Zając ( , archaic feminine: Zającowa, plural Zającowie) is one of the most common surnames in Poland and the third most popular in Lesser Poland. The English translation of this surname is "hare". The surname occasionally appears as Zajonc due to the Polish pronunciation of ą as "on", however, the vowel is usually rendered as "a" outside Poland, producing Zajac. The latter form may also come from Slovak, Sorbian, Serbo-Croatian, or Belarusian cognates. Notable people with the surname include: Bogdan Zając (born 1972), Polish football defender Czesław Zając, Polish sport shooter Jack Zajac (born 1929), American artist Józef Zając, (1891–1963), Polish general Karol Zając (1913-1965), Polish alpine skier Marcin Zając (born 1975), Polish football midfielder Marek Zając (born 1973), Polish football defender Stanisław Zając (born 1949), Polish politician Travis Zajac (born 1985), Polish-Canadian hockey player Robert Zajonc (1923–2008), Polish-American social psychologist See also Zając, Masovian Voivodeship (east-central Poland) Zajac (disambiguation) References Polish-language surnames Surnames from nicknames