Surname Schirack - Meaning and Origin
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Schirack: What does the surname Schirack mean?
The last name Schirack is derived from the German words “schirr” and “ack” which, when combined, mean “clearing” or “clearing in the woods”. This surname is a reference to an area of land that was cleared for agricultural use or other settlement. It is also possible that the name is derived from a location that still exists today, although this is less likely.
The surname Schirack is commonly found among families of German and Austrian heritage and is not limited to one specific region of the world. Immigrant families brought the name with them as they relocated and the name has been found in North and South America, Australia, Europe, and even India.
The Schirack surname is an occupational name and is representative of a farmer or woodsman from the Middle Ages and beyond who had land cleared in order to cultivate crops or set up a homestead. It may also have referred to an official or magistrate in charge of a court or other administrative office in a village or town.
The name Schirack is believed to be part of a larger family of similar surnames, which also includes the surnames Schirr, Schirrer, Schirra, Schirrocracy, and Schirrik. All of these surnames are derived from the same root and refer to a person with a profession related to clearing land.
Order DNA origin analysisSchirack: Where does the name Schirack come from?
The last name Schirack is most commonly found today in Central Europe, particularly in the countries of Poland, Slovakia, and Germany. It is unknown what region of Europe the name originally came from, but it is likely that it originated somewhere in the Germanic speaking region of Europe due to its ending, -ack. German and Polish varieties of the name are both spelled Schirack, while the Slovak equivalent is Širák.
In Poland, the name is most common in the Silesian Voivodeship, where the majority of the population is native Polish-speaking. Further east, in Slovakia, the name Schirack is most frequently found in the Trnava region which contains a major portion of the population that is native Slovakian-speaking. The name can also be found in Germany, particularly in the southern region of Bavaria, where it is listed among the top 15,000 most common surnames.
Despite its predominantly Central European presence, the name Schirack can still be found elsewhere in Europe, as well as slightly further afield in Canada and even Australia. It is a significantly less common name, however, and is considered rare, particularly in more distant parts of the world.
Variations of the surname Schirack
The surname Schirack is derived from the Old German van Schirack, which was later anglicised to Shirack. Other variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin include Shurack, Shirick, Sherick, Sherrik, Sherack, Shyrick, Shyrack, Scirack, Schorack, Schorik, and Scurick.
The name appears in many different parts of Germany, such as Berlin, Münster, Hannover, and Nordrhein-Westfalen, as well as other German-speaking countries like Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic. It has also made its way into the United States and Canada as immigrants moved there throughout the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries.
In some cases, the surname may sound exactly the same, but can have different spellings. For example, Shyrack may be spelled ‘Sheyrack’, while Sherrick may be written ‘Sherick’.
Other variants of Schirack include the Dutch surname Schirks, which is derived from the same root. The name may also bear some resemblance to the German surname Schirmer, which shares the same suffix ‘-mer’ (meaning ‘protected’) with Schirack.
While the spelling of the surname has changed over the years, its root and basic meaning have stayed the same. It is a descriptive topographical name for someone who lived by a swamp or marshland, derived from the words ‘schirren’ or ‘schären’ which literally mean ‘swamp’ or ‘fens’.
Despite the small variations, all variants of the name Schirack are believed to have descended from the same ancestor. Therefore, while all variants of the name may have slightly different spellings, they all share the same origin.
Famous people with the name Schirack
- Wolfgang Schirack: Austrian-born film director
- Joseph Schirack: Jazz musician
- Jürgen Schirack: co-founder of the Felix Schoeller Group
- P. Christopher Schirack: American attorney and former mayor of the city North Olmsted, Ohio
- Bernd Schirack: German swimmer with numerous national and international championships
- Frieder Schirack: German football goalkeeper
- Henning Schirack: German sculptor, best known for his stonemasonry
- Klaus J. Schirack: retired German Army officer who served in multiple conflict zones
- Dorothea Schirack: Austrian politician
- Kai Schirack: German sailor who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics