Womack
A surname of uncertain origin, probably tied to a place-name with the sense of a hollow or low-lying oak-land, though older writers also guessed at an Old English personal-name source.
The #1,245 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 10,948 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is usually treated as English, but its exact origin is not certain. One 19th-century explanation connects it with an old place-name meaning something like “hollow oak,” built from Old English elements for a hollow or cavity and an oak tree. Another older writer speculated about a personal-name or nickname source, but that explanation is much less secure.
History
The name is recorded in England by around 1600 in forms such as Womock. Later usage spread beyond its original English setting, and the surname is now best known in English-speaking countries, especially the United States. Because the etymology is debated, modern references usually present it cautiously rather than as a settled fact.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname scholars disagreed about whether Womack came from a place-name or from an old nickname, which makes it a nice example of how uncertain some English surname origins can be.
From the historical record
“Wulfreton in the 13th cent.] WOMACK (Eng.), found a.d. 1600 as Womock, seems to mean HoLLOW Oak (from resi- dence thereby) [O.E. mamb, womb, hollow, cavity -(- dc, oak-tree] WOMBELLlf ,,, . ,, WOMBILL I for Wombwell, q.v. WOM SWELL (Eng.) Bel. to Wombwell (Yorks), 14th cent. Wombewell, 13th cent. Wambewell…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)