Borowski
A Polish surname most often meaning “from the pine forest” or “from Borów/Bory,” a place-name tied to woods or pine groves.
The #8,609 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 80,802 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Borowski is a Polish surname built from the place-name element bor- / bór, meaning a pine forest or conifer woods. It typically signaled someone who came from a place called Borów, Bory, or a similar settlement name formed from that word. In effect, the name means “person from the forested place” or “of Borów.”
History
This is a very common Polish surname pattern: a locative name with the suffix -ski, originally used for people associated with a particular estate, village, or region. Many Borowskis in modern use likely descend from several independent families who took the name from different places with the same forest-related root. The surname is also found among Polish diaspora communities in North America and elsewhere.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The root bor- is one of several Slavic words connected with forests, so the surname has a distinctly woodland flavor.