POLLAK
The surname Pollak traces its roots back to Central and Eastern Europe, particularly the Czech, Polish and Slovak regions. Its etymology is derived from the word polák, the Czech and Slovak term meaning “Polish person” in English. The name was traditionally applied to individuals of Polish descent or to those residing near the frontier between Poland and the Czech or Slovak Republics.
The name is also associated with Jewish communities throughout Central and Eastern Europe. In Yiddish, the word pollak translates as “little” or “small”; it was adopted as a surname in the medieval period to identify either a person of modest stature or someone belonging to a small family. Numerous records exist of bearers of the name in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Russia and other Slavic‑speaking territories, as well as in the United States, South Africa, Australia, Israel and Canada.
Early documentation of the surname appears in German registers, for example Elisabet Pollack, christened at Dortmund, Westfalen, on 10 February 1664, and Christian Pohlack, christened at Berlin Stadt, Brandenburg, on 16 July 1722. A later example is the record of Bernhard Polak and his wife Agnes, who witnessed the christening of their daughter Anna Margaretha Polak in Rensselaer, Brunswick, N.Y., on 10 December 1777. This demonstrates that the surname was among the earliest German names to appear in the colonies of the United States during the period of Independence (1771‑1783).
In the Czech Republic the name Pollak is one of the nine hundred most common surnames. In Austria it is ranked within the top forty, while in Hungary it appears among the two hundred most common surnames. Germany records it as one of the nine hundred most common surnames, and in the Scandinavian and United Kingdom it is comparatively rare, rarely breaking into the top one hundred thousand surnames. The surname occurs in Israel, Australia and Canada among the top one hundred thousand surnames, with Australia having the highest concentration, where it is one of the fifteen thousand most common surnames.
Several spelling variants have arisen over time, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the region. These include Pollack, Pollok, Pollick, Polack, Polackovitch, Polikowsky, Poliske and Polichor. The Germanised forms, such as Pohlack and Boelecke, also appear in historic records. In English-speaking countries of the nineteenth century the spelling Pollack was often adopted, while in the United States and Canada the Pollak form remains widespread.
Thus, the surname Pollak reflects a confluence of ethnic, linguistic and migratory histories. Its prevalence across Slavic, Germanic and Jewish communities, together with its documented presence from the Nineteenth‑century colonial period to contemporary global diaspora, underscores the surname’s enduring legacy in the cultural tapestry of Europe and beyond.
Typical given names associated with the Pollak surname
Male
- David
- Joseph
- Mark
- Martin
- Michael
- Milan
- Peter
- Robert
- Stefan
- Thomas
Female
- Alice
- Anne
- Barbara
- Beatrice
- Catalina
- Chava
- Coral
- Doreen
- Gittel
- Hannah
- Margaret
- Mia
- Naomi
- Samantha
- Veronica
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Pollak in...
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There are approximately 254 people named Pollak in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around four in a million people in Britain are named Pollak.
Religion of origin: Jewish
Language of origin: Hebrew
Famous people named Pollak
- Kevin Pollak - American actor and comedian
- Anna Pollak - Opera singer (1912 to 1996)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.