Wilkowske

Wilkowske (Will - cow - ski) is a Germanized (Prussian) spelling of the ancient Polish surname Wilkowski. The surname's origin is circa 15th to 16th century in the vicinity of Mrocz [http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&country=PL&addtohistory=&city=Mrocz] , Poland according to a recently published (2000) Wilkowske family history document authored by David R. Wilkowske.

The Justine Wilkowske family (ancestors to David R. Wilkowske) emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1850s from the Poznan [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/co/?id=poland] province in Poland. This family settled in Rice County, Minnesota near Morristown.

Numerous listings for both spellings are found in a typical Google search. As of 2 MAY 07 at 01:58 (UTC) 150,000 hits occurred for the Wilkowski spelling [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Wilkowski&btnG=Google+Search] and14,400 [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Wilkowske&btnG=Search] for Wilkowske.

Based on two different sources it appears that the Wilkowski [http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/fact.aspx?fid=7&ln=Wilkowski&fn=] surname is more common than the Wilkowske [http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/fact.aspx?&fid=7&ln=Wilkowske&fn=&yr=1880] surname.

One source lists the port of departure for Wilkowske immigrant families in the early 20th century. [http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=&gst=&rank=0&gsln=Wilkowske&db=nypl&f26=Poland&gss=angs-d&hc=10&fh=0&bsk=CIAAHUAEzbWK]

Another derivative is Wilkofsky (vill - "kov" - ski) which is how present day Polish and Slavic Eastern Europeans pronounce either Wilkowski or Wilkowske.