Surname Ciriak - Meaning and Origin

Ciriak: What does the surname Ciriak mean?

The last name Ciriak is of Slovak origin. It is derived from the personal name Ciro, which is the Slovak version of the Greek name Cyrus. This name is an ancient one, and is thought to mean "Lord".

Ciro or Cyrus literally comes from the Persian name Kurush which literally translates to "he who bestows care." In history, Cyrus the Great was an ancient Achaemenid Persian king, and is credited for his great leadership and religious acceptance of his people. He is believed to have issued the world's first charter of human rights and has been hailed as a progenitor of modern secular government.

The earliest recorded reference of the last name Ciriak is dated back to 1563 in Nitra, a city in Western Slovakia. It is commonly found as a patronymic name, meaning it was derived from the given name of the father or a paternal ancestor. Possessors now bearing this surname can usually be found living in Slovakia or within diasporas that have traveled abroad.

The underlying meaning of the last name Ciriak reflects the positive connotations of a benevolent leader. It is a unique name, and reflects the historic respect for Cyrus the Great from many centuries ago.

Ciriak: Where does the name Ciriak come from?

The last name Ciriak is quite uncommon today, however it is most likely to be found in parts of Central and Eastern Europe. Specifically, this surname is known to be popular in places such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland—particularly the Silesia region.

Ciriak is derived from the Czech word for shepherd—cirka—which has evolved to become an occupational surname in the region. This is evidenced by Czech records indicating that the surname has been found in scores of documents related to shepherd tax payment annals from the 16th century. Similarly, in Hungary, the popular prevalence of the surname Ciriak was indicative of its origin as a profession name, as is the case with many traditional surnames in the region.

Today, it can be argued that the Ciriak surname is relatively scarce in comparison to other surnames. Furthermore, there are a sizeable number of unrelated individuals with this surname in each of the countries mentioned, making the surname even less concentrated in any one place. Despite this, the origin of the name still remains relatively consistent, and many still carry the surname today.

Variations of the surname Ciriak

The surname Ciriak has variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin such as Ciriaka, Cirjak, Czyrniak, Shiriak, Shuriak, Tsyryak, Tsyrniak, and Ziriaka.

Ciriak is originally a Polish surname, derived from the Slavic term “tsiryak” which means “handsomeness”. It can also be traced to the Polish word “ciriak” which refers to a “blackbird” or a “small sparrow”. The change in spelling of the Ciriak surname includes a continuous cycle of dialect changes and pronunciation issues due to the time period and region the surname is found in.

The variants Ciriaka and Cirjak are also variations of the Ciriak surname, deriving from the same Polish origins. The spelling of Czyrniak is derived from the same word but the “ts” is replaced with either a “c” or a “cz”, as is the case in many Slavic languages.

The variants Shiriak and Shuriak are from the eastern Ukraine and may have been a derivation from the surname Ciriak. The spelling of Tsyryak is from the Ukrainian derivatives of the word “tsiriak”, which also means “handsomeness” in Ukrainian. The spelling Tsyrniak is similar to the Ukrainian spelling Tsyryak, and the spelling Ziriaka is also a derivative of the same word.

In conclusion, the surname Ciriak has many variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin that have evolved over time, each of which originated in the Slavic region.

Famous people with the name Ciriak

• John Ciriak: Canadian actor and professional wrestler.
• Paul Ciriak: an American businessman and entrepreneur.
• John Ciriak: American professional basketball player.
• Adam Ciriak: Canadian actor, musician, and environmentalist.
• Andrew Ciriak: American mixed martial artist.
• Ed Ciriak: American singer, musician, and radio host.
• Nicholas Ciriak: an English athlete who has competed in the Marathon and decathlon.
• Lou Ciriak: American professor and historian of medicine.
• Mark Ciriak: award-winning American film producer.
• Jakub Ciriak: Czech football player.
• Filip Ciriak: a Czech hockey player.
• Stan Ciriak: Canadian wheelchair rugby player.
• Zoltán Ciriak: Hungarian drag racer and stunt driver.
• Vanessa Ciriak: Venezuelan actress and singer.
• Radka Ciriakova: Slovak opera singer.
• Mikolas Ciriak: Slovak strategic communication consultant and public opinion leader.
• Livija Ciriak: Croatian-Canadian film producer and public speaker.

Other surnames

Ciriack