Serot

Recorded in several spellings including Serot, Serotzke, Serotska, Serotzki, Serotsky, Serowsky and probably others, this is a Polish-German surname. It is particularly well recorded in the famous city of Danzig on the Baltic Sea, a city which has been fought over for ownership since the very beginings of time. There are several possible meanings but the most likely is that the name originates from the Polish word 'serota' which can mean either the descendant of an orphan, or it may be a nickname for a person who was habitually late! Many surnames, some researchers say the majority, were originally nicknames, so either of these are possibilities. Another is the Russian word 'serin' meaning one with grey hair, and again a suitable subject for a nickname surname. It is also claimed that the surname may also be locational from a place in Poland called Serot. Few early church registers have survived the past century in most of Eastern Europe, and this name is no exception. However we have been able to find a few recordings in the surviving registers of the city of Danzig itself. These include Gerhard Serot, christened there on January 4th 1846, and Michael Serotski, christened on June 15th 1862.