Show ContentsHaak History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Haak name derives from the Middle Low German word "ha-ke," Dutch "haak," which means "a hook." The name may have been a nickname for someone with some deformity in a hook shape; or perhaps an occupational name for someone who made or used hooks.

Early Origins of the Haak family

The surname Haak was first found in Holland, where the name became noted for its many branches in the region, each house acquiring a status and influence which was envied by the princes of the region. The name was first recorded in South Holland, a province of Holland, the most crowded province of the Netherlands. The principal cities are Rotterdam, Leyden and Shiedam. Noted is the famed castle of Teilengen where Jacqueline of Bavaria is buried. In their later history the surname became a power unto themselves and were elevated to the ranks of nobility as they grew into this most influential family.

Early History of the Haak family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Haak research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1605, 1615, 1620, 1655, 1684, 1688, 1690 and 1692 are included under the topic Early Haak History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Haak Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Haack, Haak, Hack, Hacke, Hacker, Häckel, Hacken, Heck, Hecke, Heckel, Hecken and many more.

Early Notables of the Haak family

From this era of Dutch history, those of this who distinguished themselves included

  • Theodore Haak (1605-1690), a German Calvinist scholar

Haak Ranking

In the United States, the name Haak is the 15,184th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in Netherlands, the name Haak is ranked the 701st most popular surname with an estimated 2,680 people with that name. 2


United States Haak migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Haak Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Hans Dirk Haak, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1728 3
  • Andreas Haak, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1739
  • Andreas Haak, aged 20, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 3
  • Hans Georg Haak, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 3
  • Adam Haak, who settled in Philadelphia in 1785
Haak Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John G Haak Jr., who landed in Texas in 1866 3
  • Miss E. Haak, aged 2, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Dresden" 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Haak (post 1700) +

  • Harold Haak (d. 2003), American former chancellor of the University of Colorado at Denver, and then president of California State U., Fresno
  • Raymond Haak, Gold Medal winning American founder of the first Winery in Galveston County Texas
  • Niek Haak, Dutch biochemist and photographer
  • Bernhard H Haak Ph.D., of Karlsruhe University of Technology
  • Frank Haak Lattin (1861-1937), American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Orleans County, 1917-30 5


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
  3. 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)
  4. Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 1990
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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