It does not yet appear that the Czanik and Czarnik family names are related, or the early links, if any, may have been lost in the mists of time. Nevertheless, should the names be related, they, in all likelihood, may have originated from the 6th century Can tribe of Turkey, where by the 10th century, the Canik area was named. The Canik mountains in Northern Turkey still carries the name to this day. It is thought that an early ancestor may have moved from Turkey to Upper-Hungary (today's Slovakia), from where descendants may have migrated further. The "z" in Czanik was apparently added through the Habsburg influence, and more variations of the spelling (such as Czarnik) may have followed. It would be great if other researchers can shed more light or confirm - Please note that all this might be classified as lore rather than facts, although I have found the Canik mountains in an atlas to be a fact, it is a fact that there was a Can tribe, the earliest known birth certificate of a Czanik dates back to 1841 which is a fact, etc. This is all shown on my Czanik genealogy website at http://www.geocities.com/czanikbt. Please contact me if any of the information can be positively confirmed or refuted, I would like to keep to the facts and maintain an accurate record. Kind regards and best wishes to all Czarniks, especially Larry and Colleen Czarnik in Australia - from the Czaniks in South Africa.