Jankiewicz, pronounced as /jæŋkɪvɪts/ in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), is a Polish surname commonly found among people of Polish descent. The spelling of the word is a reflection of the Polish language's orthography, where "j" is pronounced like "y" in "yes," "ł" sounds like "w" in "water," and "cz" equals "ch" in "chat." The last syllable "-ewicz" is a common Polish suffix denoting a masculine noun or surname. Jankiewicz may be a variation of the Polish name Jan, meaning "God is gracious."
The word "Jankiewicz" is a Polish surname, and its etymology can be traced back to Poland. Surnames in Poland typically originated from one's personal name, occupation, or a characteristic trait.
"Jankiewicz" is a patronymic surname, derived from the given name "Janko" (a diminutive form of "Jan", which is the Polish equivalent of "John") combined with the suffix "-ewicz" or "-owicz". This suffix is a common element in many Polish surnames, denoting paternal descent, similar to the English "-son" or the Irish "-Mac" or "-O'".
Therefore, "Jankiewicz" literally means "son of Janko" or "son of Jan", indicating that it originally referred to the male offspring of someone named Janko or Jan.