Kaminsky
A Slavic surname meaning “man from Kammin” or a similar place-name form.
The #7,481 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 69,334 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally taken as a locational name formed from a place called Kammin/Kamień or a related Slavic place-name, with the ending -sky/-ski meaning “from” or “of.” In older German scholarship, Kaminsky is explained as “the man from Kammin,” pointing to a geographic rather than occupational origin. The exact place behind the name can vary by family line, since similar spellings were used for several Slavic toponymic surnames.
History
The name appears in German-language discussions of Slavic surnames, especially in areas where German and Slavic naming traditions overlapped. It was carried westward through Prussian, Polish, and other Central European populations, and later became established in North America through immigration. Modern bearers may descend from families whose surname was variously spelled Kaminski, Kaminsky, or related forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The -sky/-ski ending in surnames often signals a place connection, so names like Kaminsky usually started out as a geographic label rather than a family nickname.
From the historical record
“90 Beilage 3. „der Mann aus Grabow**, Kaminsky, „der aus Kammin". So entsprechen sich ferner Lassan — Lassansky, Loschitz — Loschitxki^ Pobiotz — Poblotzki usw. Nur diese also sind als wirkliche und vollgültige slawische Bezeich- nungen anzusehen (wenn auch vielfach in halbdeutscher Schreibung). Den adligen Namen…”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen