Kudirka Explained

Kudirka is the masculine form of a Lithuanian family name. Its feminine forms are: Kudirkienė (married woman or widow) and Kudirkaitė (unmarried woman). The Dictionary of Lithuanian surnames says that the surname is of uncertain origin, probably related to the French surname Couderc.^[1]

Notable people with the surname include:

• Juozas Kudirka (1939–2007), Lithuanian ethnologist, habilitated doctor of sciences in humanities
• Simas Kudirka (1930–2023), seaman known for defecting from the USSR by jumping to the USCGC Vigilant, and who was portrayed in the TV movie The Defection of Simas Kudirka
• Vincas Kudirka (1858–1899), poet and doctor, author of the Lithuanian national anthem

See also

• • Kudirkos Naumiestis
• 319009 Kudirka, minor planet

Notes and References

1. Lietuvių pavardžių žodynas, Vilnius, Mokslas, 1985, vol. 1; 1989, vol. 2.