Where does “Nowak” come from?
Nowak is a Polish surname derived from the adjective nowy meaning "new," formed with the Slavic suffix -akъ, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European néwos, the root for "new."
Ancestry of “Nowak”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Polish | Nowak | — |
| 2 | Polish | Nowy | — |
| 3 | Old Polish | nowy | — |
| 4 | Proto-Slavic | nòvъ | — |
| 5 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | náwas | new |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | náwas | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | néwyos | Alternative form of *néwos; new |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | néwos | new |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | new- | new; to nod, assent to |