Wilk

Wilk is a surname of English origin (a back formation of Wilkin, a short form of William) and, more often, of Polish origin (meaning wolf). It has 35 thousand bearers in Poland and ranks about 60 in the list of the most popular Polish surnames (fifth in Podkarpackie Voivodeship). It is common in many parts of southern Poland, especially among the Lasowiacy ethnic group.^[1][2] In English, variants of the name Wilk include Wilkes, Wilke, Wilks, Wilkin, Wilkins and others. In Polish, its diminutive is surname Wilczek; another popular second name Wilczyński may also derive from it, but also from toponyms with the stem wilk.

The following people bear the surname:

• Adam Wilk (born 1987), American baseball pitcher
• Brad Wilk (born 1968), American musician
• Cezary Wilk (born 1986), Polish footballer
• Chester A. Wilk, American chiropractor
• "General Wilk" (1895-1951), nom de guerre of Aleksander Krzyzanowski^[3]
• Gerard Wilk (1944-1995), Polish dancer
• Jakub Wilk (born 1985), Polish footballer
• Kasia Wilk (born 1982), Polish singer
• Maurice Wilk (died 1963), American violinist
• Martin Wilk (1922-2013), Canadian statistician, co-author of the Shapiro–Wilk test
• Max Wilk (1920-2011), American playwright, screenwriter and author
• Michael Wilk (born c. 1952), American songwriter
• Rafał Wilk (born 1974), Polish former speedway rider and Paralympic cyclist
• Scott Wilk (born 1959), American politician
• Selene Vigil-Wilk, American singer and musician
• Vic Wilk (born 1960), American professional golfer
• Wojciech Wilk (born 1972), Polish politician

Fictional characters include:

• Jonathan Wilk, the main character in the film Compulsion (1959), played by Orson Welles
• Patricia Wilk, a character in Scrubs

References

1. http://www.houseofnames.com/wilk-family-crest
2. http://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=wilk
3. Applebaum, Anne (2012). Iron Curtain. New York: Doubleday. p. 93. ISBN 9780385515696. LCCN 2012022086.