Polish and Czech female names. Czech surnames

19.06.2019

All Czech female names are of Slavic, Christian and European origin. They can be single or double. You can also find names that are found in the Catholic calendar. Such names have ancient Greek and Latin roots. Today there are many original Czech and borrowed names. All Czech and borrowed names have abbreviated and reduced forms.

How are they chosen?

Parents choose a Czech name for a girl either following fashion trends, or they opt for a name associated with church personalities.

Very often they choose the names of famous people: politicians, celebrities, writers and others. Most of the names come from the names of saints. Parents believe that such names can protect the baby from all evil. Parents can also choose the so-called magical names that drive away evil spirits from the girl.

Important! When choosing names, of course, parents pay attention to their meaning. The girl receives a name that is fraught with qualities and traits that parents would like to see in her.

List of options in Russian and their meaning

Due to the fact that there are a large number of borrowed names among Czech names, their list is quite extensive. We present you the most beautiful Czech names with meaning and brief interpretation.

  • Agatha means "good". Persistent, firm in desires, restrained, secretive, too straightforward and uncompromising. You will never hear complaints about life from her.
  • Adela- the meaning of the name "noble". Always sets clear goals and achieves them. Stubborn, proud, purposeful, active, easily converges with people, but it is difficult for her to put her emotions on display.
  • Adele- "noble". Calm and balanced, gentle and faithful, a good friend, easily finds a common language with strangers.
  • Alika- "noble appearance". Purposeful, always achieves her goals, artistic and inventive, distinguished by insight and intuitiveness.
  • Aneta- "benefit", "grace". Happy, romantic, wise, original, self-sufficient nature with a cautious and prudent mind.
  • Bara- "foreign". Endowed with a strong, penetrating character, initiative, high stress resistance. Sometimes there is a sense of ownership.
  • Baraska means "weird". It has high spiritual qualities, is able to forgive offenders, empathy, empathy are inherent, and a well-developed flair.
  • Baruna- "foreign or strange." Appreciates and cherishes family and friendly ties, has extraordinary thinking, is proactive, does not like routine and monotony.
  • Bertha- is interpreted as "bright". The girl is inquisitive, sometimes with a difficult character, persistent, conflict, knows her own worth, a lover of boasting.
  • Blanca- "white". Curious, talkative, has a good memory, hardly forgives insults, never forgets insults or comments received in her address.
  • Bronislava- "glorious protector." A girl with this name is distinguished by exactingness towards herself and others. He loves animals, meek, kind, suspicious, hospitable, in the future a skilled hostess.
  • Vladislav- "ruling with glory." She is characterized by an optimistic character, creative and organizational skills, fears new acquaintances, avoids conflicts and quarrels, is squeamish, hospitable.
  • Power- the meaning of the name "native". A creative person with a rich imagination and inner world, a delicate taste, a good sense of humor, optimistic and charismatic.
  • Dana- "given to the world." A modest, truthful nature with a controversial character, restrained. She has a developed sense of duty, successful, always achieves her goals.
  • Jharka- "spring". Modest, timid, impulsive, purposeful, affectionate, able to forgive, honest, kind, able to empathize, has a well-developed instinct.
  • Jarmila- translates as "spring". Happy, romantic, wise, original, self-sufficient person with a sharp and prudent mind. Likes to take risks.
  • Joseph- "increasing". It is characterized by pride, stubbornness, isolation, complexes, limitations. He does not like noisy companies, makes new acquaintances with difficulty.
  • Jolana- purple flower. An open, cheerful, cheerful, optimistic, artistic and resourceful girl. Everything is guided by logical thinking.
  • Julia means "youth". She will always help in a difficult situation, reliable, kind, honest, peaceful, economic, prudent, capricious, requires increased attention to herself.
  • Dominica- "belonging to the lord." Cheerful, serene child. Bold, stubborn, touchy, has an independent character, likes to spend most of the time alone.
  • Zofi- "wisdom". The baby is characterized by a rich inner world, delicate taste, a good sense of humor, constancy, charisma, optimism, sociability.
  • Zuzana- translation "lily". Diligent, intuitive, understanding, friendly, open, constant, sometimes touchy baby.
