Surname Wodzinowski - Meaning and Origin
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Wodzinowski: What does the surname Wodzinowski mean?
Wodzinowski is a Polish surname. In Polish, the term "woda" means "water", however, this isn't necessarily directly related to the name's meaning. The surname Wodzinowski is likely to be topographic, meaning it could represent a family’s geographic location or the region in which the first name bearer lived or was born. In this context, Wodzinowski might originate from a place name in Poland, possibly from towns such as Wodzisław or Wodzin. This implies that the first person to use Wodzinowski as a last name could have been an inhabitant of such places. It could also imply characteristics and traits identified with people from these regions. Like many Polish surnames, the "ski" ending of Wodzinowski functions as a mark of nobility. However, such interpretation of surnames should be approached with caution as they often have multiple roots and meanings, and could differ significantly based on regional variations and historical changes.
Order DNA origin analysisWodzinowski: Where does the name Wodzinowski come from?
The last name Wodzinowski is a relatively uncommon surname today. As of 2018, it was estimated that there were only 90 living people in the United States bearing the Wodzinowski surname. It is found most commonly in the midwestern United States, particularly in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa. The surname appears to have Polish origins and is most likely derived from the personal name Wodzin or Wodzian.
In the United States, the earliest-recorded use of the Wodzinowski surname dates back to 1880, when John Wodzinowski immigrated to Wisconsin. By 1880, there were a few Wodzinowski families living in the midwestern U.S., primarily Wisconsin and Minnesota. By the early 1900s, the surname had spread to Illinois and Iowa, eventually reaching the east coast. The name has since spread to California and other parts of the western United States.
Today, the Wodzinowski surname is especially strong in Wisconsin, with over 50 living people bearing the last name. These people are mostly concentrated in southwestern Wisconsin around the city of Madison, as well as northern Wisconsin near Eau Claire and La Crosse. Outside of Wisconsin, the surname is mostly concentrated in northern Minnesota and the Chicago area in Illinois. The remainder of the population bearing this name is spread out across the United States in small numbers.
Variations of the surname Wodzinowski
The surname Wodzinowski has a few different spellings and variants, as well as some related surnames that trace back to the same origin. The most common spelling of the surname is Wodzinowski, but it can also be found spelled as Woodzinowski, Wodzinowsky, and Wodzinovski. The Polish diminutive form of the surname is Wodzinsk, while linguists have also identified the Belarusian form as Vadzyński.
In the United States, some Wodinowski or Wodzinskowski citizens changed their original name to Woodward or Woodworth when they arrived, while immigrants from Austria sometimes used the name Warford. Other records suggest that the same family may have adopted the use of the surname Wardensky in the United States as well.
The prevalence of this surname can be found in different places throughout Europe. Just over three thousand people in the United States have this surname, though the majority live in the state of Pennsylvania. This surname is also much more popular in the country of Poland, with just over nine thousand individuals listed in the phone book. Other countries known to have some prevalence of the surname Wodzinowski include Belarus and Ukraine.
Today the surname Wodzinowski is still quite common in areas of Europe that were part of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when it was a patronymic name formed from Wodzic, a Slavic given name. The name is derived from the root word Wodz, meaning "commander" or "leader".
Famous people with the name Wodzinowski
- Zbigniew Wodzinowski: Polish actor known for his role in the 1983 film “The Winds of War”
- Jakub Wodzinowski: Polish poet, sculptor, painter, and one of the first members of the Imaginary Reality group
- Wiktor Wodzinowski: Polish aviator and air force Lieutenant Colonel
- Piotr Wodzinowski: Polish actor known for his role in the 1999 film “The Wedding”
- Przemyslaw Wodzinowski: Polish entrepreneur and software architect
- Wojciech Wodzinowski: Polish politician and former Vice President of Poland
- Janusz Wodzinowski: Polish psychologist who researches the human mind
- Ewa Wodzinowska: Polish actress who starred in numerous films and television series
- Kamil Wodzinowski: Polish graphic designer and illustrator
- Bartlomiej Wodzinowski: Polish sculptor and painter