Brzeziński

Brzeziński is a Polish surname derived from the root word "brzoza" ("brzez-" in some compound words), meaning "birch". The adjective suffix "ski" means "being like" or "belonging to", so Brzeziński refers to a person from one of the localities named for a concentration of birch trees, such as Brzezina, (a small village in Western Pomerania). In Polish, Brzeziński has an accent mark over the letter "ń", making the Polish pronunciation "bzhe-ZEEN-ski".

The Brzeziński surname was originally borne only by the szlachta, the Polish noble class, who took their names from their estates, but it later spread to the working and peasant classes as well. It is known to be associated with at least nine different coats of arms:

• Dołęga coat of arms (originating in eastern Poland)
• Doliwa coat of arms (originating in Łęczyca)
• Gryf coat of arms (borne by the two Brzeziński families ennobled by the Tsar in his role as "King of Poland" in the 19th century)
• Kościesza coat of arms
• Łabędź coat of arms (originating in Sandomierz)
• Lubicz coat of arms (originating in Płock)
• Prus III coat of arms
• Trąby coat of arms (originating in Kraków)
• Zabawa coat of arms

There were 25,361 persons with the name Brzeziński in Poland in 1990. The name has been borne by numerous notable Poles and persons of Polish descent, including:

• Tadeusz Brzeziński Polish diplomat and soldier (Trąby coat of arms). Trapped at his diplomatic post in Canada by the German and Soviet invasions of Poland, he settled there and has left several prominent North American descendants:
  • Zbigniew Brzezinski Polish-American strategist, professor and former National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter. He has several prominent children, including:
    • Mika Brzezinski newsanchor and correspondent, perhaps best known for her live coverage of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks
    • Ian Brzezinski, former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Affairs, now a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton
    • Mark Brzezinski, prominent attorney, constitutional scholar, and foreign policy expert
  • Lech Brzezinski, Polish-Canadian engineering executive; younger brother to Zbiginiew and father of:
    • Matthew Brzezinski, author and journalist.
• Emilie Benes Brzezinski sculptor; married to Zbigniew Brzezinski.
• Richard Brzezinski, London-born military historian focusing on the armies of early modern Poland and Sweden, as well as Eurasian nomads.
• Franciszek Brzeziński, Polish composer
• Mieczysław Brzeziński, Polish naturalist
• Tadeusz Brzeziński, Polish physician
• Wacław Brzeziński, Polish lawyer
• Jerzy Marian Brzeziński, Polish psychologist, methodologist
• Józef Piotr Brzeziński, Polish biologist
• Stefan Julian Brzeziński, Polish education activist, engineer
• Anna Maria Brzezińska-Skarzyńska, Polish photographer
• Michael August Brzezinski, American chemist
• Anton Brzeziński, Polish artist