Zack Polanski was born David Paulden on 2 November 1982[1] in Salford, Greater Manchester,[2] where he also grew up.[3] His Jewish ancestors had moved to the UK from Poland to escape the occupation by Nazi Germany,[4] but originated from Latvia which they fled to escape pogroms (initially to Ukraine, then to Poland)[5] in the early twentieth century. The family adopted the surname of Paulden hoping to evade antisemitism.[6][7] His parents divorced when he was young.[2] At age 18, he changed his name, restoring his familial name of Polanski, later saying it was important for him to take pride in his identity.[6] He also changed his first name, selecting Zack in homage to the Jewish character of the same name from the novel Goodnight Mister Tom, and to differentiate himself from his stepfather, also named David.[7]
Information from Wikipedia.