Wilk Explained

Wilk is a surname of English and Polish-language origin.

In Poland, the surname means wolf 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). It is common in many parts of southern Poland, especially among the Lasowiacy sub-ethnic group.^[1] Its variants include Wilczek (a diminutive meaning "little wolf") and Wilczyński, which may also derive from toponyms with the stem wilk.

In English, the surname is a back formation of Wilkin, which originated as a short form of William. English-language variants include Wilkes, Wilke, Wilks, Wilkin, and Wilkins.

The following people bear the surname:

Adam Wilk (born 1987), American baseball pitcher
Brad Wilk (born 1968), American musician
Cezary Wilk (born 1986), Polish footballer
"General Wilk" (1895 - 1951), nom de guerre of Aleksander Krzyzanowski^[2]
Jakub Wilk (born 1985), Polish footballer
Kasia Wilk (born 1982), Polish singer
Katarzyna Wilk (born 1992), Polish swimmer
Maurice Wilk (died 1963), American violinist
Martin Wilk (1922 - 2013), Canadian statistician, co-author of the Shapiro–Wilk test
Max Wilk (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 (born 1959), American politician
Selene Vigil-Wilk, American singer and musician
Terry Wilk, American hardcore vocalist and songwriter
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 (1959), played by Orson Welles
Patricia Wilk, a character in Scrubs

Notes and References

Web site: Wilk Name Meaning & Wilk Family History at Ancestry.com. www.ancestry.com. 30 November 2017.
Book: Applebaum, Anne . Iron Curtain . Anne Applebaum . 93 . 9780385515696 . 2012 . 2012022086 . Doubleday . New York . registration .