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

Samluk, 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 Samluk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Samluk in America

Samluk is the 145220th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Samluk surname appeared 114 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 Samluk.

The history of the last name Samluk

The surname SAMLUK is believed to have originated in the region of present-day Poland, likely in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th centuries. It is thought to be derived from an old Slavic root word meaning "left-handed" or "clumsy", potentially referring to an ancestor who possessed these traits.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a document from the town of Krakow, dated 1387, which mentions a certain Piotr Samluk as a local landowner. Another early reference is in the court records of the city of Poznan from the year 1412, where a Jan Samluk is listed as a defendant in a property dispute.

In the 16th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Eastern Europe, with records indicating a Mikołaj Samluk living in the town of Lviv (then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, now in Ukraine) in 1538. Around the same time, a family by the name of Samluk is documented as residing in the village of Sămluțiu, in the region of Transylvania (now part of Romania).

One notable figure in history bearing the surname was Jan Samluk (c. 1610-1678), a Polish military officer who served as a cavalry commander during the Swedish Deluge and the Khmelnytsky Uprising. He is known for his participation in the Battle of Berestechko in 1651, where he led a successful charge against the Cossack forces.

Another individual of note was Katarzyna Samluk (1788-1863), a Polish noblewoman and philanthropist who donated a significant portion of her inheritance to establish a school and hospital in her hometown of Lublin. She was renowned for her charitable works and efforts to improve the lives of the underprivileged.

In the 19th century, a family of Samluk merchants is recorded as having lived in the town of Bialystok (then part of the Russian Empire, now in northeastern Poland). One of their descendants, Józef Samluk (1832-1901), became a prominent industrialist and helped establish the region's first textile factory.

Moving into the 20th century, Tomasz Samluk (1912-1997) was a Polish-American writer and journalist who immigrated to the United States in the 1930s. He worked for various Polish-language newspapers and authored several books on Polish culture and history, including a well-regarded memoir titled "Echoes of Poland" (1965).

Another notable figure was Maria Samluk (1924-2008), a Polish painter and artist who was part of the avant-garde movement in post-war Poland. Her works, characterized by bold colors and abstract forms, were exhibited in galleries across Europe and are now part of several museum collections.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Samluk

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

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 Samluk 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.

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

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

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