Surname Zaretski - Meaning and Origin

Zaretski: What does the surname Zaretski mean?

The last name Zaretski has its origins in the language of the Slavic people. The root of the surname is derived from the Old Slavic word “Zariti”, meaning “to sow”. This likely indicated that those original members of the Zaretski clan made their living as farmers. Further, the "-etski" suffix denotes that the surname is of a patronymic nature and is derived from the personal name Zar, which would have reflected someone's father, grandfather, or an even more distant ancestor.

Among the early recording of the surname are those of Onisim Zaretski, who was born in 1590 in the small town of Mogilev, located in what is now Belarus; and Adam Zaretski, who was born in1620 and resided in the nearby city of Moghilev.

The Zaretski surname is an historically significant name in Eastern Europe and has gone on to become one of the most commonly found Slavic surnames. It has been recorded in countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Croatia, among others. Today, there is very likely no one who carries the exact same line of the Zaretski family, though many with the surname remain in each of these countries and continue to keep the name alive.

Zaretski: Where does the name Zaretski come from?

The last name Zaretski is most commonly found in Eastern European countries today, such as Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Poland. In these countries, the surname Zaretski is generally of Jewish origin, and is formed from the personal name Zaretsky. Zaretsky is a patronymic, or a name derived from an ancestor's name, derived from the Yiddish name Zev, which means "wolf."

In the United States, the last name Zaretski has been found most frequently in New York City, Massachusetts, Florida, and California. Some of the earliest American Zaretskis first emigrated to the United States in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, largely from the Russian Empire and Lithuania.

At the time of the most recent US census, there were nearly 700 individuals registered with the last name Zaretski in the United States, and this number is likely to have grown since then. In addition to the United States, Zaretski families have been found in small numbers in England, Canada, and beyond.

Overall, the last name Zaretski is most prevalent in Eastern European countries, with several hundred individuals found in each. However, the diaspora of Zaretski families across the world means that the surname can also be found in the United States, Canada, England, and other countries around the world.

Variations of the surname Zaretski

The surname Zaretski is a variation of the Yiddish surname "Zaretzky," which comes from the city of Zaretsk (now Zarecze in Poland). It is also spelled as Zaretzki, Zaretzky, Zaretzke, Zaretzky, Zaretzki, and Zaretzky.

The family may have originated from Zaretsk, which was founded in the 14th century and became part of Congress Poland in 1807. The name Zaretsk itself is derived from the expression “zar Torah”, meaning “the treasure of the law”.

The variation of the surname may have been due to factors like regional dialects, possible economic reasons, or simply preference of a particular spelling. However, some people may have used a different surname in order to distance themselves from their Jewish heritage.

In addition, different spellings may have been adopted depending on the type of record being used. For example, making use of a passport or other documents may have led to a different spelling, as might the official spelling of the time.

Other surnames that are related to the Zaretski surname include Zaretzke, Zaretztky, Sharitski, Sharitskiy, Scharitksiy, Chereshinski, and Shcheretsinsky. Lastly, the surname is also found in the form of a Yiddish-sounding patronymic, such as "Zaretzkowicz" or "Zaretsky-witz".

Famous people with the name Zaretski

• Mischa Zaretski (1904–1951): violinist and composer
• Marianna Zaretska (1904–1947): Russian prima ballerina
• Boruch Zaretsky (1937–2013): rabbi and prominent Orthodox Jewish leader in the United States
• Igor Zaretsky (1954–2017): Russian spy master
• Ilya Zaretski (1882–1937): prominent Jewish scholar and professor of Talmud and rabbinics
• Vyacheslav Zaretski (1926–2012): Russian painter and artist
• Mike Zaretsky (born 1961): American football player
• Natan Zaretsky (born 1933): Professor Emeritus in the Marine Science Department of Stony Brook University
• Vasili Zaretski (born 1949): Russian cyclist
• Yuri Zaretski (born 1966): Soviet long track speed skater

Other surnames

Zaretsky

Comments or additions to the name "Zaretski"

17.06.2024
My last name is Zaretski. I recently discovered my father’s birth certificate with the name Zarecki. Our family cemetery spells the name Zaretski and Zaretsky. My Grandfather told me he was from Galicia. He said that the name meant something to do with “cows in the field.” My Grandfather, Stanislaw, died in 1973 at the age of 67 years. He was a grain farmer. His family was also known as “Zaretski, the bootleggers.” They lived in Bird’s Hill which was purchased by the Federal Government in the mid 1960s and turned into a National Park. At one time, there were only two Zaretski’s in the Winnipeg/Transcona Telephone Book. There are a few more of us now!