Czech surnames carry significant meaning and reflect family traditions, as is the case in many other cultures. The majority of Czech last names have their roots in the Czech language, with influences also coming from German (which explains the similarity of some German surnames) and Slovak due to the close proximity and shared history of these countries.
Currently, there are over 40,000 surnames in the Czech Republic, also known as Czechia. It is customary for women to adopt their husband's last name upon marriage. However, due to the gendered nature of the Czech language, the spelling of the last name may change. If the last name is a masculine adjective or noun, the ending of the women's name is often altered by appending "-ova." [1]
History of Czech surnames
Czech surnames predominantly originated from the need for better identification of individuals. They mostly were nicknames reflecting some specific characteristics of a person's character or appearance. Fathers and sons could have different "surnames" depending on their occupation, appearance, or typical character traits.
Over time, feudal lords began to require their subjects to consistently use a second name to make citizen registration more accurate. Therefore, it was decided that second names, or future surnames, would be inherited to avoid disorder, primarily during tax collection. In 1780, Emperor Joseph II legalized the use of family surnames.[2]
There was a clear distinction between noble surnames and those of common people. Noble surnames began to be passed down by inheritance earlier than those of common people, since the nobles themselves wanted their children to carry a family name that immediately indicated their noble origin, social status, and the wealth of their family. The oldest Czech noble surname is the Černín family (from the 11th century).
Origin of Czech surnames
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Patronymics
Most commonly, surnames were derived from personal names. For example, the fairly common surnames Urban and Urbanek originated from the name Urban, while Lukas and Lukasek were derived from the name Lukas. Similarly, names like Kaspar can be traced back to the name Kaspar. Another prevalent personal name was Jan, which gave rise to several surnames such as:
Social status
The family names in the Czech Republic often reflect social and class statuses. Some examples include:
- Mestan (bourgher)
- Sedlak or Lanik (a farmer)
- Chalupnik (a cottager)
- Svobodnik (a freeman)
- Hrabe (count)
- Biskup (a bishop)
- Starosta (a mayor)
- Rychtar (a judge or sheriff)
Additionally, there are numerous surnames based on military ranks and files, such as Vojak and Vojacek, which mean soldier. Other Czech names in this category include:
Occupation
Among the common people, surnames in the Czech Republic were often associated with their occupations. For instance, there were surnames like
- Bednář (carpenter)
- Kožešník (furrier)
- Sedlák (peasant)
- Vorač (plowman)
- Nadeník (laborer)
- Polešný (forester)
In some cases, adding a prefix or suffix, or using a diminutive form, carried a specific expressive meaning. For example, Nekovar referred to a smith who was better to be avoided (Kovar is a smith), while Tesarik denoted a carpenter who was either small in skill or stature.
Property
Frequently, surnames were derived from the type of property owned by the individuals. For instance, the surname Pulpan indicated that the bearer was the owner of half a field, while Lansky denoted the owner of an entire field. On the other hand, someone with the surname Bezzemek signifies the absence of land ownership.
Religion
Nature/animals
Nature served as inexhaustible source for surnames. Supposedly the initial meaning of these surnames was as of a nichname indicating the person's characteristics or relations with nature. For example:
Even parts of animal’s and human body were turned into surnames, deriving from ironic nicknames naturally:
Celebrities with Czech surnames
- Alphonse Mucha, artist
- Eva Herzigova, model
- Milos Forman, director
- Karel Čapek, writer
- Jaromír Jágr, ice hockey player
Most common Czech surnames
See also
Explore more about Czech surnames
- Search Your Last Name on MyHeritage
- Czech Vital Records at MyHeritage
- Czech Population Census at Czech Statistical Office
References
- ↑ https://www.scarymommy.com/parenting/czech-last-names#:~:text=Most%20Czech%20last%20names%20originate,each%20other%20and%20shared%20history.
- ↑ https://abrupt.ru/proishozhdenie-cheshskih-familij/#:~:text=%D0%9A%20%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BC%D1%8B%D0%BC%20%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8B%D0%BC%20%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%88%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BC%20%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%8F%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BC,%D0%9B%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B9%20(%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B5%D0%B9)%20%D0%B8%20%D0%B4%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%B5.
- ↑ https://imagerestorationcenter.com/common-czech-surnames/