Surname Kowalewsky - Meaning and Origin
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Kowalewsky: What does the surname Kowalewsky mean?
The last name Kowalewsky is of Polish origin meaning "from the town of Kowalem" or "one from Kowalem". Kowalem is a small town located in southeastern Poland and is still inhabited today. The town was founded sometime in the 14th-century by a noble Polish knight.
The last name is quite uncommon and not shared by many people. Those that do share the last name are likely descended from this same Polish noble knight. It is unclear exactly what he or his descendants did for a living, but it is likely they were farmers, herders, merchants, or craftsmen.
The surname Kowalewsky has been passed down through the generations for centuries. Families with this last name tend to gather together in Kowalem for holidays and special events. These gatherings tend to reflect the close-knit feeling of community that has been established between those with the last name.
The Kowalewsky last name is a reminder of the town's historic roots and serves to connect the current family members to each other. It's an emblem of pride for those who possess it, signifying the family's strong connection to the town of Kowalem and its legacy.
Order DNA origin analysisKowalewsky: Where does the name Kowalewsky come from?
The surname Kowalewsky is a relatively rare one, and is not very common across the world today. It is most prominent in Eastern Europe and particularly in Russia. It is estimated that there are around 25,000 people living with the name Kowalewsky across Russia. It is also a common surname in Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia – mostly those countries that were once part of the Soviet Union. The name is also present in the Czech Republic and Poland, as well as in parts of Western Europe and North America.
In the United Kingdom, there are fewer than 500 people with the surname Kowalewsky – and primarily amongst the Polish and Russian diaspora. It is also found in the Netherlands and in France, and among first-generation immigrants to Australia and New Zealand. In the United States, there are around 1,000 people with the name, across all fifty states.
All in all, while the surname Kowalewsky is relatively uncommon globally, it is especially common in parts of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. It is also found in pockets across Western Europe, North America and Australasia, as these countries are often popular destinations for Eastern Europeans and Russians who have decided to emigrate.
Variations of the surname Kowalewsky
The variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin for the surname Kowalewsky include:
Kowalewski, Kowalitzky, Kowalewska, Kowalewicz, Kowalzik, Kowalski, Kowalczyk, Kowaliczky, Kowalchik, Kowalchuck, Kowalspy, Kovalchyk, Kovalenko, Kovalchuk, Kovalov, Kovalik, Koval, Kowalska, Kovalik, Kovalchuk, Kovalyov, Kovalychenko, Kovalienko, Kovalikov.
Kowalewsky is a very common Polish surname and most of its variants are still present in Poland. The surname is derived from the Old Eastern Slavic personal name Koval, meaning 'blacksmith', which was passed down and adopted by various families. Over time spelling variations have become commonplace.
The Polish variant Kowalewski is the most widely used, and can also be seen as Kowalewicz, Kowalitzky, Kowalik, Kowalczik, Kowalski, Kowalczyk and Kowalchik. The Ukrainian variants are Kovalenko, Kovalchuk, Kovalov, Kovalik, Koval, Kovalienko, and Kovalikov.
In Russia and other former Soviet republics, variations of the surname such as Kovalchyk and Koval'sky are also fairly common. The spelling Kowalska is also used in Poland.
In other European countries, variations of the surname can be seen in the form of Kowalchesky, Kowalspy, Kowalchuck and Koval'sky.
Overall, Kowalewsky is a common surname of Slavic origin and has many variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin that are still quite popular.
Famous people with the name Kowalewsky
- Adolf Kowalewsky (1855–1920), Russian zoologist and oceanographer
- Alexander Kowalewsky (1817–1885), Russian ornithologist
- Alexander Kowalewski (1871–1941), Russian-Polish general staff officer
- Alexei Kowalewski (1847–1921), Russian zoologist
- Charles Kowalewski (1914–1948), French film editor
- Fabienne Kowalewsky (1880–1971), French stage actress
- Felix Kowalewski (1865–1931), Russian economist
- Germain Kowalewsky (1890–1970), French painter
- Henryk Kowalewski (1840–1901), Polish military commander
- Jacob Kowalewsky (1820–1900), Russian jurist
- Jean Kowalewsky (1822–1899), French entomologist
- Leon Kowalewski (1820–1889), Polish diplomat
- Michel Kowalewsky (1858–1903), French politician
- Oscar Kowalewski (1873–1955), German actor
- Stanislaw Kowalewski (1817–1879), Polish botanist
- Vladimir Kowalewski (1844–1889), Russian geophysicist
- Vladimir Kowalewsky (1872–1945), Russian botanist and mycologist
- Walenty Kowalewski (1710–1775), Polish composer