Surname Kaczmarek - Meaning and Origin
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Through iGENEA DNA testing, I embarked on an exhilarating journey exploring my family name, Kaczmarek's roots. The user-friendly service provided historical connections, displayed migratory patterns, and enriched my understanding of my Polish ancestry. The reveal of my surname's deep-seated noble connections and connection to a vast family tree cemented an enriched appreciation of my familial roots.
Q. Kaczmarek
read moreKaczmarek: What does the surname Kaczmarek mean?
The last name Kaczmarek is a Polish surname derived from the word “kaczmar,” which means “goose herder.” The Kaczmarek surname is typically associated with people who tended to geese for their livelihood. Generally, the geese were herded in fields during the day and kept in a barn at night. The Kaczmarek surname is most commonly found in the Silesia region of Poland.
The tradition of goose herding has been around since medieval times in Poland and across Europe. Geese were an important part of the regional economy due to the large amount of feather down they provided and their delicious meat. Because of these valuable qualities, it is no surprise that the Kaczmarek surname came to represent those who tended to geese and used the bird’s great value to make a living.
The Kaczmarek surname has a rich origin and a storied history that is reflected in its use today. As of the 2010 US census, the Kaczmarek surname ranked as the 8, 097th most common surname in the country, with approximately 1,228 people having the last name. Although not as common as some other names, the Kaczmarek surname still retains some of its earliest ties to those who tended to geese as a way of life.
Order DNA origin analysisKaczmarek: Where does the name Kaczmarek come from?
The last name Kaczmarek is most common in Poland today, with over 2.6 million people living with the name in the country as of 2019. This surname is also found in Slovakia, Germany, and the United States, particularly in areas with a high concentration of Polish immigrants and their descendants.
In Poland, the name appears in records as early as the 13th century, meaning that it has a long association with the country. The name is thought to have derived either from the Polish verb “kaczmáráć” , meaning “to fasten” or “bind”, or from Kaczmara, a village near Bydgoszcz, in which case it would mean “of Kaczmara”.
The Polish surname Kaczmarek can have numerous variations in spelling, such as Kaczmark, Kachmárek, and Kacmar, due to its fairly long history in Poland and its various dialects.
In the United States, the surname Kaczmarek is a fairly unusual name, with 16,000 people in the country with the name as of 2019. They are concentrated among Polish-American, German-American, and Slovak-American communities, particularly in the Midwest and older Eastern cities.
The surname Kaczmarek may also be found in other parts of Europe and the world due to migrations of people from Poland and their descendants. It may have slightly different spellings as well, depending on the dialect of the person who adopted it.
Variations of the surname Kaczmarek
The surname Kaczmarek is most commonly found in Poland and parts of the former Soviet Union including Belarus and Ukraine. It is derived from the -marek suffix meaning 'son of'. Variants of this surname include Kacmar, Kachmar, and Katsmerek.
In Poland, variations of the Kaczmarek surname are Kacmar, Kaczmar, Kaczmark, Kaczmarski, Kaczmarekowicz, and Kaczmarczyk.
The spelling of the surname in English is often anglicized to Kashmark, Kashmar, or Kashmerek.
In Ukraine, the surname is often transliterated as Kaczmarek, which has a Ukrainian suffix meaning 'son of'. This surname is also found in Belarus, where it is commonly written as Kačmarak or Kačmar.
In Russia, the descendants of the surname are often referred to by the patronymic surname Ivanovich (Masculine) or Ivanovna (Feminine) or the surname form Ivanov (Masculine) or Ivanova (Feminine).
The Kaczmarek surname is often found in languages other than its native Polish. For example, it is also found in Czech as Kachmárek, Slovak as Kachmárek and Hungarian as Kaczmark.
In Jewish records, this surname is also found spelled as Katchmark, Katsmark, Katsmerek, and Katsmarok. Furthermore, surname variants are also found amongst Ashkenazi Jews with the spellings Katzmark, Katsmark, and Katsmerk.
Famous people with the name Kaczmarek
- Janusz Kaczmarek: a Polish composer and pianist. He has written a number of soundtracks for films, including Finding Neverland and Chełmno.
- Joanna Kaczmarek: a Polish politician who currently serves as the Minister of Infrastructure and Construction in the Polish government.
- Jack Kaczmarek: a former FIBA player and coach who played with the Detroit Pistons, San Diego Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks between 1983 and 1993.
- Krystyna Kaczmarek: a Polish actress who has appeared in films such as Psychotherapy of a Plucked Chicken and The Summoning.
- Małgorzata Kaczmarek: a Polish architect and university professor who is a member of the Committee for European Integration at the Sejm.
- Mario Kaczmarek: a German footballer who currently plays for Karlsruhe.
- Michael Kaczmarek: an American actor who played in a number of television series, including Star Trek: The Next Generation and The West Wing.
- Piotr Kaczmarek: a Polish physicist, university professor and a former Minister of Science and Higher Education in the government of Poland.
- Stanisław Kaczmarek: a Polish fencer who won the silver medal in the individual epee event at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
- Tadeusz Kaczmarek: a Polish politician who served as Vice President of the Council of Ministers between 2002 and 2005.