Family name origins & meanings
- Polish and Jewish (from Poland) : habitational name from any of various places called Potok.
- Polish : topographic name for someone who lived by a brook or stream, Polish potok.
- This name is borne by one of the most distinguished Polish noble families, among whose members have been many statesmen, military commanders, and writers. Forebears of the Potocki family were already prominent in Polish society in the 13th century.