The name is thought to be an occupational name, meaning "groom", or it may come from any number of places named Konary, which also comes from the Polish word for groom.
A deciding point was encountering Konrad Tom, who helped Konarski begin authoring poems and songs, as well as suggesting the "Ref-Ren" stage pseudonym.
Released, in March 1832 Konarski arrived in Besançon, France, where he took up clock making as a trade.