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Q: What is the origin of the name Yarmovsky?
A: Alexander Bieder's book, A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Russian Empire, shows Yarmovskij as a name found in the voting districts of Vilna, Novogrudok, Slonim and Zhitomir with a reference to see Irmes. For Irmes, it is indicated that the derivation "is from the given name Irmiya ('irmye' in Yiddish). The original Hebrew form of this given name is 'jirmijohu' (Jeremiah 1:1)." Yarmovskij is shown as a variant of the given name of Ermiya ('yermye' in Yiddish). In Alfred Kolatch's book, The Complete Dictionary of English and Hebrew First Names, the listing for Yirmeyahu states "From the Hebrew, meaning "God will raise up." In the Bible (Jeremiah 1:1), the Prophet who along with Isaiah was a giant among the Prophets of Israel. Jeremiah is the Anglicized form...Yeremai and Yirmeya are variant forms." To summarize, Yarmovsky is a variant of the male given name (i.e., first name) Yirmeya or Ermiya, which itself is a variant name of Yirmeyahu. It appears to be correct to say that Yarmovsky is derived from the Hebrew form of Jeremiah. In Alfred Kolatch's book under Jeremiah, it is noted that "Jeremiah is one of six Hebrew Prophets whose name is mentioned as a personal name in the Talmud."

Q: Are all persons with the surname Yarmovsky related to each other?
A: It seems unlikely. However, it does seem likely that Yarmovsky's that came from the same area may be related. Shmuel David Yarmovsky may be related to other Yarmovsky's that came from the area of Lida and Dyatlovo (previously known as Zdzieciol or Zhetl) or from Bialystok.

Q: What is known about Shmuel David Yarmovsky's parents and siblings?
A: Very little. Shmuel David's father was Hillel. Shmuel David named his first child Hillel (born in 1866 when Shmuel David was 26) thus making it likely that Shmuel David's father was not living at the time. This suggests that Shmuel David's father may have died at a relatively young age and that Shmuel David may have had few siblings. There is a family story about a brother of Shmuel David's emigrating to Chicago although no other evidence of that has yet been found. In addition, a relative of Shmuel David or Hene lived in New York and was married to an Aretsky (they had 3 daughters). A 1928 Bialystok deed from Shmuel David Yarmovsky to Rachel Sapiro referenced a debt to Icko Ber Yarmovsky. Icko Ber was certainly a relative of Shmuel David's and possibly was a brother.

Q: Are there any family traits common to the Yarmovsky line?
A: Yarmovsky's are sometimes long-lived. It is not uncommon for family members to live well into their 90's.

Q: How is Yarmovsky spelled in Hebrew?
A: The following is Yarmovsky as shown on Shmuel David Yarmovsky's gravestone:

Q: How is Yarmovsky spelled in Polish?
A: Jarmowska.