Zając ( , archaic feminine: Zającowa, plural Zającowie) is one of the most common

surnames In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

and the third most popular in

Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a s ...

. The English translation of this surname is "

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...

".J. Stanisławski, ''English-Polish and Polish - English Dictionary'', David McKay Company, Inc., p. 379 The surname occasionally appears as

Zajonc Zajonc or Zayonc ( ) is a surname. It is a spelling variant of Zając, meaning " hare" in Polish. Notable people with the surname include: * Arthur Zajonc (born 1949), professor of physics at Amherst College in Massachusetts * Miroslav Zajonc or ...

due to the Polish pronunciation of ą as "on", however, the vowel is usually rendered as "a" outside Poland, producing Zajac. The latter form may also come from Slovak, Sorbian, Serbo-Croatian, or Belarusian cognates. Notable people with the surname include: *

Bogdan Zając Bogdan Zając (born 16 November 1972) is a Polish professional football coach and a former player. He currently serves as an assistant manager of Wisła Kraków, where he spent many seasons in the Polish Ekstraklasa as a player. From 2009 unti ...

(born 1972), Polish football defender *

Czesław Zając Czesław Zając (born 20 January 1927) is a Polish former sports shooter. He competed in the 25 metre pistol event at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of t ...

, Polish sport shooter *

Jack Zajac Jack Zajac (born December 13, 1929) is a Californian West Coast artist who has been concerned with the “ Romantic Surrealist tradition”. :”To have a message or an emotional stimulation soaked up by an uncertainty of the Artist’s tool ...

(born 1929), American artist *

Józef Zając Józef Ludwik Zając (pron. Za-YANTz) (1891–1963) was a Polish general and pilot. Biography Born on 14 March 1891 in Rzeszów, Józef Zając studied at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, graduating with a PhD in philosophy in 1915. He ...

, (1891–1963), Polish general *

Karol Zając Karol Zając (19 May 1913 – 18 May 1965) was a Polish alpine skier. He competed in the men's combined event at the 1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische W ...

(1913-1965), Polish alpine skier *

Marcin Zając Marcin Zając (born May 19, 1975 in Łódź) is a Polish footballer (midfielder) who last played for Ruch Chorzów. Career Club He started his career at Start Łódź. In 1996, he was bought by Widzew Łódź, participating in their UEFA Champi ...

(born 1975), Polish football midfielder *

Marek Zając Marek Zając (born September 17, 1973 in Kraków), known as Marek () in China, is a Polish former soccer player and currently Manager of R&F. A versatile defender, he experienced considerable success with Wisła Kraków before moving to Turkey t ...

(born 1973), Polish football defender *

Stanisław Zając Stanisław Zając (, 1 May 1949 – 10 April 2010) was a Polish lawyer and politician. He was a member of Sejm 1991–1993 and Sejm 1997–2001. On 25 September 2005 he was elected a member of the Sejm again, getting 25,225 votes in 22 Kro ...

(1949–2010), Polish politician *

Travis Zajac Travis Zajac (; ; born May 13, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and current head coach. Zajac was selected in the first round, 20th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, with whom he would go on to ...

(born 1985), Polish-Canadian hockey player *

Robert Zajonc Robert Bolesław Zajonc ( /ˈzaɪ.ənts/ ''ZY-ənts''; Polish: �zajɔnt͡s November 23, 1923 – December 3, 2008) was a Polish-born American social psychologist who is known for his decades of work on a wide range of social and cognitive proc ...

(1923–2008), Polish-American social psychologist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zajac Polish-language surnames Surnames from nicknames

See also

References