Wolkwitz

Wolkwitz is a family name, or surname, of German or Germanic origins.

Meaning

"Witz" in this case is not the German word for joke, but is a Germanic variation on the Celtic prefix "Witz", "Wikz", or "Wicz" ("Wicz" being a Polish variation) meaning "son of" or "child of". Wolk in this case is a misspelling of the German word "Volk", meaning "people" or "nation". The surname is related to, or is a branch of the surnames Volkwitz, Volkowitz, and Wolkowitz (likely a result of poor documentation over time and variated spelling in differing regions of Germany). The translation of the surname would mean "People's Son" or "Nation's Son" in a combination of Germanized Celtic and middle-low German.

Original Distribution

The origin of the Wolkwitz family and surname comes from parts of southern Germany, as well as the Austrian and Swiss Alps and centralized in the modern Principality of Liechtenstein.

However, the majority of the family with Wolkwitz and related surnames emigrated to northern Germany and are documented in the areas of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg, Pomerania, Saxony, and Anhalt. While these are areas of concentration the Wolkwitz family spread throughout the entire modern nation of Germany.

Current Distribution

Many Wolkwitz and Volkwitz immigrants went to the United States in the late 19th century. Although they went together the members of the surname dispersed to various areas of America. Today, people with Wolkwitz, Wolkowitz, Volkwitz, and Volkowitz surnames can be found living in parts of Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

They can also be found living in Germany in Brandenburg, Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Saxony Anhalt. Wolkwitz and related surnames remain very uncommon in the US and Germany, with less than 300 people bearing them. It is likely that the different branches of the family are interrelated and come from a common ancestor in the Alps and Northern Germany though this is unknown. In the 20th century some members of the Volkovitz family living in New York changed their last name to Walker to avoid being treated poorly by those who held anti-Semitic beliefs.