Kamiński
A Polish surname meaning someone from a place called Kamień or Kaminka, ultimately from the word for “stone” or “rock.”
The #2,553 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,816 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kamiński is a Polish surname formed from a place name, most likely referring to a person from a settlement called Kamień, Kaminka, or a similar locality. These place names come from Slavic words for “stone” or “rock,” so the name originally meant something like “from the stony place” or “of Kamień.” The final -ski is a common Polish surname ending that usually signals origin or association with a place.
History
The surname is strongly associated with Poland and appears in many Polish naming traditions as a classic locational surname. In German and other non-Polish records, the name is often written without the Polish accent marks as Kaminski. Because it is so common in Poland and among Polish emigrant communities, it is now found widely in North America and elsewhere.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The ending -ski was once a strong clue that a surname was tied to land or locality, especially in older Polish naming practice.
From the historical record
“stein Kochanski, aus Schönbora — Sxumborski usw. Noch häufiger jedoch wurde den deutschen ein polnischer, vom Besitz entlehnter Name hinzugefügt, so daß nun diese merk- würdigen Zwitter entstanden wie Stein von Kaminski y Otter feld-Rybtnski. Doch diese Maskierungen werden durch den Druck der mehr als…”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen