The many names of the town
One small town on the Southern Buh has been written a dozen ways. Every empire that ruled it, and every clerk who wrote it down, spelled it differently. If you are searching for your family, search them all.
| Name | Language or use |
|---|---|
| Medzhybizh Меджибіж | Ukrainian, the town's official name today |
| Medzhibozh Меджибож | Russian, the form in tsarist records such as the revision lists |
| Międzybóż | Polish, from the centuries of Polish rule |
| Mezhbizh מעזשביזש | Yiddish, the name its Jews used |
| Medgibosh | As the New York society spelled it: the Medgibosh Progressive Solidarity Society |
| Meshbisher | "Of Mezhbizh": the Meshbisher Untershtutzung Verein, the town's other New York society |
| Medschybisch | German |
| Mezhybozhe | An older form of the name |
| Mejibuji | As the Ottomans wrote it in the 17th century |
| מז'יבוז' | Modern Hebrew |
| Medzibezh, Mezhibezh | Encyclopaedia Judaica and other English-language reference books |
| Mezbizh, Medzibozh, Międzybórz, Miedzyboz | JewishGen and other genealogy databases |
| Meshbosh | The Chevra Ohev Israel Anshei Meshbosh, a New York society |
What the name means
The name comes from mezhbuzhye, "between the Bugs": the town stands where the little Buzhok river meets the Southern Buh. Its stone castle guards the point of land between them.
Searching tips
- Search engines and databases treat ż, ó and ę differently from z, o and e. Try both.
- The Hebrew-letter spelling on a gravestone may be Yiddish: מעזשביזש, or shortened.
- Americans wrote what they heard: Medjibosh, Medzibozh, Mezibuz, Mezhbuzh and Medziboz all appear.
Read the Encyclopedia of Medzhybizh, the history of the town or follow its timeline.