Zieliński

Zieliński (feminine: Zielińska, plural Zielińscy) is the eighth most common surname in Poland, and one of the largest worldwide, numbering close to 91,043 persons. In Poland, the name is on books as having existed since at least the 15th century. Because the English alphabet does not use Polish diacritical marks, the name is spelled as simply "Zielinski."

Origin

Polish surnames ending in "-ski" are of a toponymic origin, meaning they identify someone as an inhabitant of a given community, and not through association with what the name's root meant. Thus, given the great number of similarly named localities, linguistically Zielin, Zielinca, Zieliniec and Zielińsk would be the most perfect matches. Some others might include Zieleniec, Zielinice, Zieleniew, Zieleniewo, Zieleń, Zielęcice, Zielięcin, Zielniczki, Zielniki and Zielona.

• Polish: a toponymic surname, stemming from the word zieleń, meaning the color green, or referring to vibrancy and youth. It also could have originated from the word 'zioło', meaning plant or herb.

• Jewish (Ashkenazic, from Poland): a habitational name for someone from places in Poland called Zielona or Zielonka, deriving from the root word meaning green.

• German: the name is also particularly well-established in Germany due to migration patterns over centuries. The Germanized version of this surname is Zelinsky or Saleznicky, usually found in the Silesia region.

Derivations

Alternate spellings include Zielinski in English, or Zielinsky, particularly amongst immigrants who anglicized the name for ease of communication:

• Zielęcki
• Zieleński
• Żelecheński
• Żeleński
• Żelesiński
• Żeleziński
• Żeleżyński
• Żeliński
• Żuliński
• Żyliński

The preceding forms are mutated versions of the surname 'Zieliński'. Due to regional influences and difference in regional dialects of Polish, or old Slavonic, various spellings exist. All could be taken to describe a dweller near a green area, or further in time, an inhabitant of a town with 'Ziel-' somewhere in its name

Clans and Polish Coats of Arms

Due to the sheer size and frequency distribution of the name, it is difficult to trace common origins or use of armigerous herby in the Polish clan system.

Notable Personalities

• Anna Zielinski, actress, most recently as Carly Victor on the TV series 'Bones'
• Damian Zieliński, Polish cyclist, finished 7th during 2004 Summer Olympics Men's Sprint
• Ewa Zielińska, Polish Paralympic athlete
• Jacek Zieliński, retired Polish national team soccer player and coach of Lechia Gdańsk in the Polish Ekstraklasa
• Lidia Zielińska, Polish composer
• Miroslaw F. Zieliński is the current Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Economic Affairs
• Anthony Zielinski is a Milwaukee Common Council Alderman and a Democratic Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
• Szilárd Zielinski was a famed Hungarian civil engineer
• Ingeborg W. Zielinski was elected Miss Curacao 1973 and participated in the Miss Universe 1973; she was elected the "Phenomena and Most Intelligent of the Universe". She is further known as the first member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the island who started and established the mission there.
• Tadeusz Stefan Zieliński was a prominent classical philologist, historian, translator of Sophocles, Euripides and other classical authors into Russian. He was the author of works on history of Ancient Greek culture and religion, classical education, and popularizaton of classical studies (published largely in Russian and German).
• Erich Zielinski (1942), former laywer, is a novelist who wrote three books (2004, 2008, 2009) in Dutch. Erich lives in Curacao.

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