100 Cool Polish Last Names

Polish surnames give us a peek into the country’s past way of life, and customs. A lot of these family names go back hundreds of years and have strong ties to jobs, places, looks, and even family trees.

Coming from Old Polish, Latin, and other Slavic roots, these names show how the country’s rich background and its dealings with nearby nations have left their mark.

Whether they bring to mind pictures of nature, pride, or toughness Polish last names carry tales from long ago and help us understand more about the people who have them.

In this post, we’ll look into where some of the most well-known Polish surnames come from and what they mean throwing light on the interesting stories behind them.

Polish Last Names

Nowak – Derived from the word “nowy,” meaning “new” or “newcomer,” often referring to someone who is new to a place.

Kowalski – Derived from “kowal,” meaning “blacksmith,” indicating an occupation.

Wiśniewski – From “wiśnia,” meaning “cherry,” typically referring to someone who lived near a cherry tree or orchard.

Wójcik – Derived from “wojciech,” meaning “warrior,” referring to a person of warrior-like qualities.

Kaczmarek – Derived from “kaczka,” meaning “duck,” possibly referring to someone who lived near a duck pond or worked with ducks.

Krawczyk – From “krawiec,” meaning “tailor,” referring to someone who worked as a tailor.

Zieliński – Derived from “ziele,” meaning “herb” or “plant,” likely referring to someone who worked with plants or lived near greenery.

Mazur – Refers to a person from the Mazury region of Poland, named after the Mazur people.

Jankowski – Derived from the given name “Janek,” a diminutive of “Jan,” meaning “John,” indicating a family line descended from someone named Janek.

Szymański – Derived from “szyma,” meaning “height” or “loft,” referring to someone who lived on a hill or elevated area.

Lewandowski – Derived from “lew,” meaning “lion,” indicating a strong or brave family lineage.

Grabowski – Derived from “grab,” meaning “hornbeam tree,” often referring to someone who lived near or worked with hornbeam trees.

Wróbel – Means “sparrow,” likely referring to a person with small, agile, or lively characteristics, or someone from a place associated with sparrows.

Adamczyk – Derived from the name “Adam,” meaning “son of Adam,” or “son of man.”

Bąk – Means “hornet,” possibly referring to someone who lived near hornets or had a fierce personality.

Tomaszewski – Derived from the given name “Tomasz,” meaning “Thomas,” referring to a family descended from someone named Tomasz.

Pawlak – Derived from “paweł,” the Polish form of “Paul,” indicating descent from someone named Paweł.

Ostrowski – Derived from “ostro,” meaning “sharp,” likely referring to someone who lived near a sharp hill or pointed land feature.

Chmiel – Means “hops,” often referring to a person who grew or worked with hops, used in brewing beer.

Dąbrowski – Derived from “dąb,” meaning “oak,” referring to someone who lived near an oak tree or an oak forest.

Bielski – Derived from “biały,” meaning “white,” often referring to someone with light features or a family associated with the color white.

Piekarski – From “piekarz,” meaning “baker,” indicating someone who worked as a baker.

Sienkiewicz – Derived from “sienkiew,” meaning “hay,” referring to someone who worked in hay or lived near hayfields.

Kondrat – Derived from the name “Konrad,” meaning “brave counsel,” possibly referring to a person of leadership or wisdom.

Górski – Derived from “góra,” meaning “mountain,” indicating someone who lived in the mountains or elevated areas.

Różycki – Derived from “róża,” meaning “rose,” possibly referring to someone with a connection to roses or beauty.

Kozłowski – Derived from “koza,” meaning “goat,” likely referring to a person who raised or worked with goats.

Stolarz – Means “carpenter,” referring to someone who worked in woodworking.

Kulik – Derived from “kulik,” meaning “woodcock,” a type of bird, possibly referring to a hunter or someone with similar characteristics.

Kosiński – Derived from “kosić,” meaning “to mow” or “cut,” indicating someone who worked as a mower or lived near fields.

