Brzezinski
Encyclopedia
Brzeziński is a Polish
surname
derived from the root word "brzoza" ("brzez-" in some compound words), meaning "birch
". The adjective suffix "ski" means "being like" or "belonging to", so Brzeziński refers to a person from one of the localities named for a concentration of birch trees, such as Brzezina, (a small village in Western Pomerania). In Polish, Brzeziński has an accent mark over the letter "ń", making the Polish pronunciation "bzhe-ZEEN-ski".
The Brzeziński surname was originally borne only by the szlachta
, the Polish
noble
class, who took their names from their estates, but it later spread to the working and peasant
classes as well. It is known to be associated with at least nine different coats of arms
:
There were 25,361 persons with the name Brzeziński in Poland in 1990. The name has been borne by numerous notable Poles and persons of Polish descent, including:
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
derived from the root word "brzoza" ("brzez-" in some compound words), meaning "birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
". The adjective suffix "ski" means "being like" or "belonging to", so Brzeziński refers to a person from one of the localities named for a concentration of birch trees, such as Brzezina, (a small village in Western Pomerania). In Polish, Brzeziński has an accent mark over the letter "ń", making the Polish pronunciation "bzhe-ZEEN-ski".
The Brzeziński surname was originally borne only by the szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
, the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
noble
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
class, who took their names from their estates, but it later spread to the working and peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
classes as well. It is known to be associated with at least nine different coats of arms
Polish heraldry
Polish heraldry is a branch of heraldry focused on studying the development of coats of arms in the lands of historical Poland , as well as specifically-Polish traits of heraldry. The term is also used to refer to Polish heraldic system, as opposed to systems used elsewhere, notably in Western Europe...
:
- Dołęga coat of arms (originating in eastern Poland)
- Doliwa coat of arms (originating in Łęczyca)
- Gryf coat of arms (borne by the two Brzeziński families ennobled by the Tsar in his role as "King of Poland" in the 19th century)
- Kościesza coat of arms
- Łabędź coat of arms (originating in SandomierzSandomierzSandomierz is a city in south-eastern Poland with 25,714 inhabitants . Situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously in Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Sandomierz County . Sandomierz is known for its Old Town, a major tourist attraction...
) - Lubicz coat of arms (originating in Płock)
- Prus III coat of arms
- Trąby coat of arms (originating in KrakówKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
) - Zabawa coat of arms
There were 25,361 persons with the name Brzeziński in Poland in 1990. The name has been borne by numerous notable Poles and persons of Polish descent, including:
- Tadeusz BrzezińskiTadeusz BrzezinskiTadeusz Brzeziński was a Polish consular official and the father of President Jimmy Carter's national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski....
Polish diplomat and soldier (Trąby coat of arms). Trapped at his diplomatic post in Canada by the German and Soviet invasions of Poland, he settled there and has left several prominent North American descendants:- Zbigniew BrzezinskiZbigniew BrzezinskiZbigniew Kazimierz Brzezinski is a Polish American political scientist, geostrategist, and statesman who served as United States National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981....
Polish-American strategist, professor and former National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter. He has several prominent children, including:- Mika BrzezinskiMika BrzezinskiMika Emilie Leonia Brzezinski is an American television news journalist at MSNBC. Brzezinski is co-host of MSNBC's weekday morning program Morning Joe, where she provides regular commentary and reads the news headlines for the program...
newsanchor and correspondent, perhaps best known for her live coverage of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks - Ian BrzezinskiIan BrzezinskiIan Joseph Brzezinski is a Senior Fellow in the International Security Program and is on the Atlantic Council’s Strategic Advisors Group.During George W. Bush presidency of the United States, he served as Deputy Assistant United States Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO Policy . Brzezinski...
, former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Affairs, now a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton - Mark BrzezinskiMark BrzezinskiMark Francis Brzezinski is an American lawyer, diplomat, and foreign policy expert who has been confirmed as Ambassador to Sweden by the United States Senate. He is the son of Polish-born former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski and the grandson of Polish diplomat Tadeusz Brzeziński...
, prominent attorney, constitutional scholar, and foreign policy expert
- Mika Brzezinski
- Lech Brzezinski, Polish-Canadian engineering executive; younger brother to Zbiginiew and father of:
- Matthew Brzezinski, author and journalist.
- Zbigniew Brzezinski
- Emilie Benes BrzezinskiEmilie Benes BrzezinskiEmilie Benes Brzezinski, born Emilie Anna Benes in 1932 in Geneva, Switzerland, is an American sculptor.-Education and career:Emilie Benes earned a fine arts degree at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, United States...
sculptor; married to Zbigniew Brzezinski. - Richard Brzezinski, London-born military historian focusing on the armies of early modern Poland and Sweden, as well as Eurasian nomadsEurasian nomadsEurasian nomads are a large group of peoples of the Eurasian Steppe. This generic title encompasses the ethnic groups inhabiting the steppes of Central Asia, Mongolia, and Eastern Europe. They domesticated the horse, and their economy and culture emphasizes horse breeding, horse riding, and a...
. - Franciszek Brzeziński, Polish composer
- Mieczysław Brzeziński, Polish naturalist
- Tadeusz Brzeziński, Polish physician
- Wacław Brzeziński, Polish lawyer
- Jerzy Marian Brzeziński, Polish psychologist, methodologist
- Józef Piotr Brzeziński, Polish biologist
- Stefan Julian Brzeziński, Polish education activist, engineer
- Anna Maria Brzezińska-Skarzyńska, Polish photographer
- Michael August Brzezinski, American chemist
- Anton BrzezińskiAnton BrzezinskiAnthony "Anton" Edward Brzezinski is a Polish American artist born in Riverside, California.Brzezinski is known worldwide with collectors as "The Living Dali" or "The Polish Picasso" through his surrealist and cubist works of art....
, Polish artist