Show ContentsSaks History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Saks

What does the name Saks mean?

The Jewish surname Saks has a two possible origins. In the first case, Saks was often adopted in memory of a martyred ancestor. It is adapted from ZAKS, an acronym for the phrase "zera kodesh shemo," meaning "descended from martyrs." This acronym was adopted by the descendants of the residents of the German town of Speyer, which was devastated during the crusades. Another area that is remembered by this name is the Prussian town of Stendahl, where many Jews were martyred in the 16th century.

The alternate origin of Saks suggests that it is of local or geographic derivation and indicates that its original bearer came from Saxony.

Saks Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Sachs, Zaks, Saks, Sacks and more. and others.


Saks migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Saks Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Alonso De Saks, who landed in America in 1813 1
  • Cristobal De Saks, who landed in America in 1827 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Saks (post 1700) +

  • Carl Saks, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 15th District, 1970, 1972 2


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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