Zawisza – Derived from “zawisły,” meaning “to suspend” or “dangle,” possibly referring to a person involved in hanging or suspension work.

Ślusarczyk – Derived from “ślusarz,” meaning “locksmith,” referring to someone who worked as a locksmith.

Borek – Derived from “bór,” meaning “forest,” often referring to someone who lived near a forest.

Klimczak – Derived from the given name “Klim,” meaning “glory” or “fame,” possibly referring to someone who was renowned or famous.

Sikora – Derived from the word “sikora,” meaning “titmouse,” referring to a small, energetic bird, possibly reflecting the character of the person.

Kwiatkowski – Derived from “kwiat,” meaning “flower,” referring to someone associated with flowers or nature.

Rusin – Means “Russian,” often referring to a person of Russian origin or descent.

Głowacki – Derived from “głowa,” meaning “head,” possibly indicating someone who was a leader or prominent figure in the community.

Bielawski – Derived from “biały,” meaning “white,” indicating someone with light or fair features.

Nawrocki – Derived from “nawrócić,” meaning “to convert,” possibly referring to a family involved in conversion to Christianity.

Kiełbasa – Means “sausage,” indicating someone who was a sausage maker or seller.

Zawisny – Derived from “zawisny,” meaning “hanging,” possibly referring to someone who worked with ropes or lived in an elevated location.

Kłos – Means “ear of corn,” likely referring to someone involved in farming or agriculture.

Jóźwiak – Derived from the name “Józef,” the Polish form of “Joseph,” meaning “God will increase.”

Pietrzak – Derived from the name “Piotr,” meaning “rock” or “stone,” indicating a strong or steadfast family.

Róg – Means “horn,” possibly referring to a person known for strength or leadership.

Sosnowski – Derived from “sosna,” meaning “pine tree,” likely referring to someone who lived near or worked with pine trees.

Walentowicz – Derived from the name “Walentyn,” meaning “strong” or “healthy,” indicating a family known for their vitality.

Trzciński – Derived from “trzcina,” meaning “reed,” referring to someone who lived near a reed bed or swampy area.

Kędziora – Derived from “kędzior,” meaning “knot” or “curl,” possibly referring to a person with curly hair or a distinctive appearance.

Antczak – Derived from the personal name “Antoni,” meaning “priceless” or “invaluable.”

Baran – Means “ram,” likely referring to a strong or stubborn person or someone with a ram-like characteristic.

Bączkowski – Derived from “bąk,” meaning “hornet,” possibly referring to someone with an aggressive or energetic personality.

Bielski – Derived from “biały,” meaning “white,” possibly referring to someone with fair or pale features.

Borek – From the word “bór,” meaning “forest,” typically referring to someone who lived near or worked with the forest.

Cichocki – Derived from “cichy,” meaning “quiet” or “peaceful,” likely referring to a calm and serene individual.

Czajka – Means “lapwing,” a type of bird, possibly referring to someone who lived near where these birds were found.

Czerniewski – Derived from “czarny,” meaning “black,” indicating someone with dark features, or possibly referring to someone with a dark personality.

Fiedorowicz – A patronymic surname meaning “son of Fiedor,” from the personal name “Fiedor,” which means “God’s gift.”

Flisak – Derived from “flis,” meaning “raft,” typically referring to someone who worked on rafts or lived near a river.

Gajos – Possibly from “gaj,” meaning “grove” or “thicket,” indicating someone who lived near a small wooded area.

Górka – Derived from “góra,” meaning “hill,” typically referring to someone who lived on or near a hill.

Grabowski – Derived from “grab,” meaning “hornbeam,” referring to someone who lived near or worked with hornbeam trees.

Hajduk – Derived from the word “hajduk,” meaning “brigand” or “rebel,” likely referring to someone with a rebellious nature.

Jagoda – Means “berry,” likely referring to someone who lived near berry bushes or was associated with fruit harvesting.

