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Jeż Surname Meaning & Origin

What the Jeż last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.

Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Jeż coat of arms for you.

Meaning and origin of the Jeż last name

Meaning of the Jeż last name: hedgehog. Jeż is a Polish surname from jeż, "hedgehog", a nickname for a prickly, touchy man or one with bristly hair. The last name is found across Poland. Curiously, Teodor Tomasz Jeż was the pen name of a popular nineteenth-century Polish novelist.

Arms associated with the Jeż name

Polish heraldry favours horseshoes, arrows and crosses, and coats of arms associated with the Jeż name, each with its blazon, follow that style.

Get your full Jeż family history

This is only a glimpse of the Jeż story. The full Jeż history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Jeż coat of arms. Get the full Jeż report.

Jeż name FAQ

What does the Jeż name mean?

Hedgehog. Common variants include Jez, Jeżewski.

Where does the Jeż surname come from?

It originates in Poland, and is also found in the United States and Germany.

Is there a Jeż coat of arms?

Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Jeż coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.

Sources: Rymut, Nazwiska Polaków; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).