Budny PolishPossibly from Polish
buda meaning
"hut, cabin".
Bukowski PolishOriginally denoted someone who came from a place called
Bukowo or
Bukowiec, which derive from Polish
buk "beech".
Czajkowski PolishOriginally indicated a person from any of the Polish towns named Czajków, all derived from Polish
czajka meaning "lapwing (bird)".
Dubanowski PolishOriginally indicated a person from the town of Dubinowo (now Dubino in Belarus).
Dubicki PolishOriginally indicated a person from the town of Dubica in Poland.
Dunajski PolishDerived from
Dunaj, the Polish name for the river Danube.
Filipowski PolishEither a patronymic from the given name
Filip, or a habitational name denoting a person from the Polish town of Filipów (also derived from the given name).
Gajos PolishDerived from Polish
gaj meaning
"grove, thicket".
Gomółka PolishDerived from Polish
gomółka, a type of round cheese, ultimately from an old Polish word meaning "round".
Gorecki PolishOriginally indicated a person from Górka, the name of various towns in Poland, ultimately from Polish
góra "mountain".
Grabowski PolishHabitational name for someone from any of the various places called
Grabów,
Grabowa or
Grabowo, all derived from Polish
grab meaning "hornbeam tree".
Gwózdek PolishDerived from either archaic Polish
gwozd meaning
"forest" or
gwóźdź meaning
"nail".
Jankowski PolishHabitational name for a person from a town named
Jankowo or
Janków, all derived from the given name
Janek.
Janowski PolishHabitational name for a person from a town named
Janowo,
Janów or
Janowice, all derived from the given name
Jan 1.
Jaskólski PolishOriginally indicated a person from various Polish towns named
Jaskółki, derived from Polish
jaskółka "swallow (bird)".
Jeż PolishMeans
"hedgehog" in Polish. It may have originally been given to a person who resembled a hedgehog in some way.
Kaczmarek PolishOccupational name for a person who worked as an innkeeper, derived from Polish
karczma meaning "inn".
Kamiński PolishFrom Polish
kamień meaning
"stone", a name for a stonecutter or for one who lived at a place with this name.
Kędzierski PolishFrom a nickname meaning
"curly", describing a person with curly hair.
Kijek PolishMeans
"small stick", from Polish
kij "stick".
Kowalski PolishFrom Polish
kowal meaning
"blacksmith". This is the second most common surname in Poland.
Kozioł PolishMeans
"male goat" in Polish, probably used to denote a goatherd.
Kozłowski PolishOriginally a name for a person from Kozłów, Kozłowo, or other places with a name derived from Polish
kozioł meaning "male goat".
Król PolishMeans
"king" in Polish. The name referred to one who acted like a king or was connected in some way with a king's household.
Kumięga PolishPossibly from Polish
kum "godfather, friend" or
komięga "raft, barge".
Kwiatkowski PolishHabitational name for someone from any of the various locations named
Kwiatków,
Kwiatkowo or
Kwiatkowice, named from a diminutive of Polish
kwiat meaning "flower".
Lewandowski PolishFrom the Polish estate name
Lewandów, which is itself possibly derived from a personal name or from
lawenda "lavender".
Lis PolishMeans
"fox" in Polish, a nickname for a sly person.
Majewski PolishDerived from Polish
maj meaning
"May". It may have been given in reference to the month the bearer was baptized.
Malinowski PolishFrom Polish
malina meaning
"raspberry", originally indicating a person who lived near a raspberry patch.
Mazur PolishIndicated a person from either Mazovia (Polish
Mazowsze) or Masuria (Polish
Mazury), regions in Poland.
Mencher PolishPossibly an occupational name derived from Polish
maczarz meaning
"miller".
Michalski PolishHabitational name for a person from a village named
Michale or
Michały, both derived from the given name
Michał.
Moździerz PolishMeans
"mortar" in Polish. It probably referred to someone who worked with or sold mortar.
