Surname Pawelzyk - Meaning and Origin
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Pawelzyk: What does the surname Pawelzyk mean?
The surname Pawelzyk is derived from the Polish personal name Pawel, a form of the biblical name Paul. The suffix ‘-ycz’ is a patronymic marker, found in many Slavonic surnames. It derives from a pre-Christian word meaning ‘kin of’ and when attached to a forename indicated that the person had a father or an ancestor of the same name. As such, the surname Pawelzyk literally translates to ‘son or kin of Paul’.
The Pawelzyk surname was common throughout what was historically the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The most ancient proven line of Pawelzyks originate from the Central-Eastern region of Poland, which today is the Masovian Voivodeship of modern day Poland. Here the Pawelzyk family can be traced to a ‘Krzysztof Pawelzyk of Czołwin’, bithplace and date unknown, who is the common ancestor of all Pawelzyks in the region and who is likely to belong to the szlachta, the higher ranks of the nobility. In the early 17th century a catalog of Polish families of noble and distinguished origins was recorded, in which Pawelzyk is listed as an old noble family in the region.
Today the Pawelzyk surname is still found within the peoples of both Poland and the emigrated Polish populations worldwide, a testimony to the family’s long presence throughout the country over the centuries.
Order DNA origin analysisPawelzyk: Where does the name Pawelzyk come from?
Pawelzyk is a common Polish surname with roots dating back to medieval Poland. Today, it is mostly seen in Poland, as well as throughout much of German-speaking Europe. According to the Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs, there are currently more than 60,000 individuals with the surname Pawelzyk living in Poland. It is also used in parts of Ukraine and Belarus, although to a much lesser extent.
The surname Pawelzyk is most often associated with Poland and the Polish people, its popularity stemming from a mass immigration to the country from the 18th to the middle of the 20th century. Many of these immigrants came from Germany, Scandinavia, and other parts of Central and Eastern Europe, bringing new cultural influences and surnames with them.
Outside of Poland, the most common location for a Pawelzyk surname to appear is Germany. The frequency of the name in Germany can be attributed to the numerous migrations of Germans to Poland in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is also seen in other parts of Europe, such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, and Romania, as well as in the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to the country's diaspora.
Overall, the surname Pawelzyk is most often associated with Poland today, having spread to many cultures and countries throughout Europe and beyond. Although it is not as common as some other surnames, its presence is a reminder of how much the Polish nation has grown and evolved over the centuries.
Variations of the surname Pawelzyk
Pawelzyk is a Polish surname, and is derived from the popular first name Pawel, which is the Polish form of the name Paul. The surname is mostly found in southeastern and Central Europe. As such, other spellings of the surname include Pawelczyk, Pawlik, and Pawlowicz.
The variants of Pawelzyk are sometimes changed by the nameholders themselves to another form of the same name when they move to different countries. The German-language variant of the surname is Pfeiffinck, while its spelling in the Czech language is Pauleczyk or Pawelčik.
In some parts of southern Europe, the variant of the surname is Paulizic or Paveltshik. The Ukraine variant of the name is Pavliv, Pavlovych or Povaliv, while in Romania the variant is Paulişcă.
In some countries, there is also a different form of the surname, Pavalicz, which is based on the Polish pronunciation. It is mainly found in Austria, and is a combination of Pawelzyk and Pavelicz, two of the main variants of the name.
In Lithuania, the variant of the name is Paulauskis, while in Latvia it is changed to Paulish or Paulshsh in some cases. In Russian, the first letters of the surname are changed from "P" to "B", as in Baulzinsky or Baulczyk.
Overall, the popularity of the same surname may vary in different countries and regions, and the spellings and variants may also be altered according to the preferences of the nameholders and the local linguistic traditions.
Famous people with the name Pawelzyk
- Marcin Pawelzyk: Polish handball player, who represented Poland at the 2012 Olympics in London.
- Marek Pawelzyk: a Polish painter, primarily working in oil and pastel.
- Barbara Pawelzyk: a professional snowboarder from Poland who competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
- Wojciech Pawelzyk: a Polish footballer who played in the Polish Ekstraklasa and for the Polish national team.
- Anna Pawelzyk: a Polish long distance runner who won bronze at the 2018 European Athletics Championships.
- Henryk Pawelzyk: a Polish pentathlete who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics.
- Dominika Pawelzyk: a Polish rhythmic gymnast who represented Poland at the 2017 World Championships.
- Rafal Pawelzyk: a Polish football defender who played for the Swedish Allsvenskan club AIK Fotboll.
- Wojciech Pawelzyk: a Polish actor best known for his roles in films such as Chłopcy and Czarne słońce.
- Mariusz Pawelzyk: a Polish actor, director and voice actor, best known for his work in films such as Milion dolarów.