  • Ivanka- God is good. Since childhood, he has shown such qualities as: romanticism, kindness, honesty, peacefulness, optimism, sociability. Loves nature and art.
  • Irenka- "world". A girl with a fine mental organization, sociable, insightful, simple, charming, a good conversationalist, resolute.
  • Caroline means "human". It is characterized by decisiveness, sociability, receptivity, good intuition, speed of reaction, excessive excitability and irascibility.
  • Katarina- "pure". Disinterested, always helps others, maintains family and friendly ties, insightful and slightly nervous.
  • Christina- A follower of Christ. Insight, strong-willed character, extraordinary thinking, kindness, honesty, peacefulness accompany the baby through life.
  • Ladmila- People's love. A girl with a rich inner world, a chic sense of humor, delicate taste, sociability, charisma and optimism.
  • Ladislava- "gets along with fame." Stubbornness, pride, isolation, complexes, limitations, logic and common sense characterize the bearer of this name.
  • Libena- "Love". Artistic and inventive, economic and prudent, sociable and insightful, simple and charming. Good interlocutor.
  • Lidmila- "sweet people." She is characterized by logical thinking, hard work, thriftiness, prudence, narcissism and neglect of others.
  • Lubomir- "world of love". Open, cheerful, cheerful, hardworking, creative, artistic, inventive, partly narcissistic nature.
  • Maria- "beloved". Sociable, always listens to the opinions of others, has extraordinary thinking, kind, honest, always comes to the rescue, caring.
  • Market- "pearl". A girl with a well-developed flair, the ability to empathize, with creative abilities. Enjoys the love and recognition of others.
  • Martha- "lady". Emotional, labile, eccentric, contradictory, hardworking, stubborn, importunate, straightforward, principled, independent nature.
  • Milada- "benefit" or "grace". It is characterized by a fine mental organization, kindness, honesty, peacefulness, the desire to help, romanticism.
  • Milena- "benefit, grace." Strong, strong-willed and resolute, sociable, insightful, somewhat mercantile and selfish, hardworking, but does not like boring and monotonous work.
  • Nada- "hope". It is endowed with stubbornness, pride, strong and decisive character, striving for spiritual and physical balance, isolation. Loves home gatherings.
  • Neidja means "hope". Differs in caring and traditional views, stable and confident, which sometimes makes her vulnerable and inert.
  • Otili- "rich". She does not like abrupt changes, adheres to traditional views in everything, values ​​and cherishes family and friendship ties, is stable and self-confident.
  • Paul- "small". Sociable, optimistic, easily makes new acquaintances, scrupulous, accurate in everything, attentive to the smallest detail, hardworking, does not like routine.
  • Peacock- "small". Romantic, kind, honest, peaceful, resolute, strong, strong-willed girl. It is capricious and requires increased attention to itself.
  • Radka- means happy. She is distinguished by insight, scrupulousness and unpredictability, as well as a thirst for new knowledge and diligence. Doesn't like routine.
  • Rostislav- Growing Glory. She is characterized by well-developed intuition, extraordinary thinking, responsibility, leadership qualities, stubbornness and unpredictability.
  • Ruzen- translates as "increasing." Secretive, by nature an introvert, therefore she prefers to spend most of her time at home, it is difficult for her to make new acquaintances.
  • Svetlanka- "light". Stubbornness, empathy, empathy, developed instinct, creativity, determination, the ability to achieve goals - all this is about a baby with this name.
  • Sobieska- "own glory". A girl with a strong, strong-willed, penetrating character, persistent, hardworking, stubborn, proactive, with a high resistance to stress.
  • Stepanka- "crown". She is scrupulous and accurate in everything, appreciates friendship, is a good conversationalist, is distinguished by excitement, always worries about other people.
  • Theresa- "reaper". Communicative, insightful, organized, kind, fair, honest, peaceful, hardworking, caring. Adheres to traditional views.
  • Hana- "God is good." She is sociable, decisive, has a strong character, is smart, attractive, takes care of her relatives.
  • Shimon- listener. She is diligent, attentive to details, purposeful, always sets clear goals and achieves them.
  • Evika- "living" or "life". Optimistic, sociable, kind, romantic, with well-developed intuition and logical thinking. Listens to the opinions of others.
  • Emilia- "competitive". A baby with a rich imagination and inner world, optimistic, sociable.
  • Many Czech female names have the same meanings, but they all differ in beauty and sound. When choosing a Czech name for your daughter, look not only at its interpretation.

