Itzkowich

Itzkowich is a surname of Ashkenazi Jewish origin. It is generally treated as a patronymic formed from the given name Itzik, a Yiddish diminutive of Yitzhak (Hebrew Isaac), combined with a Slavic suffix such as -owicz or -ovich, yielding a meaning akin to “son of Itzik.” The spelling Itzkowich reflects transliteration from Polish, Ukrainian, or Belarusian-influenced orthographies. The root Itzik is common in Jewish communities across central and eastern Europe, contributing to multiple related surnames in the region.

Geographic and demographic distribution. The name appears in historical records within Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine, with later concentrations in Israel and in North American Jewish communities after waves of migration in the 19th and 20th centuries. Related spellings—Itzkowicz, Itskovich, Itzkowitz, Itzkovich, and others—emerge from the same root in different languages and alphabets.

Notability and records. Itzkowich and its variants are relatively uncommon today. In genealogical sources, the surname is typically encountered in passenger lists, civil registries, and synagogue records; tracing a specific family line often requires documentation across different languages and regions.