Wieczorek
A Polish surname from a word for “evening,” often originally a nickname for someone connected with the late day or with evening birth or work.
The #9,679 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 92,053 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Wieczorek is a Polish surname built on wieczór, meaning “evening,” with the diminutive ending -ek. In literal terms, it can suggest “little evening” or, more naturally as a name, “one associated with evening.” In surname use, such forms often began as nicknames or informal identifying labels rather than as direct descriptions.
History
The name is common in Poland and in Polish-descended communities abroad, especially in areas shaped by 19th- and 20th-century emigration. English-language surname dictionaries sometimes list it alongside other Polish names without much explanation, which is consistent with it being a recognizable East-Central European surname rather than an English native form. In modern use it is found mainly as an inherited family name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The final -ek ending is a very common Polish diminutive, so the name has a built-in “small/affectionate” flavor in its original language.
From the historical record
“AVhitten, AVhittlesey, AVholers, AA'ichman, Wick- ers, WiDGER and AVidgery, A\'idmer and AVidmor, AViechert, Wieczorek, AA^iegand, AViel, Wielage, AViEST, AVilfert, Wilkerson, Willacy, AVillet and Willett, Willims, AA^illwarth and AVillwert, AA'ilmarth, Wilmore; AVilmot, AVillmot, and AA^il-”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)