Polak
A surname meaning “Pole” or “person from Poland,” often used as an ethnic identifier.
The #9,780 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 93,192 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Polak is a Slavic ethnonym that means “Pole,” i.e. a person from Poland. The name entered Germanic-language surname use in forms such as Dutch and German Polak/Polack, ultimately reflecting the Slavic word for a Pole. In some cases it was simply a label for someone from Poland; in Jewish communities of the Netherlands and neighboring areas, it also became a common surname for families associated with Polish origin.
History
19th-century surname dictionaries treat Polak as an ethnic name and note its use in Dutch, German, and related contexts. The form appears frequently in Dutch records, especially among Jewish families, though some non-Jewish bearers are also recorded. Related spellings such as Polack and Pollack became established in English-speaking areas, sometimes with the same meaning and sometimes as separate family names.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books sometimes gloss Polak simply as “native of Poland,” showing how directly it functioned as an ethnic label.
From the historical record
“POLACK \ ( Teut.-Slav. ) Pole, Polander POLAK J [Dan.-Norw. PoM, Swed. PolUck ; of Slavonic origin, as Russ. Polydk(e, Polander] To be a preparation 'gainst the Polack. — Hamlet, IL ii. 63. POLAND (A.-SIav.) Bel. to Poland, the Fr.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)