Is Kaczmarek a Polish/Jewish surname?

Question

I read somewhere that I think it was Kaczmar is Jewish so would Kaczmarek be too? My family doesn't know a lot about their ancestors we are mixed..so if anyone knows,Thanks.

Answer 1

Kazimierz Rymut's research (see link below - unfortunately the site is in Polish) on Polish surnames shows 941 people in Poland have the name Kaczmar and 59403 people in Poland have the name Kaczmarek. Clearly, these are Polish names.

Whether or not some Jewish people used either of those names, it's harder to tell. Some Polish Jews have Polish surnames.

Answer 2

Jewish Polish Surnames

Answer 3

The JRI-Poland web site, which contains a database of millions of Polish-Jewish records ("more than 3 million records from 450 Polish towns", according to the site), all over a century old, lists many people with the name KACZMAREK (and similar-sounding names-- spelling was irregular then -- KAZIMIREK, KUSMIERAK, KAZMIREK, KUSZMEREK, etc.). Most with the exact spelling you want lived in the area of Lodz. Take a look at that database, which lists about 300 matches for the search "surname sounds like KACZMAREK".

Thus, it is possible that your ancestors with the name Kaczmarek were Jewish. If you can narrow down where in Poland your ancestors came from, and when they lived there, you might be able to find them in this database.

One more note, the profession of innkeeper was a common one for Jews in Poland for centuries. When surnames were required (in the late 1700s-early 1800s, depending on where in Poland you lived), many people adopted their profession as their surname.

Of course, as someone else pointed out, the name is a common one in Poland today, so you'll have to use other records to establish your ancestor's religion. For example, if you family emigrated to the United States from Poland, the passenger manifest usually referred to Jews, no matter what country they came from, as ethnic "Hebrews", rather than Poles, Russians, etc. If you can find their passenger record on the Ellis Island database, that's a big hint right there.

Answer 4

I found a source that it is Polish and it means innkeeper, but I cannot find anything about it being Jewish.

http://genealogy.about.com/library/surnames/k/bl_name-KACZMAREK.htm

This source might be clue to religion, possibly Catholic.

http://genforum.genealogy.com/kaczmarek/messages/59.html

I hope this helps.

Answer 5

I know a few Kazmarek families, all are polish and catholic. One spells their name a little different. Most are in the Toledo, OH area and some in Bullao NY area