Wilk is a surname of English and Polish-language origin. In Poland, the surname means

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

and is pronounced . It has 35,000 bearers in Poland and ranks about 60th on the list of the most popular Polish surnames (fifth in

Podkarpackie Voivodeship Subcarpathian Voivodeship or Subcarpathia Province (in pl, Województwo podkarpackie ) is a voivodeship, or province, in the southeastern corner of Poland. Its administrative capital and largest city is Rzeszów. Along with the Marshall, it is ...

). It is common in many parts of southern Poland, especially among the Lasowiacy sub-ethnic group. Its variants include Wilczek (a diminutive meaning "little wolf") and Wilczyński, which may also derive from

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

s with the stem ''wilk''. In English, the surname is a back formation of Wilkin, which originated as a short form of

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

. English-language variants include Wilkes,

Wilke Wilke is a surname of German origin, which is medieval pet form of the personal name Wilhelm.''Dictionary of American Family Names''"Wilke Family History" Oxford University Press, 2013. Retrieved on 15 January 2016. A related English surname is W ...

, Wilks, Wilkin, and Wilkins. The following people bear the surname: * Adam Wilk (born 1987), American baseball pitcher *

Brad Wilk Brad Wilk (born September 5, 1968) is an American drummer. He is best known as a member of the rock bands Rage Against the Machine (1991–2000, 2007–2011, 2019–present), Audioslave (2001–2007, 2017), and Prophets of Rage (2016–2019 ...

(born 1968), American musician * Cezary Wilk (born 1986), Polish footballer * "General Wilk" (1895–1951), nom de guerre of Aleksander Krzyzanowski * Jakub Wilk (born 1985), Polish footballer *

Kasia Wilk Katarzyna Wilk (born 3 January 1982 in Lubin, Poland) is a Polish contemporary rhythm and blues Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electroni ...

(born 1982), Polish singer * Katarzyna Wilk (born 1992), Polish swimmer * Maurice Wilk (died 1963), American violinist *

Martin Wilk Martin Bradbury Wilk, (18 December 1922 – 19 February 2013) was a Canadian statistician, academic, and the former Chief Statistician of Canada. In 1965, together with Samuel Shapiro, he developed the Shapiro–Wilk test, which can indicate ...

(1922–2013), Canadian statistician, co-author of the Shapiro–Wilk test *

Max Wilk Max Wilk (July 3, 1920 – February 19, 2011) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author of fiction and nonfiction books. In all, Wilk was the author of 19 books, four films, three produced plays as well as many TV shows and magazine ar ...

(1920–2011), American playwright, screenwriter and author * Michael Wilk (born c. 1952), American songwriter * Rafał Wilk (born 1974), Polish former speedway rider and Paralympic cyclist *

Scott Wilk Scott Thomas Wilk Sr. (born March 16, 1959) is an American politician who has served as the California State Senate minority leader since January 20, 2021. He is a Republican representing the 21st district, encompassing Antelope Valley, Victor ...

(born 1959), American politician * Selene Vigil-Wilk, American singer and musician * Vic Wilk (born 1960), American professional golfer * Wojciech Wilk (born 1972), Polish politician Fictional characters include: * Jonathan Wilk, the main character in the film ''

Compulsion Compulsion may refer to: * Compulsive behavior, a psychological condition in which a person does a behavior compulsively, having an overwhelming feeling that they must do so. * Obsessive–compulsive disorder, a mental disorder characterized by i ...

'' (1959), played by

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

* Patricia Wilk, a character in '' Scrubs''

References

{{surname, Wilk English-language surnames Polish-language surnames Surnames from given names Surnames from nicknames

See also

References