The surname Csizmar or Csizsmar appears to originate from the Central Europe region that includes the old boundaries of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.  There are a number of variations of this surname that may represent branches of the same ancestors.  These include Csizmar, Csizsmar, Chizmar, Chismar, Csizmadia, and Csizmarik.  A quick check of online US telephone books reveals that there are four listings for Csizsmar and over 70 for Csizmar.  Both Csizmadia and Csizmarik have over 100 listings each.  The surname Chismar/Chizmar may be an Americanization of the original European spelling.  A look at international telephone books reveals the wide geographic dispersal of these surnames including listings in Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Romania, Germany and the Czech Republic.

An interesting aspect is an examination of the Slavic and Hungarian words related to the surname Csizmar.  The Hungarian word "csizma" (plural csizmák) means "boot."  It is derived from Serbo-Croatian čizma, from Ottoman Turkish چزمه (çizme, “boot”).  The descendent word in Polish, Czech and Slovak is čižma.  The word for "bootmaker" is csizmadia (plural csizmadiák) in Hungarian.  It would take more intensive research to establish the origin of this surname, especially in view of the various spellings.

Although many of us would not consider ourselves close cousins, there is a possibility that we are distantly related sometime in the past. There are many Csizmar/Csizsmar surname branches in the United States and Europe that cannot be connected together through civil or church records. It would be very interesting to determine origins of the surname variations and the relationship of the various branches throughout the world. This Y DNA project is an initial step to help sort out the various branches and determine our relationships. It would be most interesting to find any close connections between the various immigrants to America, as well as trace the surname to its historical origins and diaspora around the world.

A Surname Project traces members of a family that share a common surname. Since surnames are passed down from father to son like the Y-chromosome, this test is for males taking a Y-DNA test.
A surname DNA project can help you

·Confirm relationships identified by traditional genealogy
·Locate related families lost through the passage of time
·Identify the origin of the family’s early ancestors
·Find other families who share your genetic ancestor(s)
·Connect with a community of researchers

To participate in the DNA study, click on the Join Project button at this site. That will allow you to fill out a Project Join Request. Note that we now recommend the 37-marker Y-DNA test, and need to have whatever family history you know about your ancestry to be of most help. Also, note that the person being tested must be a male with the Csizmar/Csizsmar (or spelling variation) surname. Several family members (father, sons, brothers, grandsons) may sponsor one person to provide the sample DNA. Prices are discounted for participants of this project. If you have questions, please contact the Project Administrator at the listed e-mail address above.