Where does “Kowalski” come from?

Kowalski (German) comes from Polish Kowalski, from Polish -ski, from Old Polish -ski, from Proto-Slavic -ьskъ, from Proto-Indo-European -iskos — Characteristic of, typical of, pertaining to.

Ancestry of “Kowalski”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1PolishKowalskismith
2Polish-skiforms surnames; forms adjectives
3Old Polish-skiforms adjectives
4Proto-Slavic-ьskъ-ic, -ish
5Proto-Indo-European-iskosCharacteristic of, typical of, pertaining to
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -iskos →Every word from Polish -ski →Every word from Proto-Slavic -ьskъ →