Surname Piechowicz - Meaning and Origin

Piechowicz: What does the surname Piechowicz mean?

Piechowicz is a Polish surname. It is derived from the word "piec," which means "oven," traditionally used to refer to an oven or furnace worker or a person whose job involved using an oven, such as a baker or blacksmith. The suffix "owicz" is typically added to a parent's name to form a patronymic, meaning "son of." Therefore, Piechowicz could potentially mean "son of the baker" or "son of the oven worker." However, it is essential to note that surnames evolved over centuries, and their original meanings might not necessarily indicate the occupations or characteristics of individuals with those surnames today. Piechowicz is relatively rare and is prevalent in the northeastern regions of Poland.

Piechowicz: Where does the name Piechowicz come from?

The last name Piechowicz is most common today in Poland. According to the 2018 statistics from Poland’s Ministry of Interior and Administration, it is one of the most common surnames, with an estimated 13,078 residents having it. This puts it at number 175 on the list of over 7,400,000 surnames found in the country. It is most concentrated in the western part of the country, with over 8,700 people having it in the province of Wielkopolska, which encompasses the cities of Poznan and Zielona Gora. Further down the list of provinces, it is also popular in Łódź, with around 2,500 people having the last name there, and in Zachodniopomorskie, with over 1,100 people having it there.

Beyond Poland, the name is more rare, but those with the last name have been found in other Eastern European countries, such as Lithuania, Ukraine, and Belarus, as well as in countries like Germany, the United States, and Canada. In the US, the estimated number of people with the last name is only a few hundred, mostly found in large cities such as Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.

Piechowicz is also found in other parts of the world, but in much smaller numbers. It has been found in South America, most notably in Brazil, and in Asia, most notably in Japan. The name is usually seen in areas that have large numbers of immigrants from Eastern Europe.

Variations of the surname Piechowicz

The surname Piechowicz is a traditional Polish patronymic surname indicating that the original bearer of the surname was the son of someone named Piech. Piechowicz is most commonly spelled as such, though it can be found in a variety of other spellings, including Pieczyk, Piecki, Pieckiwicz, Pechowicz, Peczowicz, Peczkiwicz, Peczykiewicz, and Piechowski.

The largest concentrations of individuals with the Piechowicz surname can be found in, though not limited to, major cities in Poland like Tuchola, Wejherowo, Kartuzy, and Bytow as well as a number of small townships and villages such as Swiecie, Starogard Gdanski, and Jastarnia.

Regarding variants of the name, Pieczykowski and Pieczykier are both quite rare in their own right, while Pieczewski is actually not a variant of Piechowicz at all, but rather a surname from an entirely different toponymic origin that developed separately from Piechowicz. Additionally, Piecyk and Piechik are diminutive versions of the original surname Piechowicz, meaning they are versions of the name that were created affectionately by family members in order to refer to a loved one in a more endearing way.

It is also worth noting that there are a number of other surnames that stem from a similar origin point to the Piechowicz surname, but sound different due to their distinct geographical location. Surnames such as Peche, Pech, and Pecha are all derived from the same root as Piechowicz, but the different spellings occurred due to regional pronunciation differences. However, those who have adopted these surnames are believed to have descended from the same family group as the Piechowicz surname.

Famous people with the name Piechowicz

• Adam Piechowicz: an American physicist and professor.
• Natalia Piechowicz: a Polish black-metal vocalist and producer.
• Robert Piechowicz: an American sculptor and industrial designer.
• Jacek Piechowicz: a Polish painter and graphic designer.
• Kuba Piechowicz: a Polish actor and model.
• Wojciech Piechowicz: a Polish ice hockey player.
• Teresa Piechowicz: a Polish artist and illustrator.
• Katarzyna Piechowicz: a Polish athlete and Olympian.
• Janusz Piechowicz: a Polish sailor and Olympian.
• Jerzy Piechowicz: a Polish mathematician.
• Krzysztof Piechowicz: a Polish philologist and professor.

Other surnames

PiechowitzPiechowski