Wojak last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Wojak

A Polish surname derived from the military term "wojak" meaning "soldier" or "warrior".

Wojak, 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 Wojak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wojak in America

Wojak is the 115639th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wojak surname appeared 151 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 Wojak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wojak 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 115639 105374 9.29%
Count 151 157 -3.90%
Proportion per 100k 0.05 0.06 -18.18%

The history of the last name Wojak

The surname Wojak has its origins in Poland and is deeply rooted in the Slavic linguistic tradition. The name is derived from the old Polish word "wojak," which means "soldier" or "warrior." This term is itself based on the Common Slavic root "vojsko," which translates to "army." The name Wojak can be traced back to the medieval period in Poland, a time when surnames were beginning to be more commonly used for identification beyond just village or familial designations.

The Wojak surname was commonly found in the regions of Lesser Poland and Masovia. Earliest historical references to Wojak can be found in the 14th and 15th centuries. Documents and manuscripts from this era often mention individuals with the name in connection to military services or land ownership, reflecting the martial connotation of the name.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wojak appears in a 1378 manuscript detailing a land grant in the area of modern-day Kraków. A certain Piotr Wojak is mentioned as a landowner who provided soldiers for the defense of local villages. Another early example can be found in a Masovian chronicles from 1453, which attributes a village's defensive strategy against invading forces to a local nobleman named Wojciech Wojak.

Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Wojak have been notable for their contributions in various fields. One such person is Jan Wojak, born in 1560 and died in 1625, who served as a military leader during the late Renaissance period and was instrumental in the regional defenses against Ottoman incursions. Another significant figure is Anna Wojak (1682-1740), a poet and writer whose works often depicted the life and struggles of soldiers, contributing greatly to Polish literature.

Further in history, Mikolaj Wojak, born in 1701 and died in 1765, was a prominent figure in Poland's early Enlightenment period. He was known for his writings on military strategy and his involvement in founding schools that offered military training. Stanislaw Wojak, born in 1803 and died in 1870, became a well-known industrialist who helped modernize Poland’s production of military equipment, thus impacting the country's economic and military capabilities.

In the 19th century, Katarzyna Wojak (1878-1934) emerged as an influential social reformer, who advocated for the rights of veterans and contributed to the establishment of several veteran’s hospitals and charitable organizations. Her efforts were crucial during and after the tumultuous periods of conflict in Eastern Europe.

Overall, the surname Wojak carries a long history intertwined with military service and societal contributions, reflecting its origins as a designation for warriors. The name not only signifies an individual's role within their community but also connects to broader historical narratives of defense, literary contributions, and social reformations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wojak

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

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 Wojak was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.38% 141
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 3.31% 5

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 Wojak has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.38% 96.18% -2.95%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 3.31% (S)% (S)%

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

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

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"Wojak last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on April 6, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/wojak-surname-popularity/.

"Wojak last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/wojak-surname-popularity/. Accessed 6 April, 2025

Wojak last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/wojak-surname-popularity/.

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