Jordanowski name

How about the name Jordanoski? What can you tell me about that?

Anglicized form of Jordanowski. The name itself dates back to early 1400's, it's derived from a place name Jordanowice, which still exist today under the name of Wiardunki.

Interesting, but why do you think so? Any sources? If you took it from the "Stankiewicze" web page, there is indeed the following entry:

Jardanowski - 1405 od nazwy miejscowej Jordanowice, dziś Wiardunki (pilskie, gmina Ryczywół).
Jardanowski - 1405, from the nameplace Jordanowice, today Wiardunki, Ryczywół community, district of Piła.
stankiewicze.com/index.php?kat=44&sub=530

However this seems like a free-for-all interpretation. I say it because there are also three places in Poland named Jordanów, two - Jordanowo and one - Jordanów Śląski - all of which could serve as a prototype for the name Jordanowski:

1. village Jordanów, Brzeziny community , district of Brzeziny, £ódź Province
2. village Jordanów, Gąbin community, district of Płock , Masovian Province
3. town of Jordanów, Jordanów community, district (suski) of Sucha Beskidzka, Małopolska Province
4. village Jordanów Śląski, Jordanów Śląski community, district of Wrocław, Wrocław Province
5. village Jordanowo, Złotniki Kujawskie community, district of Inowrocław, Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province
6. village Jordanowo, Świebodzin community, district of Świebodzin, Lubuskie Province

Of those six places Jordanów #3(Sucha Beskidzka) has been established by Wawrzyniec Spytek Jordan from Zakliczyn in 1564. Jordanów #1 (Brzeziny) has been established in 1832 by Jan Suchecki, Poraj coat of arms; it was named after his mother Magdalena primo voto Jordan, Trąby coat of arms.

What makes those two places interesting is the common connection: family: Jordan, coat of arms: Trąby, the house seat: Zakliczyn. See Jordanowie, pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordanowie

One of the best known members of the Jordan family was Henryk Jordan (1842-1907), professor at Jagiellonian University, doctor and social activist, creator of the idea of so-called Jordan Gardens - unique to Polish Partitions and later to Poland, and unseen anywhere else in Europe at those times. Henryk Jordan was born into an impoverished noble family from the village of Zakliczyn, district of Tarnów.

pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henryk_Jordan

Ogródki/Ogrody/Parki Jordanowskie, anyone?

So, at least one village and one town has been named after a noble family Jordan. Question is, where the Jordanowski name really came from? A name of a peasant, an artisan, a Jew from any of those villages/towns, an illegitimate child of one of those noble Jordans? Someone related by trade to the network of Jordan Gardens?

Does that really surprise you? Way back then, the name itself would indicate that this person was an owner of that village, most likely of noble heritage himself or warrior class who has been given the ownership of this particular place. That’s as far back in time as documentation allowed Janusz Stankiewicz to trace this clan. The family fortune or lack of it throughout history is irrelevant, so is establishment of any settlements by this clan or acquisitions of new estates which they may have renamed. This is where the written documentation for the bearers of this name begins in Poland.


You would have to trace the origins of the name Jordan as it is found in the Bible, but naming a town or village for some Biblical place is not that unusual in Poland as well as other countries so good luck with that. As for what branch of this family the person who asked this question came from requires tracing his own ancestors as far back as he can, that’s where the fun begins. He could find his family is not related to that clan at all but bears the name coincidently as they adapted it themselves being from one of the places you mentioned. Of course he could be any of those and only he could answer that question by doing the research on his ancestors but that’s not what he asked for, is it?

JORDANOWSKI: root-word biblical River Jordan; topo nick from several Polish localities called Jordanów, Jordanowo, Jordanki, etc.