You can find a lot of useful information, including statistics about the most popular names in the Czech Republic. And now I will give a list of the most popular names in the Czech Republic.

Popular Czech female names

Name in Czech Other versions of the name Name in Russian Name decoding
Marie Marenka, Manka, Mánicka, Mája, Maruska Maria 288950 From Hebrew "rejected" or "sad"
Jana Janicka, Janinka, Janka Yana 269709 From Hebrew "grace of God"
Eva Evička, Evka, Evčule, Efička, Efi Eva or Eva 156658 From Hebrew "giving life"
Hana Hanka, Hanicka Hannah 148701 From Hebrew "beloved of God"
Anna Aňa, Andulka, Anicka, Anči Anna 140375 Feminine name of Jewish origin "disposition, favor, favor"
Lenka Lenca, Leni, Lenička, Lenuš, Lenička Lenka 118933
Vera Věruška, Věrča, Věrunka Faith 116855 From Greek "faithful"
Katerina Katka Katerzhina or Ekaterina 115122 From Greek "pure", "moral", "innocent"
Lucie Lucka, Lucinka Lucy or Lucy 108432 From Latin "light, radiant, shining"
Alena Alenka, Alik, Alca Alyona 107721
Petra Petruš, Petruška, Péťa Petra 102501 The female version of the name Peter
Jaroslava Yaroslav 90028 Female analogue of the name Yaroslav
Veronica Veronica 85080 From the Greek "bringing victory"
Martina Martinka, Marťa Martina 81107 From the Roman god of war
Jitka Jituška, Jitulka Itka 79647 from Hebrew
Michaela Míša, Miška, Mišulka, Míšánka, Mišák Michaela 76963 From Hebrew "like a god"
Tereza Terezka, Terka, Terezie, Terina, Terinka, Terca Theresa 75948 Name of Greek origin associated with the island of Thera or translated from Greek "protection", "protection"
Zuzana Suzana, Zusana, Zuzanna Suzanne 59503 From Hebrew "lily"
Eliska Alzbeta Eliska 53669 The Czech form of the name Elizabeth, translated from Hebrew as "worshiping God"
Barbora Bara, Baruska, Barca Barbora or Barbara 53205 From Greek "foreigner"
Kristyna Krista, Tyna, Tina, Tynka Christina 47214 From Greek "Christian"
Adela Adelka, Adla, Ajdík, Áda, Aduška Adela 38847 From Old German "noble"
Klara Klarka, Klarinka Clara 36492 From Latin "clear", "bright"
Nikola Nikola 35723 Surely many people know the famous actress Nikola Jirásková))
Karolina Karol, Karca, Karuska Caroline 32190 Name of German origin
Natalie Natka, Natkas, Natalinka Natalia 28020 The Latin word "natalis" means "native", "Christmas" or "born on Christmas"

