Zaks (surname)

Zaks is a surname. Among Jews, it can be a variant of the German surname, Sachs, the patronymic variant of the Hebrew biblical male personal name Yitzchak/Isaac or it can originate in the acronym surname Za'Ks, which stands for the Hebrew words, Zera Kodesh Shemo, literally meaning "his name is Holy Seed," a quotation from Isaiah 6:13 and implying "his name descends from martyrs." This acronym can also refer to the town of martyrdom, such as Speyer or Stendal, indicating a holy martyr from such a town. Notable people with the surname include:


 * Amram Zaks (1926–2012), Israeli Rosh yeshiva
 * Hillel Zaks (-2015), Israeli Rosh yeshiva
 * Jerry Zaks (born 1946), German actor
 * Mendel Zaks (1898–1974), American rabbi
 * Rodnay Zaks (born 1946), American author
 * Shmuel Zaks (born 1949), Israeli scientist