Witkowski
A Polish surname meaning “from Witków” or “belonging to Witko,” pointing to a place-name or an old personal name.
The #6,058 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 54,529 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Witkowski is a Polish surname built with the suffix -owski, which commonly means “from” or “associated with” a place. In many cases it points to someone from a settlement called Witków, Witkowo, or a similar place-name based on the Slavic personal name Witko, itself related to a root meaning “life” or connected with the name Vitus. The literal sense is therefore usually “man from Witków” or “of Witko.”
History
Like many Polish surnames in -owski, Witkowski likely began as a gentry-style or locality-based name and later spread more widely across social classes. It is found in Poland and among Polish diaspora communities, especially in North America after 19th- and 20th-century migration. The exact village or personal-name source can vary by family line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The ending -owski is one of the classic Polish surname endings that often signals a geographic origin, much like “-son” can signal descent in English surnames.