Popular Czech male names

Name in Czech Other versions of the name Name in Russian Number of people with this name in the Czech Republic Name decoding
Jiri Jirka, Jira, Jirin, Jura, Jurašek Jiri 306953 From Greek "farmer"
Jan Honza, Honzík, Jenda, Jeníček, Jeník Jan 295293 From Hebrew "God's merciful gift", "given by God"
Petr Petrik, Peťa, Peťka Peter 273036 From the Greek "rock", "stone"
Joseph Jožka, Josífek, Jožin, Pepa Joseph or Joseph 231320 From Hebrew "will be added, will be added"
Pavel Paul 204260 From Latin "small", "small"
Jaroslav Jarek, Jára, Jarouš Yaroslav 185819 From Old Church Slavonic "strong", "energetic"
Martin Martin 184533
Tomas Tom, Tomik, Tomášek, Tomino Tomasz or Foma 175105 From Aramaic "twin"
Frantisek Franta, Ferda, Fanda, Fana Frantisek or Franz 134884 From Old German "unmarried man"
ZdenEk Zdenek 134094 From the old Slavonic "way of the chief"
Michal Michal or Michael 120801 From Hebrew "Who is like God?"
Karel Kaja, Karlik, Karlíček Charles 111726 From Old German "man"
Milan Milan 111578 From Old Slavonic "darling", "beloved"
Lukas Lukasek Lukash or Luka 97133 From the Latin "Lukan", "inhabitant of Lucania"
Jakub Kuba, Kubik, Jakoubek Yakub 96801 From Hebrew "following"
David Davidek David 95165 From the biblical "beloved", "favorite"
Ondrej Ondra, Ondrašek, Ondřik Ondrej 70191 From the Greek "brave", "courageous", "brave"
Marek Marek or Mark 59595 The name is derived from the Roman god "Mars"
Daniel Daniel or Daniel 55861 From Hebrew "God is my judge", "God is my judge"
Vojtech Vojta, Vojtisek Vojtech 47567 From Polish "joy of war"
Philip Fíla, Fífa, Filda, Fíďák, Fík, Filis Philip 43916 From Greek "lover of horses"
Adam Aďas, Adasek Adam 40017 From Hebrew "man", "created from red clay"
MatJ Matysek, Máťa Matei 32304 From Hebrew "gift of the Lord"
Dominic Dominic 28514 Latin for "dominate"
Štěpan Štěpánek, Štěpa, Štěpí Stepan or Stepan 20552 From the Greek "crown", "diadem"
Matyas Matthias 15640 From Hebrew "gift of God"
Simon Šimi, Šíša, Šišoun, Šémon Shimon or Semyon 12745 From Hebrew "heard by God"

The most popular Czech surnames

In the Czech Republic, Slavic names are most often found, the Catholic faith had a very strong influence on the names. Traditional Czech names are still very popular today: Tomáš, Marek, Milan, Kateřina, Eliška. Sometimes there are very exotic names, for example: Květoslav, Mojmír.

The Czech Republic belongs to the Slavic countries, so here you can find a lot of names that are identical to Russian, Ukrainian or Polish names: Lenka, Pavel, Jana, Petr, Roman, Olga, Ilona, ​​Ivan, etc.

I will tell you about the main groups of Slavic names, which also apply to Czech names:

  • Dibasic (Svatoslav, Bohdan, Bohumil, Miroslav);
  • Participle names (Ždan);
  • Names from the animal and plant world (Květoslava);
  • Names in order of birth (Pervusha, Vtorak, Tretiak);
  • Names according to human qualities (Brave).

Due to the presence of diacritics in the Czech language (gachekov, charek), many names are pronounced a little differently than their Russian equivalents. The stress is most often placed on the first syllable. As you probably noticed, many Czech names have a short version of the name, so don't be surprised if you don't understand the first time what the Czechs meant.

To properly address Czech, you need to use the "vocative case" (the fifth case in Czech). I will not go into the wilds of the language, I will just say how it will look like: “Xenio!”, “Grisho!”, “Yano!”, “Misho!”.

There is one more nuance in the Czech language, which refers to female surnames - this is the addition of the ending -ova ( -ova). That is, normal surnames need to be distorted to get Paris Hiltonova, Michelle Pfeifferova, etc.

Many of us are interested in names that are common among other peoples and in other states. Today we will talk about Czech names for men.

Features of Czech names

They are based on the Slavic basis, which was significantly influenced by Catholicism. Present in this country are also typically Russian, Polish, Ukrainian. Their form is common. As an example, we can cite such Czech male names as Peter (it translates as “stone”), Milos (translated as “dear, dear”).

