Polish surnames are a fascinating reflection of the country’s geography, history, and the resilient spirit of its people. Rooted in the Slavic tradition, many Polish names end in the iconic -ski or -cki, which historically indicated nobility or ownership of a particular place. In 2026, we see a global surge in “Central European Chic,” with writers and historians looking to Poland for names that carry weight, heritage, and a touch of the mystical.
Whether you are crafting a character for a historical drama set in Warsaw, a supernatural tale in the Białowieża Forest, or tracing your own ancestry, this A-Z guide for 196+ Polish last names with meanings serves as your linguistic compass.
Pro Tip: Polish names often tell a story of the land—from the deep oak forests to the bustling blacksmith shops of old.
A – Names for the Ancient and Arriving
Abramski – Son of Abraham.
Adamczyk – Son of Adam.
Adamski – Of Adam.
Andrysiak – Son of Andrew.
Augustyn – Venerable or Majestic.
B to G – Names for the Bold and Brave
Bąk – Horsefly or Bittern (bird).
Baran – Ram (Symbol of strength).
Baranowski – From the place of the ram.
Barski – From Bar (a town).
Bartosz – Son of Talmai.
Biały – White or Fair.
Bielecki – From the white place.
Biernat – Brave as a bear.
Blaszak – Tinsmith.
Bobiński – Bean grower.
Borkowski – From the pine forest.
Borowski – Dweller in the woods.
Broda – Beard.
Brzeziński – From the birch grove.
Buczek – Little beech tree.
Budziński – To wake up or Watchman.
Burak – Beetroot.
Cebula – Onion.
Chmielewski – From the hop farm.
Chojnacki – From the pine forest.
Cichy – Quiet or Silent.
Cieślak – Carpenter.
Czajka – Lapwing (bird).
Czajkowski – From the place of the lapwings.
Czarnecki – Black or Dark-haired.
Czech – The Czech.
Czerwinski – Red.
Dąbrowski – From the oak forest.
Duda – Bagpiper.
Dudek – Hoopoe (bird).
Dwornik – Courtyard keeper.
Dziedzic – Heir or Landowner.
Falkowski – From the place of Falcons.
Fiedorowicz – Son of Theodore.
Filipowicz – Son of Philip.
Flis – Raftsman.
Gajewski – From the grove.
Gąsior – Gander (male goose).
Głowacki – Head (Leader).
Góra – Mountain.
Górski – From the mountains.
Grabowski – From the hornbeam forest.
Grochowski – Pea grower.
Gruszka – Pear.
Grzegorczyk – Son of Gregory.
H to M – Names for the Honorable and Mighty
Hajduk – Soldier or Outlaw.
Horodyński – From the town.
Idzi – Shield.
Iwanowski – Son of Ivan.
Jabłoński – From the apple orchard.
Jackiewicz – Son of Jack.
Jagiełło – Royal name (Lithuanian-Polish).
Janicki – Of John.
Jankowski – Son of John.
Jarosz – Vigorous or Strong.
Jasiński – Of the ash tree.
Jaworski – From the sycamore forest.
Jezierski – From the lake.
Kaczmarek – Innkeeper.
Kamiński – From the stony place.
Kania – Kite (bird).
Kasprowicz – Son of Casper.
Kawa – Coffee or Jackdaw.
Kędzierski – Curly-haired.
Kiszka – Sausage (Nickname).
Kłos – Ear of corn/wheat.
Kmiec – Peasant farmer.
Kobylański – Horse breeder.
Kochanowski – Beloved.
Kołodziej – Wheelwright.
Konieczny – Necessary or Final.
Konik – Little horse.
Kopeć – Soot.
Korczak – Ladle or Vessel.
Korycki – Bark of a tree.
Kostka – Small bone or Cube.
Kowalczyk – Son of the blacksmith.
Kowalski – Blacksmith (Iconic name).
Kozłowski – From the place of goats.
Krajewski – From the edge or country.
Król – King.
Kucharski – Cook.
Kujawa – From the Kujawy region.
Kwiatkowski – From the flowers.
Laskowski – From the hazel forest.
Lech – Pole (Legendary founder).
Leszczyński – From the hazel grove.
Lewandowski – From the lavender place.
Lis – Fox.
Lubiński – To love or Pleasant.
Łuczak – Archer.
