Recorded as Kalin, Kalinka, Kalinski, Kalinsky, Kalinovsky (Polish), Kalina, Kalinikov, Kalinovich, Kalinkin (Russian), Kalinke (German) and other spellings, this is a surname which can be described as probably of Greek origins. It is what is generally known as a 'Crusader' name. That is to say a name brought back to Northern Europe by returning Crusader knights of the 12th century. These were soldiers who had joined one of the many expeditions lead by different European monarchs, to free the Holy Land and particularly Jerusalem from Muslim control. All attempts failed, often as with the famous King Richard, the Lionheart, costing the lives of the leaders themselves. This remained the position until the British obtained the Palestine Mandate in 1919, which lead eventualy to the creation of the Israeli State in 1948. This surname is believed to originate from the word 'kalina' meaning snow, although there is an alternative suggestion that it is from the Polish 'kalos' meaning fair and 'nike' meaning victory. In fact it may well be from both! As it happens there is also a place called Kalinow in Poland, and the surname certainly with the suffix of -ewski, -owsky, -ski or -sky, is locational from this place. The coat of arms most associated with the name has the blazon of a blue shield charged with an arrow in chief point up and in base three stars, all gold.

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