Find out how popular the last name Jerzak is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Jerzak.

Jerzak, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Jerzak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jerzak in America

Jerzak is the 47614th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jerzak surname appeared 445 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Jerzak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jerzak to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Jerzak

The surname JERZAK is of Polish origin, with roots dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the Polish word "jeż," which translates to "hedgehog." This suggests that the surname may have initially been a nickname or descriptive name for someone with spiky hair or a prickly demeanor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the JERZAK surname can be found in the Akta Grodzkie, a collection of court records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where a certain Jan JERZAK is mentioned in a document dated 1498. This provides evidence that the name was in use during the late medieval period in the region.

In the 16th century, the JERZAK surname appeared in various parish records and tax registers across different regions of Poland. For instance, a Maciej JERZAK was listed as a landowner in the village of Kościelec in the Sandomierz Voivodeship in 1564.

The JERZAK name has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Jan JERZAK, a Polish military commander who fought against the Swedish invasion during the Deluge (1655-1660). He played a crucial role in the defense of Krakow and was renowned for his bravery and strategic skills.

Another prominent bearer of the JERZAK surname was Stanisław JERZAK (1836-1916), a Polish painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and portraits. He studied at the School of Fine Arts in Krakow and later became a professor at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts.

In the 19th century, the JERZAK name was found in various regions of Poland, including the Galicia region (now part of Ukraine) and the Prussian partition. For example, Józef JERZAK (1819-1892) was a Polish priest and historian who served as the rector of the University of Lviv (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire).

The surname JERZAK has also been associated with several localities in Poland, such as the village of Jerzaki in the Pomeranian Voivodeship and the town of Jerzewo in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

It is worth noting that variations of the JERZAK surname, such as JERZYKOWSKI and JERZYK, have also been documented in historical records, suggesting the name has evolved and been adapted in different regions of Poland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jerzak

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Jerzak.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Jerzak was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Jerzak has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Jerzak was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jerzak, please contact us.

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