Lithuanian surnames often reflect familial, occupational, or geographical attributes, and are adorned with distinctive suffixes. They typically consist of two parts: the root or stem, and the suffix. The root or stem, which is the same for both males and females, is usually derived from the father's first name or from an ancestor's name. For instance, if a father's name is Jonas, the root of his child's surname could be 'Jon-', leading to 'Jonaitis' for a boy or 'Jonaitė' for a girl.
The suffixes differ depending on the gender and marital status of the person. For males, the most common suffixes added to the root are “-as,” “-is,” “-us,” “ys” or occasionally just an “-a” or “-ė.” For married females, the suffix "-ienė" is added regardless of the suffix of the husband’s surname. For unmarried females, the correct suffix depends on the suffix of the father’s name:
“-aitė” if the father’s surname ends in either “-as” or “a.”
“-utė” if the name ends in “-us.”
“-ytė” if the name ends in either “-is” or “ys.”
Old church metrical records before 1918, when the written Lithuanian language was standardized, may use different endings for married and unmarried females, such as “-ene” for married women or “-ike” for unmarried women, or the standard female suffixes used in Polish and Russian in the years the records were written in those languages for Catholic parishes or German for Lutheran Evangelical parishes.”
This naming convention is unique to Lithuania and is based on the country's historical and cultural traditions. It helps to distinguish between male and female surnames while also preserving the family name and lineage.
In old church records, there might be variations in the male suffix for members of the same family, with one of the normal shorter suffixes above replaced with either “-aitis,” “-avičius,” or “-evičius.” Sometimes people added it to a son’s version of the surname to help distinguish him from his father, especially if they shared a first name. For example, different church book entries for the father and various sons could be recorded as “Karalis,” “Karalaitis” and “Karalevičius” – and even different versions might be used for the same man in different years.
Also, the endings on all versions of a first name and a surname could be written seven different ways depending on the grammatical position of the name within the sentence because all nouns are declined in seven possible cases in both singular and plural forms. When tracing genealogical records, most attention should be paid to the root of the surname, and researchers should not discard an entry just because the suffix is not identical to previous records.
Family tombstones in cemeteries will often list the surname in plural form, and then list first names of family members below it. For example, the surname appearing on a grave marker for the Karalis family would be “Karaliai,” meaning multiple people named Karalis.
According to tradition, Lithuanians have two names: the given name and the surname, the latter of which is typically inherited from the father or, less frequently, the mother. When Christianity was introduced to Lithuania, people were given Christian names at baptism, which were typically used before the ethnic name.
As a result, surnames began to arise. This is how Lithuanians first acquired surnames with foreign origins. The first half of the 15th century saw the emergence of surnames among the upper classes, whereas the 17th century began the establishment of surnames among the peasants. In Lithuania, 50,000 surnames have currently been registered. Most of them are foreign-born, having originated as proper or common nouns in other languages.[1]
Like in most European cultures, the given name is the first component of a Lithuanian person's name, followed by the family name. In Lithuania, the use of names is generally determined by three main factors: civil law, canon law, and tradition, in addition to individual preference and family tradition.
Lithuanian names always adhere to linguistic conventions. Male first names in Lithuania still include the Indo-European masculine suffix (-as, -is, and -us). Female first names tend to end with a vowel. Even with foreign names, these gendered suffixes are maintained.[2]
Most popular Lithuanian surnames and their origins
Map of Poland.
Despite having Lithuanian ancestry, many modern day “Lithuanian” given or last names have undergone Latinization or Polonization. Latinization and Polonization are terms used to describe the process of changing names from Lithuanian to Latin or Polish. The priest writing the entries in the metrical records would typically convert names into their Latin or Polish equivalents.[3]
According to Behind the Name, the surname Kazlauskas or Lithuanian form of Kozłowski, is the most common in Lithuania.[4]
Below is an alphabetical list of the top 10 Lithuanian surnames[5]:
Adomaitis - This surname is patronymic for “son of Adomas” which is the Lithuanian form of the personal name “Adam.”
Banis - This name is derived from the personal name “Benediktus.” It is also sometimes used as a nickname for a hut dweller.
Dapkus - This Lithuanian surname is likely derived from the Polish and Belorussian personal name “Dobka.”
Gabrys - This surname is derived from the Polish given name “Gabrys” which means “strong man of God.”
Jonaitis - This Lithuanian last name is derived from the name “Jonas” which is the Lithuanian form of “Johannes.”
Kairys - This last name comes from a nickname used for left-handed people.
Kazlauskas - This is the most common surname in Lithuania. It is the Lithuanian form of the Polish name “Kozlowski.”
Lanka - This is a shortened version of the Lithuanian and Latvian last name “Lankauskas.”
Petrauskas - This Lithuanian surname is patronymic for “son of Peter.”
Zemaitis - This is a habitational name for someone who lives in the western region of Lithuania.
Origins of common Lithuanian surnames
Surnames with a Lithuanian or Baltic origin make up a relatively low percentage. The majority of the time, their roots may be found in old Lithuanian given names such as:
Even locations were transformed into names, like Bugailiskis "from Bugailiai."
Surnames with foreign ancestry arrived in Lithuania at various times and in various ways. Surnames may include Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Slavic, Germanic, Tatar, or other etymologies as their roots. Most Slavic, Germanic, and Jewish surnames are the result of direct contact with speakers of other languages. Other surnames, such as those of Greek, Roman, and Hebrew origin, are the result of interaction with speakers of a third language, typically one of the Slavic languages.[1]
Celebrities with Lithuanian surnames
These are just a few of the many well-known celebrities with Lithuanian surnames.
Alecia Beth Moore Hart performs under the name of PinkAlecia Beth Moore Hart (Pink) — Pink is an American pop singer and songwriter with Lithuanian, Irish, German, and Jewish origins.
Anthony Kiedis — Lead singer of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kiedis’s grandfather is of Lithuanian descent. His lineage also has Greek, English, French, Dutch, and Mohican ancestry.
Jason Sudeikis — American actor and comedian Jason Sudeikis has German, Irish, and a quarter Lithuanian ancestry.
Robert Zemeckis — Robert Zemeckis is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter of Lithuanian descent.