There are also those that are supplemented with the suffix "-k". Why these names begin to differ in simplicity and even some "disdain". An example is the name Radek, meaning "happy". Another option for the formation of Czech male names is from participles (for example, Rudolf, Wok). Czech names for men are given in the order of birth, human qualities can also be taken into account: Vlastimil means “good ruler”, the name Lubosh speaks for itself and translates as “beloved”.

Another feature is accent. It usually stands on the first syllable. At the same time, the sound is different from what we are used to hearing. For this reason, it can be difficult to figure out which name is being discussed. Below we will touch on the meaning of some Czech names.

Name Milan: meaning

This common Czech name is distinguished by Slavic roots and means “sweet”, “gentle”. Decency, reliability, goodwill, simplicity - these are the qualities that characterize the bearer of this name. Even in childhood, you can take an example from this child. Over the years, Milan's character traits remain virtually unchanged. This pleasant, charming person exudes friendliness and willingness to help. Praises to the owners of such a name can flow endlessly, it begins to seem that the negative qualities have bypassed him. But nothing like that. These strong personalities often seek only material enrichment. Many men spend most of their lives building a career.

The health of men bearing the name Milan is good, but not excellent. They are allergic, often catch colds, complain about the skin and back.

Milan thinks about creating a family when he turns thirty. He is a loving person, so from time to time he will have to dispel his wife's suspicions about his own infidelity. Despite this, family and children are very important to him.

God's gift

This is how the name Matei is translated. The number of this name is the number seven. It contains the ability to turn talent into such areas as science, art, philosophy, religious activity. But for successful activity, a deep analysis of the results achieved, plus real planning of future events, is needed.

Perfectly understanding the aspirations of other people, the owners of this name can become leaders. Those who have chosen a commercial or financial path cannot do without outside help.

The nature and secret of the name Jiri

Compliant, kind, a little spineless and trusting, this man of action spends quite a long time thinking through each of his actions. Outwardly similar to his mother, but takes on the character of his father. Well versed in art, he chooses for himself a career as a circus performer, opera or pop singer. High sports results are also quite achievable for him.

The man named Jiri is stubborn. Often he considers only his own opinion, perceiving it as the only true one. If it comes to controversial points, then here he usually does not hear the interlocutor. This is reflected in building relationships with others. It should be noted that, growing up, Jiri thinks about the listed shortcomings.

Jiri, born in winter, are prone to scientific research, they are distinguished by a difficult disposition. The interests of society are certainly not in the first place for him. Jiri, born in the spring months, is selfish and selfish. Can be tricky. Strives for career growth, while using only honest methods. A quality highly valued by managers and colleagues. Jiri, born in the summer, is spineless, soft and compliant. Born in the fall is distinguished by prudence and stubbornness.

We have listed only some Czech male names that parents choose for their children.

At birth, each person receives his personal name and family name (surname), indicating that he is the son (or daughter) of his father, grandson - grandfather, great-grandson - great-grandfather.

The surname can be rare and widespread, majestic or funny, but all of them can tell why the ancestors of a person began to be called that way.

Origin of Czech surnames

In the Czech Republic today there are over four tens of thousands of surnames, and the first of them appeared in the 14th century. At first, surnames were a kind of nicknames and may change throughout life. For example, Sedlak (peasant), Shilgan (oblique), Halabala (loafer). Moreover, each family member could have his own nickname. These middle names helped to better identify people, more precisely to register them. And to prevent unrest in the collection of taxes, future surnames began to be inherited. In 1780, the Czech Emperor Josef II legalized the use of generic names.

The writer Božena Němcová is the most famous bearer of a common Czech surname.

Czech surnames sometimes corresponded to the occupation of a person, for example, Mlinarzh (miller), Sklenarzh (glazier), and coincided with his own name or the name of his father, for example, Janak, Lukas, Alesh, Urbanek (remember Viktor Pavlik). The generic names of people living in the city and the village were also different. The surnames of the townspeople sometimes corresponded to their belonging to a certain stratum of society. As a rule, the place of residence of the clan was added to the noble family name. For example, Kozheshnik from Trotsnow, Lansky from Lobkowitz. The nobles, much earlier than the commoners, began to pass on generic names by inheritance, thus showing his noble origin. One of the oldest noble families in the country is the Chernin family (11th century).

