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Kozak Family History

Kozak Surname Meaning

Ukrainian Rusyn and Polish; Czech Slovak and Hungarian (Kozák): ethnic name for a Cossack, a member of a Slavic people descended from a group of runaway serfs who set up a semi-independent military republic in Ukraine in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Cossacks became noted for their military prowess. The name Cossack is of Turkic origin (from quzzaq ‘adventurer guerilla’; compare Turkish Kazak) but most European languages borrowed it from East Slavic. Compare Kosack, Kosak, and Kozack.

Polish; Czech (Kozák): occupational name for a goatherd from a derivative of Koza ‘nanny goat’. The homonymous Sorbian cognates Kózak and Kozak (from Lower Sorbian kóza, Upper Sorbian koza) are apparently found in Germanized and Americanized forms only (see Kosack and Kosak).

Slovak and Czech (Kozák): possibly also from kozák, a kind of mushroom from the genus Leccinum. Slovenian, Croatian, and Serbian: nickname or occupational name from a derivative of koza ‘nanny goat’ or perhaps, in some cases, a nickname from kozak ‘light horseman of the Cossack military unit’ (compare 1 above and 5 below).

Turkish: ornamental name from kozak ‘cone’ or from a homonymous word meaning ‘shady place’. Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname from Yiddish kozak ‘warrior, Cossack’ (a loanword from Ukrainian or a cognate in some other Slavic language; see 1 above).

Compare Kazak, Kosak, and Kozack.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

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Where is the Kozak family from?

You can see how Kozak families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Kozak family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1880 and 1920. The most Kozak families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there was 1 Kozak family living in London. This was 100% of all the recorded Kozak's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Kozak families in 1891.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kozak surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

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Census Records

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Passenger Lists

There are 9,000 immigration records available for the last name Kozak. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Kozak. For the veterans among your Kozak ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Kozak lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Kozak life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1949, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Kozak in 1940 was 61, and 78 in 2004.

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