Olszewski
A Polish surname meaning someone from a place with alder trees, or from a place called Olszewo/Olszewa.
The #6,164 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 55,590 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Olszewski is a Polish habitational surname built from place names such as Olszewo, Olszewa, or similar forms. These place names are generally connected with Polish olsza, meaning "alder," so the name originally pointed to a person from an alder-associated settlement or landscape. The ending -ski is a common Polish surname suffix meaning "of" or "from," especially in older local or landed naming traditions.
History
The surname is strongly associated with Poland and Polish diaspora communities, especially in the United States, where it is found in immigrant and descendant families. As with many Polish -ski surnames, it likely began as a designation of origin and later became hereditary. English-language records sometimes simplified or altered its spelling, but Olszewski remains the standard form.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The root olsza, “alder,” appears in many Polish place names, so this surname is part of a large family of nature-based habitational names.