WARSHAW
Warshaw is a surname that originates from Poland. It is a habitational surname, indicating that its earliest bearers had a connection with the city Warsaw, the capital of Poland.
The name is an anglicised form of the Polish surname Warszaw, which literally means “from Warsaw.” Such geographically based surnames were common in medieval times, providing a means of identifying the place from which a person came.
In contemporary usage the surname Warshaw is most frequently found in the United States and in Israel. Within the United States it occurs in every region, although concentrations are greatest in the north‑east, particularly in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In Israel the surname is mainly associated with Ashkenazi Jews who migrated there after the Second World War, when a peak of Jewish immigration from Europe, especially from Poland, significantly increased the number of Warshaws. The name is also observed in Australia, having been introduced by Jewish immigrants who arrived in the mid‑nineteenth century. The small population of Warshaws in Australia makes the tracing of their origins more difficult.
The surname is part of an Eastern European heritage. Most families bearing the name Warshaw can trace their ancestry to Poland and other former Soviet states. The Polish form Warszawski is attested in records dating back to the sixteenth century, and the name has also been found outside of Poland, notably in Germany where a limited number of individuals adopted the alternative spelling Warschauer.
Varieties of the surname include Warszawa, Warschauder, Warsonawsky, Warzavitz, Warszekski and Warzaw. The forms Warschauder, Warszawa and Warzavitz all derive from the city of Warsaw, whereas Warsonawsky originates from the village of Warsonawy near Radom in southern Poland. Other related surnames that sometimes appear in records are Warszynski, Warshowsky and Warshafter.
Given the considerable number of orthographic variants and the extensive migration history associated with the Warshaw surname, thorough and exhaustive research is essential when attempting to ascertain its precise origins and lineage.
Typical given names associated with the Warshaw surname
Male
- Bart
- Mark
- Michael
- Nicholas
- Simon
Female
- Barbara
- Charlotte
- Deborah
- Lisa
- Sylvie
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Warshaw in...
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Warshaw are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Digestive.
There are approximately 61 people named Warshaw in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around one in a million people in Britain are named Warshaw.
