Rak Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Rak last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Rak last name
Meaning of the Rak last name: crayfish. Rak is a Polish surname from rak, "crayfish", a nickname perhaps for a slow, backward-moving man or for a crayfish catcher. The last name is found across Poland, Czechia and Ukraine. Curiously, rak is also the Polish word for the zodiac sign Cancer.
Arms associated with the Rak name
Polish heraldry favours horseshoes, arrows and crosses, and coats of arms associated with the Rak name, each with its blazon, follow that style.
Get your full Rak family history
This is only a glimpse of the Rak story. The full Rak history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Rak coat of arms. Get the full Rak report.
Rak name FAQ
What does the Rak name mean?
Crayfish. Common variants include Rakowski, Raczek.
Where does the Rak surname come from?
It originates in Poland, and is also found in the Czech Republic, Ukraine and the United States.
Is there a Rak coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Rak coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Rymut, Nazwiska Polaków; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).