The Dictionary of Polish Place Names (Nazwy Miejscowe Polski) explains the origin of place names in Poland and details how the place name changed over time.
Volume VIII of Nazwy Miejscowe Polski lists one place called Orzec, a village currently in the Masovian Voivodeship.
Nazwy Miejscowe Polski indicates that Orzec was in the Szelków Gmina, Ostrołęka Voivodeship in the years 1975-1998, and is 8 kilometers southeast of Maków Mazowiecki. Mentions of the village include Orzicz village in 1402, Orzicz in 1421, in Orzicz in 1425, Horycz in 1477, Orzycz in 1484, Orzycz in 1502, Orzicz in 1582, Orzecz in 1783, Orzycz in 1827, Orzyc or Orzyce in 1886, Orzyc in 1921, and Orzyc, -ca, orzycki in 1971.
The name of the village derives from the Orzyc river, recorded from the 14th century, first in Teutonic sources and, later, in Polish sources: Naritze (1314-25), Aricz (1335-41), and Oricz (1343). The hydronym (the proper name of a body of water) is probably of Baltic or Indo-European origin.
Source: Rymut, Kazimierz, ed., Nazwy Miejscowe Polski (Place Names of Poland) – Krakow 2009, Volume VIII, page 158.
Click the link for a PDF copy of the Nazwy Miejscowe Polski entry for Orzyc. Translated rom the Polish, the entry reads:
Orzyc, a village in the Ostrołęka voivodeship, Szelków gmina, 8 km southeast of Maków Mazowiecki: Orzicz villas 1402 SHGMz (WAP Kraków, parchment 868); Orzicz 1421 SHGMz (W 1, 13); in Orzicz 1425 MkM I no. 48; Horycz 1477 SHGMz (Ep. 13, 98); Orzycz 1484 SHGMz (Ep. 11, 106v); Orzycz 1502 SHGMz (Ep. 149, 72v); Orzicz 1582 ŹDz XVI 392; Orzecz 1783 MpPerMz; Orzycz 1827 Tabella II 65; Orzyc or Orzyce 1886 SG VII 615; Orzyc 1921 Sk I 77; Orzyc, -ca, orzycki 1971 UN 129, 46. — The name derives from the Orzyc river, recorded from the 14th century, first in Teutonic sources, later in Polish ones, cf.: Naritze (1314-25) XV PrUr II 595; Aricz (1335-41) PrUr III 286; Oricz 1343 Kuj 311. The hydronym is probably of Baltic (Rozwadowski, Zierhoffer, Bednarcuk, Udolph) or Indo-European (Babik) origin [A handwritten note indicates that Udolph is an Indo-European, not Baltic source]. Lit.: ZMaz 287; Babik 208-9 (with full bibliography for the hydronym). Urszula Bijak
Copyright © 2026 by Stephen J. Danko
