Kozak

See also: kozak and kozák

English

Etymology

• As a Ukrainian, Carpathian Rusyn, Polish, Czech, Slovak, and Hungarian surname, all from the noun Kozak (“Cossack”). Compare the variants Kazak, Kosack, Kosak, Kozack.
• Also as a Polish and Czech surname, occupational surname for a goatherd, from koza (“nanny goat”). This is also found in Slovene and Serbo-Croatian, though probably influenced by the sense above.
• Also as a Slovak and Czech surname, possibly from kozák (“kind of mushroom”).
• As a Turkish surname, from kozak (“cone”) or its homonym meaning "shady place," from Ottoman Turkish قوزاق.
• As a Jewish surname, from Yiddish קאָזאַק (kozak, “Cossack”), related to the first sense above.

Proper noun

Kozak (plural Kozaks)

1. A surname.
2. A Cossack.

Usage notes

Some Ukrainians recommend "Kozak" as the proper and correct spelling, instead of "Cossack", when referring to Ukrainian Cossacks instead of Russian Cossacks.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Kozak is the 4733^rd most common surname in the United States, belonging to 7495 individuals. Kozak is most common among White (96.0%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Kozak”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 2, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 345.

Polish

Etymology

From kozak. Doublet of Kazach (“Kazakh”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɔ.zak/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔzak
• Syllabification: Ko‧zak
• Homophone: kozak

Noun

Kozak m pers (female equivalent Kozaczka, related adjective kozacki)

1. (historical) Cossack (member of a population)

Declension

Declension of Kozak

	singular	plural
nominative	Kozak	Kozacy/Kozaki (deprecative)
genitive	Kozaka	Kozaków
dative	Kozakowi	Kozakom
accusative	Kozaka	Kozaków
instrumental	Kozakiem	Kozakami
locative	Kozaku	Kozakach
vocative	Kozaku	Kozacy

Descendants

• → Middle French: cosaque, cosache
  • French: cosaque m sg
  • → Dutch: kozak m sg
  • → English: Cossack m sg

Proper noun

Kozak m pers

1. a male surname

Declension

Declension of Kozak

	singular	plural
nominative	Kozak	Kozakowie
genitive	Kozaka	Kozaków
dative	Kozakowi	Kozakom
accusative	Kozaka	Kozaków
instrumental	Kozakiem	Kozakami
locative	Kozaku	Kozakach
vocative	Kozaku	Kozakowie

Proper noun

Kozak f (indeclinable)

1. a female surname

Further reading

• Kozak in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• Kozak in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• “Kozak”, in Internetowy słownik nazwisk w Polsce [Internet dictionary of surnames in Poland], 2022