Surname Wojtowicz - Meaning and Origin
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Wojtowicz: What does the surname Wojtowicz mean?
The last name Wojtowicz is a Slavic or Polish name that has its origin in the word “wojt”, meaning “magistrate” or “leader”. It is derived from the old Slavonic word “viod,” which means "warrior". The name Wojtowicz implies someone with a strong leadership ability, a quality that would have been sought after in medieval Poland.
Historically, the Wojtowicz surname was held primarily in Silesia, a region of southwestern Poland which was part of the Habsburg Monarchy prior to the Third Partition of Poland in 1795. During the 18th and 19th centuries, several prominent Wojtowicz families held noble titles, many of which were granted in recognition of their loyalty to the Austrian emperors.
The Wojtowicz family has continued to be prominent in Polish society to this day; for instance, Stanislaw Wojtowicz (1829–1887), a noted Polish journalist, and Franciszek Wojtowicz (1912–1994), a renowned lawyer and professor.
Today, the Wojtowicz name is associated with strength, leadership, and loyalty. Its bearers continue to make an impact in their homeland of Poland and beyond, carrying on the proud traditions of their ancestors with distinction.
Order DNA origin analysisWojtowicz: Where does the name Wojtowicz come from?
The last name Wojtowicz is most commonly found in Poland today. In fact, according to Poland's Ministry of the Interior and Administration's internal database, the name Wojtowicz is the 202nd most common surname within the country. This means it ranks within the top four percent of Polish surnames.
Most Wojtowicz families at present are concentrated in the north and east of the country, particularly in the Masovian, Podlaskie, and Lesser Poland Voivodeships, although there are some family lines present in Pomerania and Greater Poland as well.
Most people bearing the name Wojtowicz in the modern day are descended from families that have been in Poland since the dawn of the Second Polish Republic in 1918 or earlier, although there is anecdotal evidence of a few families which may have moved to Poland from neighboring countries in the twentieth century.
In the West, the Wojtowicz name is much less common. In the United States, Wojtowicz families can be found mainly in the states where a large Polish population has settled, such as New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, as well as in other areas of the Midwest. In Canada, there are known to be some Wojtowicz families in Ontario, with smaller numbers throughout the Greater Toronto Area.
Variations of the surname Wojtowicz
The surname Wojtowicz is a variant of the Polish surname Wojtowicz, with a range of spelling variations. The surname comes from the verb ‘wojt,’ which means ‘commander’ in the Polish language.
In its original form, some of the variations of the name Wojtowicz include Wojtowicz, Voytovich or Voytyuhovich, Wojtowicki (fused with the common Polish name suffix -owski), Voytevich or Voytyuhovich (fused with the Ukrainian name suffix -ovich).
Variations of the surname that incorporate diacritics—a line, point, or sign used to signify pronunciation or indicate stress—include Wołtowicz, Wòjtòwícz, and Voytôvich.
The surname is sometimes spelt phonetically, such as Voytovich, Voytyuhovych, Vojtøvic, and Voytóvich. There are also additional, less-common variants of the name: Wojtovich, Voytovitch, Voytowitz, Wojtovics, and Voytevich.
The surnames Voitov (metaphorically derived bottomonym), Voitovu, Voito, and Voit have all been derived from the same root as the name Wojtowicz, but are their own separate surnames. Furthermore, some Ukrainian surname variations may also use the preposition ‘von,’ such as the less-common surname Wojtowicz Von Vaslovsky.
Finally, there are some sparsely used shortened versions of the surname, such as Woj, Wojt, Wojta or Voyto, and Wojtek (the Polish diminutive form for Wojt).
Famous people with the name Wojtowicz
- Krystyna Wojtowicz-Zagorska: A Polish writer, pediatrician, and Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at the University of Wroclaw Medical University.
- Anita Wojtowicz: A Brazilian model who represented her country in the 1985 Miss Universe contest.
- Matthew Wojtowicz: A professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Quad City Icemen in the Federal Prospects Hockey League.
- Gerard Wojtowicz: An American journalist, writer, and author with experience in both print and broadcast media.
- Piotr Wojtowicz: A Polish composer, music producer, and guitarist working in the genres of rock, blues, prog rock, and jazz.
- Zdzislaw Wojtowicz: A former Polish footballer who between 1994 and 2011 played at various clubs in the Polish leagues, including Polonia Bydgoszcz and Jagiellonia Bia³ystok.
- Stanislaw Wojtowicz: A Polish opera singer who, since 2003, has been a professor at the Stanis³aw Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdansk.
- Bogdan Wojtowicz: A Polish poet and writer, and a member of the Polish Writers' Association since 2004.
- Iwonna Wojtowicz: A cake decorator whose expertise and originality caught the attention of the Polish culinary community.
- Jerzy Wojtowicz: A Polish sports shooter and Olympic medalist who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.