The name is derived from such Polish place names (settlement names) as Zawada with the suffix -(s)ki and refers to a place of residence, origin or estate. It may also be derived from the personal name Zawada (derived from the Old Polish common noun zawada meaning ‘obstacle; punishment; hindrance') with the suffix -(s)ki, imitating the structure of surnames derived from place names with the suffix -ski, and refer to the connection with the father or another ancestor by that name. Variant: Zawacki.