Vladimír Mlynář is a famous Czech politician and financier. With us, he would be Vladimir Melnik.

Surnames such as Knedlik, Kolash (pie), Cibulka (onion) make it clear that Czechs have always been great gourmets, and nature served as a source of inspiration for them (Brzhiza - a birch, Gavranek - a crow, Shipka - a wild rose, Vorzhishek - a mongrel, etc.). Czech generic names were used, which reflected religion: Krzhestyan (Christian), Lutrin (Lutheran).

Aleksey Mlinarzh is a Russian table tennis master with the same speaking Czech surname. And after all, no miller.

Appeared funny surnames, which were called representatives of religions that are non-Catholic (Pogan - pagan), or who spoke about some quality of a person's character (Sodomka - from Sodom known from the Bible). And apparently due to the fact that the ancestors of modern Czechs with humor were fine, there are such family names as Geysek (dandy), Beran (ram), Tsisarzh (emperor), Voganka (tail), Pletiha (gossip), Brzhikhachek ( pot-bellied) and others.

Today, some Czechs go to the registry offices with a request to change the names that seem to them funny or even obscene. And the employees of these institutions, as a rule, go towards citizens who want to get rid of such generic names as Graysemnou, which means "play with me", Vratsesase, which translates as "come again", Vrazhdil - "killed", Vitamvas, meaning greetings.

If you got here for a reason, but with serious intentions, for example, you set yourself the goal of moving there for permanent residence, then we have a couple more articles for you. In learning a language, it is worth starting with the basics, that is, with the Czech alphabet - - it turns out that it is not at all so simple, and the letters in it are apparently invisible.

The most common surnames in the Czech Republic

If you look at the list of Czech surnames, the most common one will be the generic name Novak. This equivalent of the surname Ivanov is a "family" symbol of the country, and its bearer is the hero of numerous Czech jokes. Today, more than 70 thousand men and women in the Czech Republic bear the surnames Novak and Novakov. This suggests that the ancestors of the Czechs often changed their place of residence, and when they arrived in another city or village, they became newcomers - Novaks. If such a "tumbleweed" was also low, it was called Novachek.

There are slightly fewer Czech citizens with the surname Svoboda, from which the generic names Svobodnik, Svobodny, etc. were formed. The third place in the list of Czech surnames is Novotny, as a derivative of Novak, and the fourth is Dvořák (everyone who knows and loves music knows this famous surname ).

Karel Svoboda - Czech composer - it was he who wrote the famous song for the cartoon "The Adventures of Maya the Bee". His surname is one of the most common in the Czech Republic.

Not the most common, but certainly the most famous, is the name of the Czech Czapek. Writer Karel Capek and composer Antonin Dvorak really need no introduction. It is believed that the surname Chapek comes from the word "chap", which means "stork" in translation. Maybe the writer's ancestors had long legs, or maybe they had a long nose, or maybe a stork was depicted on their house.

And since we are talking about music, let us note that the Czech Republic is a very musical country, and on our website there is one dedicated to it. Great composers and street ensembles, the well-known organ-grinder in a hat on Charles Bridge and the player on crystal glasses on Republic Square. Or organ music? Shall we go to church?

Features of the formation of Czech surnames

If we compare Russian surnames with Czech ones, it is clearly seen that most Russian generic names answer the question: “whose?” (Ivanov, Petrov, Sidorov), and Czech, like English, German, etc., directly call a person (Smith, Hess, Novak, Nedbal, Smolarzh).

