Submitted Surname Revision History

Derives from the Lithuanian ethnonym žemaitis "Samogitian", denoting someone who came from the Lithuanian region of Samogitia (Žemaitija). A notable bearer of this last name is Jonas Žemaitis, one of the leaders of the Lithuanian Partisans.

Since Lithuanian names have feminine and masculine forms (including the last name/surname) the form for a married woman or widow would be Žemaitienė and the maiden name would be Žemaitytė.