Maciejewski – Son of Matthew.
Majewski – Of the month of May.
Malinowski – From the raspberry place.
Małecki – Little.
Mazurek – From Masovia.
Michalski – Son of Michael.
Mickiewicz – Son of Nicholas.
Mikołajczyk – Little Nicholas.
Milewski – Dear or Pleasant.
Młynarski – Miller.
Mróz – Frost.
Mucha – Fly.
N to R – Names for the Noble and Radiant
Nadolski – From the valley.
Napierała – To press forward.
Nawrocki – Convert.
Niedzielski – Of Sunday.
Niemiec – The German.
Niewiadomski – Unknown.
Nowak – The Newcomer (Most common).
Nowicki – From the new place.
Okrasiński – Beauty or Ornament.
Oleksy – Defender.
Olszewski – From the alder forest.
Orłowski – From the place of eagles.
Ostrowski – From the island.
Owczarek – Shepherd.
Pająk – Spider.
Pakulski – Bundle or Pack.
Panek – Small lord.
Pawlak – Son of Paul.
Pawłowski – Son of Paul.
Piasecki – From the sandy place.
Piekarski – Baker.
Piotrowski – Son of Peter.
Piwowarczyk – Small brewer.
Podolski – From the lowlands.
Polak – The Pole.
Pomorski – From Pomerania.
Popławski – Flooded meadow.
Przybylski – The arrived one.
Ptak – Bird.
Puchalski – Down or Fluff.
Radecki – Happy or Counsel.
Rak – Crayfish.
Ratajczak – Plowman.
Rogała – Horned or Strong.
Rosołowski – Broth maker.
Różański – From the place of roses.
Ryba – Fish.
Rybicki – Fisherman.
Rzepka – Little turnip.
S to Z – Names for the Spirited and Sincere
Sadowski – From the orchard.
Sikora – Titmouse (bird).
Sitko – Small sieve.
Siwek – Grey-haired.
Skiba – Ridge.
Skowroński – Lark.
Śliwa – Plum.
Słowacki – Words or Slavic.
Smoleń – Pitch or Tar.
Sobczak – Son of Sobiesław.
Sobieski – Of himself (Royal name).
Sokołowski – From the place of falcons.
Sowa – Owl.
Stasiak – Son of Stanisław.
Stefański – Son of Stephen.
Stolarczyk – Small cabinetmaker.
Stolarski – Carpenter.
Świątek – Holy day.
Szymański – Son of Simon.
Tomaszewski – Son of Thomas.
Tomczak – Son of Thomas.
Tracz – Sawyer.
Trzciński – From the reeds.
Turek – The Turk.
Urban – From the city.
Wajda – Leader.
Walczak – Fighter.
Wasilewski – Son of Basil.
Wawrzyniak – Son of Lawrence.
Wieczorek – Evening.
Wierzbicki – Of the willow tree.
Wilczek – Little wolf.
Wilk – Wolf.
Wiśniewski – From the cherry grove.
Witkowski – Son of Vitus.
Włodarczyk – Small steward.
Wójcik – Small village headman.
Wojciechowski – Joyous warrior.
Woźniak – Driver or Carrier.
Wrona – Crow.
Wróbel – Sparrow.
Wysocki – From the high place.
Zabłocki – Beyond the marsh.
Zając – Hare.
Zakrzewski – Behind the bush.
Zalewski – From the flooded area.
Zawadzki – Fortified place.
Zieliński – Green.
Ziółkowski – Herb grower.
1. The Gendered Ending
In Poland, many surnames change based on the person’s gender:
- A man is Kowalski.
- His wife or daughter is Kowalska.
This applies primarily to names ending in -ski, -cki, and -dzki. Keeping this distinction adds a layer of cultural authenticity.
2. The Noble “-ski”
Originally, the suffix -ski indicated that the family owned the village or land. It is the equivalent of the French “de” or German “von.”
What is the most common surname in Poland?Nowak (The Newcomer) is the most frequent, followed by Kowalski and Wiśniewski.
Why do so many Polish names end in “-icz”?The suffix -icz or -wicz means “son of,” common in eastern regions with Belarusian or Ukrainian influence.
Are Polish last names related to nature?Yes! Many are derived from animals (Wilk – Wolf), trees (Dąbrowski – Oak), and birds (Wróbel – Sparrow).
