Novak

Novák, Novak or Nowak is the most common Polish, Czech, Slovak, and Slovenian surname, similar to the popularity of Smith in the United States. It also found all across Eastern Europe among both Christians and Jews from the region. It is usually spelt Novák in Czech and Slovak, Nowak in Polish, and Novak in Slovenian, and pronounced the same way. Many Americans of the surname Nowak have had it anglicized to Novak. Nowak is derived from nový (=new), meaning something similar to new man, newcomer, or stranger in English and was often given to someone who came to a new city or a convert to Christianity. The archaic feminine version of the Polish version is Nowakowa and its plural Nowakowie. In Poland, 203,506 people have this surname. It is also usually spelt Nowak in the German speaking countries (for example in the Austrian capital of Vienna, where large Czech communities settled down at the end of 19th century) where the "w" is pronunced as a "v". The surname Novak occurs in some other Slavic speaking countries (Croatia etc.) as well. There are also a few other surnames which developed from this surname: Nowakowski, Nowacki, and Nowakiewicz in Poland, and Novaković in Serbia.

Nowak surname in voivodships (units of administration in Poland):

• Nowak is 1st in Greater Poland (35,011)
• Nowak is 1st in Silesia (31,838)
• Nowak is 1st in Lesser Poland (23,671)
• Nowak is 1st in Lodz Land (15,460)
• Nowak is 1st in Lower Silesia (13,217)
• Nowak is 1st in West Pomerania (7,444)
• Nowak is 1st in Opole Silesia (5,538)
• Nowak is 1st in Lubusz Land (5,444)
• Nowak is 1st in Swietokrzyskie (5,538)
• Nowak is 2nd in Subcarpathia (9,301)

Famous people: Novaks

• Kim Novak (born Marilyn Pauline Novak February 13, 1933) is an American actress
• Michael Novak (born 1933) is a conservative Roman Catholic American philosopher and diplomat
• Slobodan Novak (b.1924) - Croat writer
• Vjenceslav Novak (1859-1903) - Croat writer
• Tereza Nováková (1853-1922) - Czech writer
• Robert Novak - Conservative political commentator
• Nick Novak - Professional American Football Player (kicker)
• Jan Novák - Czech composer
• Arne Novák
• B. J. Novak
• Brandon Novak, American celebrity and skateboarder
• Casey Novak, a fictional character in Law & Order: SVU.
• David Novak
• Đoni Novak
• Elliot Novak
• Éva Novák-Gerard
• Ferenc Novák
• Filip Novak
• Gabi Novak
• Harry Novak
• Jan Novák
• Jane Novak
• Jason Novak
• Jessica Novak
• Jiří Novák
• Joe Novak
• John Novak
• Kate Novak
• Kayvan Novak
• Kevin Novak
• Ladislav Novák
• Laila Novak
• Lindsey Novak
• Ljudmila Novak
• Mel Novak
• Michael Novak
• Mike Novak
• Nick Novak
• Robert Novak, American journalist (not related to Viveca Novak)
• Steve Novak, basketball player
• Sandy Novak, an Australian educator
• Tom Novak
• Vera Louise Gorman-Novak
• Vilmos Aba Novák
• Vítězslav Novák Czech Composer
• Viveca Novak, American journalist (not related to Robert Novak)
• Vjenceslav Novak
• Vladimir Novak

Famous people: Nowaks

• Edmund Nowak (b. 1918) - Polish mechanical engineer, inventor
• Edmund Nowak (b. 1937) - Polish businessman
• Henry J. Nowak (b. 1935) - Member of United States House of Representatives (1975-1993)
• Henry J. "Hank" Nowak (b. 1968) - Buffalo City Court Judge
• Jan Nowak (1880-1940) - Polish geologist, paleontologist, professor of UJ
• Jan Nowak-Jeziorański (1913-2005) - Polish journalist and WWII hero
• Jerzy Nowak (b. 1923) - Polish actor
• Józef Nowak (1885-1878) - Upper Lusatian poet
• Józef Nowak (1925-1984) - Polish actor
• Józef Nowak (b. 1935) - Polish educational ativist and politician
• Julian Ignacy Nowak (1865-1946) - Polish phicician, veterinarian, bacteriologist, politician
• Kazimierz Nowak (1897-1937) - Polish traveller
• Kazimierz Nowak (b. 1925) - Polish professor of timber technology
• Kazimierz Nowak (b. 1915) - Polish professor of law
• Leopold Rene Nowak (b. 1934) - Polish director, scenarist, actor and journalist
• Leszek Nowak (b. 1933) - Polish professor of philosophy
• Lisa Nowak, (b. 1963) - American astronaut
• Mark Nowak, (b.1964) - American poet and writer
• Roman Nowak (1900-1980) - Polish trade union activist and politician
• Stanisław Nowak (b. 1937) - Polish politician
• Stefan Nowak (b. 1925) - Polish sociologist
• Tadeusz Nowak (b. 1930) - Polish poet
• Tadeusz Nowak (b. 1930) - Polish writer
• Zbigniew Nowak (b. 1926) - Polish general and politician
• Zenon Nowak (1905-1980) - Polish trade union actist and politician
• Juliusz Nowak-Dłużewski (1893-1972) - Polish historian of literature
• Merican Nowak-Njechorinski (b. 1900) - Upper Lusatian writer, painter and publicist
• Robert Nowak (1964 - present) - Percussion teacher at LVC

See also

• Novak Electronics, manufacturer of radio control electronic equipment
• Novak, a progressive metal band from San Francisco, California
• Novak, a type of gunsight for automatic pistols.