Chodko Jurewicz, chamberlain to Grand Duke Vytenis, was probably the ancestor of the whole clan and gave it the name Chodkiewicz, meaning "son of Chodzko". Surnames were not used in that time, but apparently later in history, the name Chodzko became a surname after Christianization of Chodzko Juriewicz, father of Iwan (later Jan) Chodkiewicz. They bore the Chodkiewicz coat of arms. In 1572, Jan Hieronimowicz Chodkiewicz converted from Calvinism to Roman Catholicism with his two sons, which made them the first Polonized generation of the once Lithuanian-Ruthenian family. Emperor Charles V granted them the title of Imperial Count.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chodkiewicz family.
External links
[1] Genealogy of Chodkiewicz family.
[2] Site about Chodkiewicz clan.
[3] Full interactive family tree (in Polish).
References
^Chester S. L. Dunning, Caryl Emerson, Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin, The Uncensored Boris Godunov, Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2007, SBN 0299207641, Google Print, p. 498
Kasper Niesiecki, Herbarz polski Kaspra Niesieckiego, Published by Waif, 1839, Google Print, p.48 (public domain)