family appeared in Masovia around 1750. This family included Antoni and Józef Nowak, generals in the Polish army that served Napoleon, and Aleksander Nowak, a general of the Polish forces during the November Uprising in 1831 against Russia. Czech Republic and Slovakia Novák is widespread in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In both countries, the feminine form is Nováková. It is the most common surname in the Czech Republic. Slovenia Novak is the most common surname in Slovenia with more than 11,000 sharing it. There are however significant variations between regions: it is very common in central Slovenia (in the regions around Ljubljana and Celje), as well as in parts of southern Slovenia and eastern Slovenia (Lower Carniola, Prekmurje). It is much less common in northern and western Slovenia; in the Goriška region on the border with Italy, it is quite rare. The rank of the surname Novak in the Slovenian statistical regions: 1st in the Central Slovenia Statistical Region (3,422) and Savinja Statistical Region (1,380); 2nd in the Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region (1,231) and Mura Statistical Region (1,040); 3rd in the Drava Statistical Region (1,732); 5th in the Upper Carniola Statistical Region (963) and Lower Sava Statistical Region (380); 6th in the Coastal–Karst Statistical Region (228); 8th in the Central Sava Statistical Region (192); 10th in the Carinthia Statistical Region (238); 11th in the Inner Carniola–Karst Statistical Region (228); 131st in the Gorizia Statistical Region (171). Other countries In Croatia, Novak is the sixth most common surname. In Serbia and Montenegro, Novak is a given name, while Novaković is found as a common surname. In Germany, Nowak is 159th (c. 31,000) and Noack is 270th (c. 22,000), together with different spellings (c. 64,000), with some concentration in the Ruhr area, around Salzgitter and Lüchow-Dannenberg and as Noack in Lusatia. People Novak and Novák surname A–J Alexander Novak (born 1971), Russian politician Anatole Novak (1937–2022), French bicycle racer Andriy Novak (born 1988), Ukrainian footballer Anthony Novak (born 1994), Canadian soccer player Anthony Novak, plaintiff in Novak v. City of Parma Arne Novák (1880–1939), Czech literary historian and critic Augustin Novák, a World War I flying ace B. J. Novak (born 1979), American writer, comedian and actor known for The Office Barbara Novak (born 1922), American art historian Brandon Novak (born 1978), American skateboarder Brett Novak, an American filmmaker and director David Novak (disambiguation), several persons Dennis Novak (born 1993), Austrian