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

Pollak, 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 Pollak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pollak in America

Pollak is the 8453rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pollak surname appeared 3,908 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Pollak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pollak 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 Pollak

The surname Pollak originates from the Czech Republic and Poland, emerging in the Middle Ages around the 13th century. It is derived from the Polish word "polak," meaning "a person from Poland." This surname was likely given to individuals who moved from Poland to other regions, identifying their place of origin.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pollak dates back to 1389, when a merchant named Jan Pollak was mentioned in a document from the city of Prague. Another early reference can be found in the Bременник, an old East Slavic chronicle from the 15th century, which mentions a nobleman named Fyodor Pollak.

In the 16th century, the name Pollak appeared in various records across Central and Eastern Europe. One notable bearer was Andrzej Pollak (1516-1572), a Polish diplomat and scholar who served as the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.

During the 17th century, the surname Pollak spread to other parts of Europe. In 1624, a merchant named Jakob Pollak was recorded in the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Another notable figure was Johann Pollak (1633-1701), a German composer and organist from Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland).

The 18th century saw the emergence of several prominent individuals with the surname Pollak. Johann Michael Pollak (1732-1806) was a Czech philosopher and professor at the University of Prague. In the same century, Joachim Pollak (1759-1828) was a Polish-German physician and botanist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.

Moving into the 19th century, one of the most notable bearers of the surname Pollak was Hermann Pollak (1838-1897), an Austrian architect who designed several prominent buildings in Vienna, including the Palais Ephrussi and the Burgtheater.

Throughout history, the surname Pollak has been spelled in various ways, such as Polak, Pollack, and Pollacek, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences. While the name originated in Central and Eastern Europe, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pollak

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

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

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

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