihp]

Staal sounds more Norwegian for me. I think it's interesting that many Swedes have very German-sounding names.

Germanic languages are so closer than languages within many other language groups. The split between norse and saxon for example was pretty recent, about 1600-1800 years ago probably.

 

[alphahelix]

The borders shifted so much that they could have stayed in the same place and been in 3 different countries. I’m not sure what it is that causes families to identify with one ethnicity/nationality/culture over another in those regions. If you asked their great great grandparents they would probably be able to explain it in perfect detail, but today it just “is what it is”. I’m part Polish, even though I know that the region they hail from and some of the family names are more Ukrainian by today’s standards. But they knew they were Polish, for whatever reason, from whatever historical juncture their identities were forged and passed down. Maybe there was a mean drunk Ukrainian-origin great grandfather at one point and that line of heritage was shunned.

 

[CasusBelli]

Germanic languages are so closer than languages within many other language groups. The split between norse and saxon for example was pretty recent, about 1600-1800 years ago probably.

As a German speaker, I can read Dutch and can understand a good chunk of it too. As a Spanish speaker, the same with Italian and even more so with Portuguese (especially the Brazilian accent). My danish / Norwegian friends tell me they have no problem understanding each other (apparently there are two forms of Norwegian — one of which, according to one friend, is “practically identical” to Danish). Both struggle to understand Swedish. Then my Slovakian friends say they can understand Polish snd Czech, but a Czech friend says he can understand Slovak but not Polish, which I’ve always found fascinating. My Estonian friends can understand Finnish; Finns can understand Estonian. It’s a small world after all.

 

[glovesave_35]

Wonder what Crosby’s ancestors would be?? Irish??

Google says:

"Scottish and English: habitational name from any of various places in southwestern Scotland and northern England that are named with Old Norse kross 'cross' + býr 'farm', 'settlement'. Irish: Scottish and English surname (see 1 above) adopted by bearers of Gaelic Mac an Chrosáin (see McCrossen)."

As far as I know, places names with the "by" suffix in the British Isles have their origins in old Norse.