Surname Owczareck - Meaning and Origin

Owczareck: What does the surname Owczareck mean?

The last name Owczareck is of Slavic origin, which means it refers to people from areas such as Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and Russia. The literal translation of the name is “shepherd” or “sheep herder.” This term was used to identify people whose professions situated them within the agricultural industry in the Middle Ages.

The farming industry was one of the primary sources of income during this time period. As a result of the nature of the profession, people who had the last name Owczareck often laboriously worked the land and raised both crops and livestock. Consequently, the name was often associated with a laboring, blue-collar lifestyle.

Throughout the years, the surname Owczareck has also been used to identify people with profound values of hard work, resilience, and determination. These are important characteristics that some Owczareck family members have held dear, and continue to strive for. The name may also refer to faithfulness and loyalty.

Though the Owczareck name is not overly common, it is a proud and noble symbol of hardworking ancestry. As a result of the vigorous lifestyle, many hardworking people have achieved greatness, making the name an honorable one.

Owczareck: Where does the name Owczareck come from?

The last name "Owczareck" is fairly uncommon today, but mainly found in Poland, Germany, and the United States.

In Poland, this surname is considered to be of Polish-Noble origin, and records show that, as of 2017, over 6,000 citizens had the this surname registered. Throughout Poland it is found in various areas such as Nowa Sol, Elblag, Poznan, and Warsaw. It is believed that Owczareck had its original roots in the Prussian region of the country, likely due to a family member originally coming from that area.

In Germany, Owczareck is a derivative of the German name "Ochsarek," which is believed to have originated near Lower Franconia. It is likely that this name spread to the U.S. due to the large influx of German immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A small number of Germans with this last name still exist today.

In the United States, Owczareck is actually more common than in Germany and Poland, as approximately 2,000 people had this name registered 9 as of 2017. Most of these are descended from German immigrants, but some are also descended from Poles who moved during or after World War II. The northeastern states, such as New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, tend to have the highest concentration of people with this last name.

Overall, the Owczareck surname is rather uncommon today, but its presence is still felt in Poland, Germany, and the United States.

Variations of the surname Owczareck

The surname Owczareck is a Polish name meaning "shepherd". It is related to the German word Owczar, meaning "shepherd". The name has severalvariants that are derived from the original spelling.

Common variants of the surname Owczareck include Owczarczak, Owczarz, Owczarzyk, Owczaret, Owczarzak, Owczarzek, Owczarz, Owczarek, Owczarczyk, Owczarcz.

The spelling of the surname can also differ in its German, Czech, and Slovak forms: Wutzlarek, Uczelarik, and Wutseleck respectively.

Surnames related to Owczarek include Ochman, Owczyk, Ochmański, Pakuć, Glogowski, Rogowski, Banaszak, Wanat, Wierzchowski, and Owczarek.

The surname Owczarek originated from the regions of Upper Silesia, Galicia, and Central Poland, but can now be found in many countries all over the world. Variations of the surname are especially prevalent in the United States, Germany, and Canada.

It is believed that the name Owczarek derived from the trade of shepherding, suggesting that the original bearer of the name was in the occupation of shepherding and was likely descended from a family of shepherds.

Thus, the variants of the surname Owczarek all can be traced back to the same shepherd and are derived out of the same origin. It is an interesting surname with a long, rich history and is an important part of Polish heritage.

Famous people with the name Owczareck

• Michal Owczarek: a Polish professional basketball player who also competed for the Polish national team at the 2011 EuroBasket tournament.
• Robert Owczarek: a Polish football player who played mostly as a defensive midfielder for clubs such as Widzew Łódź, Górnik Zabrze, and more.
• Marcin Owczarek: the Polish pole vaulter who took part in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
• Andrzej Owczarek: a former football player whose career lasted from 1969 to 1981 and served as the head coach of the ŁKS Łódź team from 1982 to 1991.
• Adam Owczarek: an endurance cyclist who has won the Tour de Pologne and the Tour de Trakai.
• Zygmunt Owczarek: a microbiologist and virologist who focused his career on poultry and poultry related-diseases.
• Bogdan Owczarek: a jazz trumpeter and composer who has performed at various music festivals worldwide.
• Konrad Owczarek: a Polish chess grandmaster who founded the Stega Chess Academies in Poland.
• Wladyslaw Owczarek: the first ever Polish president of the Polish Bar Association.
• Jerzy Owczarek: a Polish diplomat who served as the Ambassador of Poland to Austria, Spain and Portugal.

Other surnames

Owczarek