Pietrzak is a Polish patronymic surname, like Pietrzyk and Pietrzykowski, developed from the given name Piotr, when it was still Pietr, before it stabilized in its present form, Piotr, following the so-called .
The oldest surviving record of the surname Pietrzak in Poland dates back to 1639, and, for example, in a very old parish book in Tropie, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, from 1668, when the surname of a Tropie resident was recorded as Bartłomiej Pietrzak. The largest number of Pietrzaks, nearly one third of all, live in central Poland, i.e. the Łódź and Masovian Voivodeships.
The suffix -ak, like -yk, indicates the paternal origin of the surname; it expressed a diminutive form with a positive emotional connotation; when added to the name Piotr, it likely meant Piotr's son. Archaic feminine forms are Pietrzakowa (by husband), Pietrzakówna (by father); they still can be used colloquially. It may be transliterated as: Petrzak, Petrzhak, Petshak, Петшак.
Notable people with this surname include the following:
, married name Bekasiewicz (born 1987), Polish national team basketball player Bogusław Pietrzak, Polish football manager Fiann Paul (born Paweł Pietrzak; 1980), Polish-Icelandic explorer Henryk Pietrzak (1914–1990), Polish fighter ace Jan Pietrzak (born 1937), Polish comedian Jerzy Pietrzak (born 1962), Polish sport shooter (born 1942), Polish historian, senator Jim Pietrzak (1953–2018), American football player Konstantin Petrzhak (1907–1998), Soviet physicist of Polish origin Łucja Pietrzak (born 1995), Polish cyclist Michał Pietrzak (born 1989), Polish athlete Rafał Pietrzak (born 1992), Polish footballer Tadeusz Pietrzak (1926–2014), brigadier general of the Polish People's Army, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Vesna Pietrzak (born 2009), Polish rhythmic gymnast Włodzimierz Pietrzak (1913–1944), Polish poet
See also
Murders of Jan Pietrzak and Quiana Jenkins-Pietrzak Pietrzaki