Jastrzębski – Derived from “jastrząb,” meaning “hawk,” indicating someone who was sharp-eyed or had a keen sense of observation.

Janowski – Derived from the name “Jan,” meaning “God is gracious,” indicating a family line descended from someone named Jan.

Jarosz – Derived from the word “jar,” meaning “grove” or “forest,” indicating someone who lived near a forest or grove.

Kaczmarek – Derived from “kaczka,” meaning “duck,” referring to someone who worked with ducks or lived near a duck pond.

Klinga – Possibly derived from “klina,” meaning “wedge,” referring to someone who worked with wedges or was involved in carpentry.

Kossakowski – Derived from “kossak,” meaning “brushwood” or “twigs,” referring to someone who gathered or worked with brushwood.

Kowal – Means “blacksmith,” a common occupational surname for someone who worked as a blacksmith.

Kozak – Derived from the word “kozak,” meaning “Cossack,” referring to someone of Cossack heritage or known for their warrior-like characteristics.

Kudła – Derived from “kudły,” meaning “matted hair,” likely referring to someone with long or unruly hair.

Ławniczak – Derived from “ławnica,” meaning “bench,” indicating a person who served as a judge or in a legal capacity.

Mazurek – Referring to a person from the Mazury region, derived from “Mazur,” a term for someone from that area.

Mazur – Derived from the region “Mazury,” likely referring to someone from the Mazury region of Poland.

Moroz – Means “frost,” likely referring to someone with cold or frosty characteristics or someone who worked in cold climates.

Mucha – Means “fly,” likely referring to someone with characteristics similar to the insect, such as being quick or nimble.

Nowakowski – A variation of “Nowak,” meaning “newcomer” or “new,” often referring to someone who was a recent arrival in a place.

Olszewski – Derived from “olsza,” meaning “alder,” referring to someone who lived near alder trees or worked with them.

Pawlowski – Derived from the given name “Paweł,” the Polish form of “Paul,” meaning “small” or “humble.”

Piątek – Derived from “piątek,” meaning “Friday,” likely referring to a person born on or associated with Friday.

Pietrzyk – Derived from the name “Piotr,” the Polish form of “Peter,” meaning “rock” or “stone.”

Pleszewski – Derived from the town name “Pleszew,” indicating someone from that location.

Polak – Means “Pole” or “Polish,” often referring to someone of Polish descent.

Rączka – Derived from “rączka,” meaning “small hand” or “little hand,” likely referring to a person with small hands.

Rogowski – Derived from “róg,” meaning “horn,” possibly referring to someone with horns or with a connection to horns.

Szczepaniak – Derived from the name “Szczepan,” meaning “crown” or “garland,” often referring to a person who was crowned or honored.

Sierżant – Means “sergeant,” an occupational surname referring to a military rank.

Sosnowski – Derived from “sosna,” meaning “pine,” likely referring to someone who lived near or worked with pine trees.

Sroka – Means “magpie,” referring to someone with black-and-white features or a talkative, lively personality.

Strzałka – Derived from “strzała,” meaning “arrow,” likely referring to a person known for speed or precision.

Ślusarczyk – Derived from “ślusarz,” meaning “locksmith,” referring to someone who worked as a locksmith.

Szymczak – Derived from “Szymon,” the Polish form of “Simon,” meaning “he who hears.”

Wesołowski – Derived from “wesoły,” meaning “happy” or “cheerful,” indicating a joyful or optimistic person.

Wojciechowski – Derived from “Wojciech,” meaning “warrior,” indicating someone with warrior-like qualities.

Woźniak – Derived from “woźny,” meaning “bailiff” or “steward,” referring to someone in a legal or administrative role.

Zawisza – Derived from “zawisły,” meaning “to hang” or “suspend,” possibly referring to someone in a high or elevated position.

Zieliński – Derived from “ziele,” meaning “herb” or “plant,” likely referring to someone who worked with herbs or lived in an area rich with plants.