Surname Sowinsky - Meaning and Origin
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Sowinsky: What does the surname Sowinsky mean?
Sowinsky is a Polish surname with a number of variants including Sowiński, Sowińska, Sowinska, and Sowińskaya. Its meaning is derived from the old Slavic word “sowin”, meaning “a herdsman”. Sowinsky is believed to have originated in the village of Sowinki in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It is thought that the name was borne by those belonging to a family of herdsmen, tending to the village's flocks of sheep.
Sowinsky family members were part of the nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and exercised administrative control over the people living in the villages around Sowinki. The nobles of the Sowinsky family were well-respected landowners and held positions of of great importance such as Senator, Justice of the Peace, and Castellan. During the First Partition of Poland in 1772, the family was divided and members of the clan spread throughout the continent.
Today, Sowinsky is a fairly common name throughout Poland, as well as places formerly part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, such as Lithuania, Russia, and Belarus. Sowinsky is also found in other countries like Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the United States of America. Within these countries, variants of the surname are used due to intermarriage and immigration, often replacing the original Polish “Sowinsky” with “Saving”, “Savin”, or “Savine”. This is the case for Sowinsky family members living in the USA, yet they remain proud of their ancestral roots and fondly remember their Polish heritage.
Order DNA origin analysisSowinsky: Where does the name Sowinsky come from?
The last name Sowinsky is of Slavic origin and is most commonly found in eastern European countries. It is believed to be derived from the root word “Sowina”, which is a combination of the words “so” and “win”. Both words together translate to mean “the son of victory”. Variations of this last name are found in countries such as Poland, Ukraine, Croatia, and Hungary.
In Poland, almost 2000 people have this last name, making it the 61st most common one in the country. Most people with this name live in the Conurbation of Tricity and Nova Huta. In Ukraine, the name is slightly less common and can be found among the 500 most popular family names. It is much less common in Croatia, with fewer than 100 people living there with the last name Sowinsky. The same is true in Hungary, where it is also not very common.
The last name is also present in countries like the United States, Germany, and Canada, although it is much rarer than in eastern European countries. Many people with this last name who have settled in these countries have changed the spelling to a more western version, such as “Sowensky”.
Overall, the last name Sowinsky is still quite common in eastern European countries, but it is much rarer in others.
Variations of the surname Sowinsky
The surname Sowinsky has a variety of common variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin.
The spelling of the surname Sowinsky commonly appears in records as Szwinski, Sowinski, Swynczewsk, Szwinevsky, and Szwintowski. Other variations, including Szwinsevsky, Szwinsewski, Szwinepski, Szwinczewski, Szwinefski, Szwinefsky, and Szwinvski all derive from the same root.
In some countries, such as Germany and Russia, the surname is transliterated to Svinski, Swinski, and Svinsky. In the United States, it is spelled Sweezey, Sweazy, and Sweazy. In the United Kingdom, the spelling is Sowinska, Swinska, and Swinskey.
There are also various name variants related to the Sowinsky surname that originate from different countries and cultures. In the UK, the variants Sovensky, Swensky, Swinski, and Svinskiyo can be found. In Germany, the surname variants Schweinsky, Schwieniff, Schweinfur, and Schwienig can be found. In Poland the variants Szwienik, Szwincicki, Szwintkowski, and Szwinovsky can be found.
In conclusion, the Sowinsky surname has numerous different variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. These include Szwinski, Sowinski, Swynczewsk, Svinski, Sweezey and Sovensky amongst others, and originate from a variety of countries and cultures.
Famous people with the name Sowinsky
- Jan Sowiński: world renowned Polish author
- Tadeusz Sowiński: world-renowned Polish horseman
- Paweł Sowiński: Polish actor
- Kasia Sowińska: Polish TV presenter and actress
- Wojtek Sowiński: Polish journalist and documentary filmmaker
- Janusz Sowiński: Polish rugby player
- Wiktor Sowiński: Polish sports journalist
- Katarzyna Sowińska: Polish illustrator and story artist
- Przemysław Sowiński: Polish entrepreneur and software engineer
- Philip Sowinsky: American retired vice president of human resources for Coca Cola USA