The name is derived from the Old Polish common noun świątek meaning ‘holiday' and in dialects ‘a saintly person' and refers to a characteristic feature (e.g. a saintly manner). It may also be derived from the given name Świątek (hypocoristic form of the given names Świętobor or Świętosław) with the patronymic suffix -ek and refer to the connection with the father or another ancestor by that name.