Niemczyk PolishFrom Polish
Niemiec meaning
"German" and the patronymic suffix
-czyk.
Nowakowski PolishHabitational name for a person from various towns called
Nowakowo or similar, derived from Polish
nowy meaning "new".
Nowicki PolishHabitational name for a person from any of the towns in Poland called Nowice. The name is derived from Polish
nowy meaning "new".
Pasternak Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, YiddishMeans
"parsnip" in various Slavic languages, ultimately from Latin
pastinaca. A famous bearer was Boris Pasternak (1890-1960), author of
Doctor Zhivago.
Pawłowski PolishHabitational name for someone from a town named
Pawłowo, derived from the given name
Paweł.
Piątek PolishMeans
"Friday" in Polish, derived from the word
piąty meaning "fifth".
Piotrowski PolishHabitational name for a person from towns named
Piotrów,
Piotrowo or
Piotrowice, all derived from the given name
Piotr.
Rudawski PolishIndicated a person who lived near the Rudawa, a river in Poland.
Ryba Czech, PolishMeans
"fish" in Czech and Slovak, an occupational name for a fisher.
Sadowski PolishDenoted someone who lived in Sadowo, Sadowice or other places beginning with Polish
sad "garden, orchard".
Sienkiewicz PolishPatronymic from the given name
Sienko, an old diminutive of
Szymon. This was the surname of the Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916).
Sitko PolishMeans
"fine sieve" in Polish, a diminutive of the Polish word
sito "sieve".
Ślusarski PolishOccupational name for a locksmith, from Polish
ślusarz, of Germanic origin.
Smolak Polish, CzechOccupational name for a distiller of pitch, derived from the Slavic word
smola meaning
"pitch, resin".
Śniegowski PolishHabitational name for a person from Sniegow, Sniegowo or other places with a name derived from Polish
śnieg "snow".
Sokołowski PolishUsually refers to the city of Sokołów Podlaski in Poland. It may sometimes be derived from Polish
sokół meaning "falcon".
Sówka PolishFrom a diminutive of Polish
sowa meaning
"owl".
Starek PolishFrom a nickname derived from Polish
stary "old".
Stolarz PolishOccupational name from Polish
stolarz meaning
"joiner, maker of furniture".
Szweda PolishDerived from Polish
Szwed meaning
"Swede, person from Sweden".
Wiater PolishDerived from Polish
wiatr "wind", a nickname for a quick person.
Wiśniewski PolishFrom the name of various Polish towns named Wiśniewo, derived from Polish
wiśnia meaning "sour cherry".
Wójcik PolishFrom the Polish word
wójt meaning
"chief, mayor" (related to German
Vogt).
Wojewoda PolishFrom the Polish title
wojewoda meaning
"governor, voivode" (originally meaning "warlord").
Wolanski PolishDenoted a person who came from one of the places in Poland called Wola or Wolany, derived from the given name
Wolan meaning "to want".
Wyrzykowski PolishPossibly from the Polish place name
Wyrzyki, of uncertain meaning, maybe "away from the river".
Ząbek PolishFrom Polish
zab "tooth" and a diminutive suffix.
Żbikowski PolishFrom Polish towns named
Żbikowice or
Żbików, which are derived from
żbik "wildcat".
Zdunowski PolishDenoted a person from one of the various towns named Zduny in Poland, which is derived from Polish
zdun meaning "potter". It can also be an occupational surname derived directly from
zdun.
Zieliński PolishFrom Polish
zieleń meaning
"green". It was possibly a nickname for a person who dressed in green clothing.
Ziętek PolishPossibly from a diminutive of Polish
zięć meaning
"son-in-law".
Zima Czech, Slovak, Polish, RussianFrom a Slavic word meaning
"winter". This may have been a nickname for a person with a chilly personality.
Żukowski PolishFrom various Polish towns named
Żukowo or
Żuków, which are derived from
żuk "beetle".
Żuraw PolishMeans
"crane" in Polish, a nickname for a tall person.