And in the Czech language, despite the fact that it is also Slavic, there is a different attitude in grammar to masculine and feminine words. As a result, the formation of a female surname from a male one occurs by adding the suffix "-ova". For example, Novak - Novakova, Shpork - Shporkova. Moreover, Czechs also incline foreign female surnames without regard to meaning. It turns out sometimes very interesting, if not funny. For example, Smirnov - Smirnovova, Beckham - Beckham, Putin - Putinova. In the Czech periodical press one can read: Demi Murova, Sarah-Jessica Parkerova, Sharon Stounova. It is a well-known fact that Kylie Minogue did not go to the Czech Republic after learning that on posters her name looked like Kylie Minogue. True, there are female surnames to which the named suffix is ​​\u200b\u200bnot added, these are Nova, Krasna, Stara and others denoting an adjective.

Some representatives of the weaker sex say that adding the suffix "-ova" to the male surname to form a female one shows the woman's dependence on the man, her subordinate role. Some Czechs believe that it would be more logical to use the masculine form of the Czech female surname due to the fact that people today travel a lot abroad. In the Senate, there was even a proposal from the Civic Democrats to allow women to “stop” their surnames. But the project was not approved, so as not to speed up the natural process of development of the Czech language. True, the Institute of the Czech Language recommended tolerating women who prefer to introduce themselves by giving the male form of their surnames, which does not apply to official documents.

Anyone who has read the article almost to the end will definitely be interested in learning more about the most popular and rare names in the Czech Republic. This girl's name is Petra. Isn't it a beautiful name? By the way, she is a famous Czech model. An article about names is being prepared and we will publish it soon. Follow us.

The surname is one of the most important components of a person's identity. History knows the facts of renaming a person who became a slave. And the declension of female surnames is part of the Czech identity. Perhaps this is what makes patriots perceive the desire of some citizens to break the golden rule of Czech grammar as a great loss of the Czech language.

When he is born, he immediately gets a surname. It would seem that just one word, sometimes two, but it plays a big role in the continuity of generations of the family, the history of the family. They can be simple or pretentious, funny or majestic, but one way or another they are a subtle hint (and often a rude indication) of the mystery why the ancestor was named that way. All this is in Czech surnames. Now more about this.

Into the depths of centuries

To understand the peculiarities of the diversity of Czech surnames and names, it is necessary to plunge into the history of this amazing Slavic state at least a little.

In the ninth century, during the period of the spread of Christianity, trade relations developed on the territory of the Czech Republic, there were wars. Began to appear along with the Slavic Jewish, Greek, Latin and Germanic names. Since they were difficult to pronounce and write for the Czechs, they did not hesitate to modify them for their convenience.

Also, thanks to Jan Hus, the Czech alphabet was also reformed for convenience. Prior to this, short-pronounced Czech words were lengthened four times by means of Latin transliteration. Writing the same business documents took much longer.

In the sixteenth century, the name was chosen depending on the social position. The nobles called their children Wil, Yaroslav, Friedrich, the soldiers - Hector or Alexander. Simpletons from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century received names such as Dorota, Barbora, Katarzyna.

The first Czech surnames appeared around the fourteenth century. Initially, their owners were representatives of the ruling families, which is quite natural. It was beneficial for the Czech nobility in this way to consolidate and pass on to their descendants their noble origin. One of the oldest Czech noble families is Cherninov.

More often, the middle name of ordinary Czechs without a noble pedigree came from a nickname. It was given according to the occupation, the distinctive structure of the body or its individual parts, character traits, and sometimes bad habits. There were even swear words.

In the case of "professional" Czech surnames, it happened that not all family members bore it. If the father was a carpenter, he could be called, for example, Jan Bednar, and his carpenter son could be called Vaclav Tesar. So the representatives of the same family received different surnames.

With the development of the feudal system, the surnames of the common people in the Czech Republic became mandatory. This was due to ordinary practicality. During the collection of taxes, there was no longer a strong confusion as before.

The names of Czech children were often given common ones. It is difficult not to make a mistake, which Jan paid the filing in full, and which did not. And with surnames, it has become much easier to fix the payment for a specific person.

The list of Czech surnames could expand, becoming brighter and more diverse, if not for the reforms carried out in the state at the end of the eighteenth century, which approved the existing list.

