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

Pollack, 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 Pollack surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pollack in America

Pollack is the 3959th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pollack surname appeared 8,977 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Pollack.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pollack 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 Pollack

The surname Pollack is of Polish origin, derived from the Polish word "Polak," meaning a person of Polish descent or nationality. It dates back to the Middle Ages and was initially used as an ethnic identifier.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Pollack can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in Poland. One notable reference is in the "Księga Henrykowska" (Book of Henryków), a medieval manuscript dating back to the late 13th century, which lists several individuals with the surname Pollack.

In the 15th century, the name Pollack began to appear in various regions of Central and Eastern Europe, including parts of modern-day Germany, Czech Republic, and Hungary, likely due to migration and trade routes. The spelling variations at that time included Polack, Pollak, and Pollacek.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Pollack was Jan Pollack, a Polish merchant and trader who lived in the city of Krakow in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Mikołaj Pollack, a Polish Renaissance architect and engineer who designed several prominent buildings in Krakow and other cities in the 16th century.

In the 17th century, the name Pollack began to appear in various records in England, likely due to immigration from continental Europe. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname in England was Thomas Pollack, who was born in London in 1632.

Another notable figure was Johann Pollack, an Austrian architect and engineer who lived from 1772 to 1838. He is best known for his work on the construction of the Semmering Railway, one of the first mountain railways in Europe.

In the 19th century, the name Pollack became more widespread in the United States and other parts of the world, primarily due to immigration from Europe. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Jackson Pollack, the renowned American painter and a leading figure in the abstract expressionist movement, who lived from 1912 to 1956.

Overall, the surname Pollack has a rich history and has been present in various regions of Europe and beyond for several centuries, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that shaped the modern world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pollack

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

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 Pollack 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 Pollack 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 Pollack was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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