In Croatia, Paponjak families are Serbs (from Podrinje (Bosnia) ). In the past century, relatively most of Croatian residents bearing this family name were born in Podrinje, Bosnia (Rudo area). In Dorići in Podrinje (Bosnia) every third inhabitant had the family name Paponjak.
Prevalence
Only a few people with faimily name Paponjak live in Croatia today, in one household only. They are located in only one small Croatian place, in Sesvetski Kraljevec (<5).
Outside Croatia
Family name Paponjak is present in five countries on three continents.
In the sources analysed in the project Acta Croatica so far, the name is mentioned few times, the first time 1923 in source Emigration Commission Zagreb.