The most common surnames: Novotny or Novak, Dvorak, Gorak, Svoboda.

Metaphors of nature

There is a large list of generic names of Czechs, formed from words associated with natural phenomena. For example, Ivan Glinka, a hockey player. There is no need to guess that his ancestor was named after clay.

Perhaps it was a clay miner, or maybe this is an indication of a weak character, malleable like clay. The surname Mraz (frost) is very common. This is clear evidence of the severity of the character of the Czech who was given such a surname.

Geneticist from Ginchice

There are many foreign surnames among Czech surnames, which is explained by geopolitical changes in the country. Since the time of Austria-Hungary, surnames of German origin have spread throughout the Czech Republic.

Everyone who taught biology well at school is well aware of the name of the Czech genetic scientist - Mendel.

A native of the Moravian town of Ginchice came from a Slavic-German family. Yes, this is the same scientist, the abbot of the Augustinian order, who observed the green peas and deduced the laws of heredity.

He was ahead of his time with his research. Contemporaries did not hesitate to make fun of his scientific work, based only on changes in legumes. But already twenty years after his death, the scientific world made a noise, studying his achievements in the then new science - genetics. Mendel is also called the "Czech Darwin".

Only "-ova"!

While staying in the Czech Republic, the fair sex should not be surprised if, when processing documents, they see their last name very changed.

There is a state feature of the formation of female Czech surnames. They are formed from any male, but with the obligatory addition of the suffix "-ova". This points to the historically established patriarchy of the national culture of the Czechs. There are no exceptions even for foreigners.

It is a widely available fact that the singer Kylie Minogue did not come to the Czech Republic with a concert, having learned that she was "Minogue" on the posters in Prague.

for fun

Czechs do not hold a sense of humor, which is reflected in their generic names. Even today, funny Czech surnames are often found, although the laws of the republic have long allowed to replace them.

With great irony, the ancestors of the Czechs, making fun of the nobility, were called the titles of both secular and clergy. Among them are Papezh (from the Pope) and Biskup (bishop). There are also male Czech surnames of an abusive and accusatory nature: Halabala - a loafer, Smutny - sad, Gnevsa - formidable, angry.

Czech names

At the top of the list of Czech male names for many centuries are: Jan, Petr and Jakub. Therefore, even now you can find famous personalities with such a "nickname". Many people know or have seen a goalkeeper with a bright male Czech name and surname - Petr Cech. That's where there will be no questions about where he comes from, for which football team in the world he would not play.

Pre-Christian roots can be traced in Czech names. We all remember a funny children's cartoon about a mole, authored by Zdeněk Miller. It is believed that the name Zdenek comes from the old common proper name Zdeslav (here + glory).

In addition to the old ones, the list of modern common Czech names was influenced by the Catholic Church. Czechs often named their children after saints: Josef, Yakub (from Jacob), Pavel, Tomas, Marek, and so on. Czech names can be divided into two-part, derived from participles (Zhdan), names of the plant and animal worlds (Kvetoslav), in order of birth (Pervak) and in accordance with the qualities of character (Brave).

Czech names

The Czech Republic is a Slavic country, and, of course, among Czech female surnames and names there are quite familiar to the Russian ear. One of the most influential women in the Czech Republic, a fighter against corruption, an exposer of embezzlement schemes, is Lenka Bradachova.

Along with traditional female names, Czechs are often called exotic, foreign "nicknames". For example, the director of Olma, the Czech company Agrofert, is called Simona Sokolova. From the male Hebrew name Simon (Shimon).

Often girls are named after a beautiful flower, bird or animal.

Name pronunciation

The Czech language has diacritical marks, for this reason many names are pronounced slightly differently than the corresponding Russian ones. As a rule, the first syllable is stressed.

Many Czech names have a short version, so it can be difficult for a Russian person to understand whose name they are talking about. Like Ukrainian, Czech has a vocative case. To address a Czech correctly, you need to say his name in the vocative case, which means choosing the right ending. For example, a Czech named Wroclaw is referred to as "Wroclaw!", and to Jan - "Jano", and so on.



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