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Updated February 1, 2024

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Family name origins & meanings

  • Polish (Zieliński) : from zielony ‘green’, in various senses, or from zioło ‘herb’. As a Polish name it seems primarily to have been a nickname for a person with a sickly ‘greenish’ complexion. It may also have been a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in green, or who was ‘green’ in the sense of being immature or inexperienced. Additionally, it may be a habitational name from any of many place named with this word, Zielin, Zielenec, Zielińce, etc.
  • Jewish (from Poland) : habitational name for someone from places in Poland called Zielona or Zielonka; the place name derives from a root meaning ‘green’.

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