Surname Kotyk - Meaning and Origin

Kotyk: What does the surname Kotyk mean?

The last name Kotyk is of Slavic origin and is derived from the given name Kot, which is derived from the Slavic word “kota”. The literal meaning of the word “kota” is “house” or “village”. The surname Kotyk is usually found in Eastern and Central Europe, mostly in countries such as Ukraine, Slovakia, Russia, and Belarus.

The Kotyk family name is believed to have come from the Krakow region of Poland, making it a rare surname. It's likely that as the Polish population migrated east, the Kotyk name spread out in other countries like Ukraine and Belarus.

Family names derived from the given name Kot usually refer to someone who is related to or lives near a “kota”. Kota could mean an actual residence or it could be a group of houses. This could explain why the surname Kotyk is somewhat rare, as fewer people lived in the kota than in the villages and cities.

The surname Kotyk has also been anglicized into various other spellings, such as Koteck, Kotyk, and Kotich. Anyone with the Kotyk surname can be proud to know they have a rare and unique family name that derives from a Slavic word which means “house”.

Kotyk: Where does the name Kotyk come from?

Kotyk is a rare last name that is not common today. It is mainly found in Poland, though there have been reported instances of the name in Belarus, Czech Republic, and Russia. It is believed to have derived from an old Slavic name for a cottager or free peasant - Kostka - and has also been written as Kacyk, Kotyk, or Koteck.

In Poland, Kotyk is a moderately distributed surname, with concentrations in the southeastern parts of the country, such as Krakow and Tarnow. In the United States, there are only a handful of individuals with this name. Most Kotyks have ancestral roots in the Galicia region of Poland. In 2011, the Social Security Administration (SSA) reported 40 individuals with the name living in the US.

Kotyk may also have a presence in Canada and Australia, and there have even been fewer small reports of the name in South America. Worldwide, the name is considered quite rare, with no more than 100 findings reported.

In spite of its rarity, the name Kotyk is still in use and ensures the preservation of its centuries-old heritage. Contemporary Kotyks are predominantly of Eastern-European descent, but as this name’s popularity increases, it is likely to become more widespread in other countries as well. Furthermore, with the various possible suggestings of its origin, diversified studies of its family history are bound to take place in coming generations.

Variations of the surname Kotyk

Kotyk is a surname of Slavic origin. It is found in several countries, primarily in Central and Eastern Europe, and is derived from a nickname or personal name of uncertain origin. The most common spelling of the surname is "Kotyk." Other variants of the surname include Kotik, Kotyck, Kotijck, Kotjk, Kotyk, Kotick, Kotyck, Kotijck, Koticki, Kotycki, Kotyk, Kotyck, Kotycky, Kotok, Kotik, Kotyk, Kotyk, Kotjck, Kotik, Kotycki, and Koteck.

Surnames derived from Kotyk include Kotykiewicz, Kotyka, Kotyczka, Kotycka, Kotyckowa, Kotok, Kotycka, Kotycka-Kotycka, Kotyka-Kotycka, and Kotyckowska.

Kotyk is also found as a surname in various forms in languages other than Slavic, such as Hungarian (Katik, Kotík, Kotyik, and Kotičk), German (Kotyck, Kotykk, Koteck, and Kotyk), Belarussian (Kotyk, Kotyck, and Kotik), Polish (Kotyk, Kotycki, and Kotykiewicz), Russian (Kotik, Kotelek, Kotikov, and Kotykov), Ukrainian (Kotyk, Kotyck, Kotyjk, Kotykiv, and Kotykovych), and Slovak (Kotyk, Kotykovic, and Kotykovich).

The surname Kotyk is also found in the United States, where it has been Americanized to Kotyk, Kotyck, Kotock, or any combination of the above mentioned spellings.

Famous people with the name Kotyk

• Krystyna Kotyk: Canadian politician, deputy speaker in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
• Vasyl Kotyk: Ukrainian football player
• Steve Kotyk: American professional basketball player
• Tom Kotyk: Canadian politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly and Minister of Agriculture of Saskatchewan
• Roman Kotyk: Ukrainian football player
• Pavlo Kotyk: Ukrainian football player
• Tom Kotyk: Canadian politician and minister in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
• Jaroslav Kotyk: Retired professional ice hockey player who played in the Czechoslovak, Slovak and Swedish Elite Leagues
• Oleksandr Kotyk: Ukrainian football player
• Ondre Kotyk: American college football player

Other surnames

Kotyrba