Žilinskienė

Žilinskienė is a Lithuanian feminine surname, the married form of Žilinskas. In Lithuanian naming tradition, the suffix -ienė is appended to a husband's surname to denote a married woman, while -aitė (as in the variant Žilinskaitė) is used for unmarried women.

Etymology and Origin

The root surname Žilinskas is a Lithuanian form of the Polish surname Zieliński. The Polish name derives from zieleń meaning "green" and likely originated as a nickname for someone who often wore green clothing or lived near greenery. The Slavic counterparts include Polish Żyliński, Russian Zhilinsky (Жилинский), and Belarusian Žylinski (Жылінскі). In Lithuanian, the name may also be related to Žilys, though the exact connection is uncertain.

Distribution and Usage

Žilinskienė is exclusively used in Lithuania as a feminine married surname. The form signifies the woman's marital status, reflecting a traditional Baltic naming pattern. The base surname Žilinskas is shared by notable individuals such as Jonas Žilinskas (Lithuanian military officer), Egidijus Žilinskas (judoka), and Rokas Žilinskas (journalist and politician). Notable bearers of the feminine married form include Jurga Žilinskienė MBE (British Lithuanian entrepreneur) and Nelė Žilinskienė (Olympic high jumper). The feminine unmarried variant appears in writer Vytautė Žilinskaitė.

Related Surnames

The surname has cognates in other Slavic languages: Polish Zielińska (feminine) and Zieliński (masculine), Czech Zelenka and Zelenková, and Ukrainian Zelenko. All share a connection to the color green or fresh vegetation.

• Meaning: Feminine married form of Žilinskas, ultimately from "green"
• Origin: Lithuanian (via Polish Zieliński)
• Type: Feminine married surname
• Usage Regions: Lithuania