Surname Petrowitz - Meaning and Origin

Petrowitz: What does the surname Petrowitz mean?

The last name Petrowitz is of German and Yiddish origin, meaning “son of Peter”. It is derived from the biblical name Peter, which is derived from the Greek petros meaning “stone". The name is often associated with the famous fisherman from the New Testament who was named "Peter".

In Medieval German, the woescing/von voss form of patronymic names developed, which is when the “son of” operator was added to a person’s first name. Thus, the patronymic name for "Paschk, son of Peter” became Petrowitz.

This surname has been found in various locations in Poland, Germany and Austria, but its earliest form was found in Bavaria. Petrowitz is rare as a family name and is most commonly found in Germany and the United States.

Immigrants bearing the surname Petrowitz often interchanged the spelling and transformed or anglicized the last name Petrowitz to "Petre”, “Petrick” and “Petrickow,” and in other cases the spelling was simply shortened to “Petz” or “Petzke.” In the United States, the spelling was typically Americanized to “Petrich” or “Petrowitz.”

The Petrowitz name is one that can be traced back to generations of faith, identity and loyalty, and today it continues to be a link to a rich family history.

Petrowitz: Where does the name Petrowitz come from?

The last name Petrowitz is most commonly found in Central and Eastern European countries, particularly in Poland. The name is likely derived from the Germanic given name Peter, which means “rock” or “stone”, with the suffix “-witz”, which indicates origin from a place name or a profession.

The highest numbers of individuals with the surname Petrowitz can be found in Poland, where it ranks 479th in common surname distributions. It is also common in countries such as Germany, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Romania, and the Czech Republic. In the United States, more than 1,700 people carry the surname Petrowitz, making it the 4,700th most frequently used surname in the country. Most individuals with this surname are of Jewish and Ashkenazi heritage.

The spelling of the surname Petrowitz may also vary from country to country and from region to region. It can be spelled as Petrowski, Petrovsky, Petrusky, Petrivskiv, and Petrovic. There is also a variant surname, Petrowitzky, which is a type of Jewish patronymic derived from Petrowitz.

Though the surname Petrowitz is not particularly widespread in many countries, it is still found in a number of places throughout Europe and the United States. With its origin in German, the name carries with it a rich history and heritage.

Variations of the surname Petrowitz

Petrowitz is an uncommon surname of German origin, primarily found in the country of Germany. Variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin include Pietrowitz, Petrowica, Pietrowic, Petrowic, Pietrowicz, Petrowicz, Pietrowiec, Petrowiec, Pitarowicz, Pitarovitz, Piterowicz, Piterovitz, Petrowitsch, Pietrowitzer, Petrowitzer, Pietrowitzky, Petrowitzky, and Petorowicz. Many of these variants have a Polish origin due to the long history of German settlement in Poland.

Pitarowitz is a commonly used hyphenated version of Petrowitz. This spelling indicates a traceable family line from the original surname, and may be used to mark the individual or family from which the hyphenated version arose. Petrowitz may also be spelled without the standard “z” at the end of the name, depending on the country of origin. Interestingly, this can sometimes depend on the language of the country, as is the case with the Czech Republic where the name often is spelled "Petrowic".

Many of these variant and spellings of Petrowitz may still be found in the same location today, though the prevalence of the surname has declined as people moved and intermarried with families from other locations. While the origin of the surname is believed to be German, its name can still be found outside of Germany. This is due to the fact that, as earlier mentioned, many of the non-German variants of this surname may have originated from countries with rich German history, such as Poland.

Famous people with the name Petrowitz

• Alexander von Petrowitz: Austrian anthropologist, philosopher and lawyer.
• Ernst Moritz Petrowitz: German theologian, poet and composer.
• Glenn Petrowitz: American rock musician, vocalist, songwriter and actor.
• Goran Petrowitz: Swedish author, award-winning animator and film director.
• Gustav Petrowitz: Austrian entrepreneur, educationist and industrialist.
• Henry Petrowitz: German engineer and inventor.
• Richard Petrowitz: German author, journalist and critic.
• Sabine Petrowitz: German Olympic skier.
• Wilhelm Petrowitz: German medical doctor, geology and paleontology scientist.
• Wolfgang Petrowitz: Austrian composer, music theorist and musicologist.

Other surnames

PetrowiczPetrowitsch