the etymology and history of surnames
|
the etymology and history of surnames
|
| Adamik |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Czech diminutive form of Adam. |
| Andres |
|
Usage: German, Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the given name Andrew. |
| Banik |
|
Usage: Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "miner" in Slovak. |
| Baracnik |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| A Baracnik was a farmer in Bohemia with less land than a Sedlak, Zahradnik or Chalupnik, but more land than a tenant farmer. |
| Bartoš |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Bartoš, a pet form of Bartolomej, Bartolomej being the Czech form of Bartholomew. |
| Beneš |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from a pet form of the given name Benedikt. |
| Beran |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from beran "ram". |
| Bernard |
|
Usage: French, English, Polish, Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| From the given name Bernard. |
| Biskup |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "bishop" in Czech. |
| Blaha |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the name Blaha, a pet form of Blazej. |
| Blažek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the first name Blažek, a diminutive of Blažej. |
| Bobal |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Derived from Slavic bob "beans". |
| Bosko |
|
Usage: Polish, Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the Slavic bosy "barefoot". |
| Brož |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Brož, a pet form of Ambrož, Ambrož being the Czech form of Ambrose. |
| Buranek |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Czech name meaning "little ram". |
| Bureš |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Bureš, a pet form of the archaic name Burian. |
| Cech |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "Czech". The name was used to differentiate a native of Bohemia from the natives of Silesia, Moravia and other regions that are now part of the Czech Republic. |
| Cermak |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "robin" in Czech. |
| Cernik |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| A diminutive of Cerny. |
| Cerny |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "black" in Czech. |
| Cervenka |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "red" in Czech. |
| Chalupa |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "cottage" in Czech. The name referred to a peasant who owned a very small piece of land. |
| Chalupnik |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Means "peasant", "cottager". The name referred to a peasant who owned a very small piece of land. |
| Chmela |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Czech chmel "hops". The name probably referred to a person who grew hops. Hops is a plant whose dried flowers are used in brewing beer. |
| Chvátal |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Derived from the past participle of the verb chváatat "to hurry". |
| Ciernik |
|
Usage: Slovak
|
| A cognate of Cernik. |
| Cipris |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Means "dweller on the river's edge". It is of Moravian origin. |
| Cižek |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovene
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from cizek "siskin" (a type of finch). |
| Ctvrtlanik |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Derived from Czech ctvrt "one quater" and lan, a medieval Czech measure of land, equal to approximately 18 hectares. The name denoted someone who owned one quarter of a lan of land. |
| Ctvrtnik |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| A variant of Ctvrtlanik. |
| David |
|
Usage: English, French, Scottish, Jewish, Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| From the given name David. |
| Doležal |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the past participle of the verb doležit "to lie down". |
| Doubek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "a small oak" from the Slavic dub "oak". |
| Dušek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the name Dušek, a pet form of Dušan, or other names beginning with duš "soul". |
| Dvorak |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Occupational name for a person who either owned a manor, or worked on one. It is derived from the Czech word dvur "manor". |
| Fiala |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "the flower violet" in Czech. It may have originally referred to a person who lived near a sign bearing violets, or it may have been given to a person who lived in a place where violets grew. |
| Filipek |
|
Usage: Polish, Czech
|
| Derived from a diminutive of the given name Filip. |
| Hajek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "thicket" in Czech. |
| Havel |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the given name Havel. |
| Havelka |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "the son (or servant) of Havel". Pronounced ha-VEL-ka. |
| Havlíček |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Diminutive form of Havel. |
| Hlavač |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Derived from Czech hlava "head". |
| Hlavaček |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Derived from a diminutive of the Czech hlava "head". |
| Holub |
|
Usage: Czech, Ukrainian
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from holub "dove". |
| Horaček |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Diminutive derived from Czech hora "mountain". |
| Horacek |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Variant of Horaček. |
| Horak |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Czech hora "mountain", a cognate of the Polish Gorski. |
| Hornick |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Variant of Hornik. |
| Hornik |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Occupational name meaning "miner". |
| Hrabe |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Derived from the Czech word hrabe "count". The name was perhaps used to denote a servant of a count. |
| Hruby |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Czech hruby "crude". |
| Hruška |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "pear" in Czech. It was most likely used to denote a person who grew or sold pears. |
| Hustovi |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Refers to one who followed the teachings of the Bohemian religious reformer, Jan Huss. |
| Jahoda |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Czech cognate of Jagoda. |
| Janda |
|
Usage: Polish, Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the given name Jan. |
| Jandaček |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| A diminutive of Janda. |
| Janiček |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Derived from the given name Jan. |
| Jankovic |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
|
| Means "son of Janko", a pet form of Janez. |
| Jedlicka |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Czech jedle meaning "fir tree". Perhaps given to a person who lived near a fir tree. |
| Jedlička |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Derived from Czech jedle meaning "fir tree". Perhaps given to a person who lived near a fir tree. |
| Jehlička |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Means "a needle" in Czech. The name was most likely borne by taylors in reference to their occupation. |
| Jelen |
|
Usage: Polish, Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "stag" in the Slavic languages. |
| Jelinek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Diminutive of Jelen. |
| Jež |
|
Usage: Slovene, Czech
|
| A cognate of Jez. |
| Ježek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "a small hedgehog" in Czech. It may have originally referred to a person who lived near a sign bearing a hedgehog, or it may have been given to a person who resembled a hedgehog in some way. |
| Kader (1) |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| An archaic variant of Kudrna. |
| Kadlec |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "weaver" in Czech. |
| Kašpar |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovene
Extra: Statistics |
| A variant of Kaspar. |
| Kladivo |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Means "hammer" in Czech. The name most likely started as a nickname for a blacksmith. |
| Klima |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Klima, a pet form of Kliment. |
| Klímek |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Derived from Klímek, a pet form of Kliment. |
| Klimy |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Means "descendant of Klima", Klima being a pet form of Kliment. |
| Kohout |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "rooster" in Czech. |
| Kolar |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Slovene
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the Slavic kolar "cartwright". |
| Kopecky |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Czech kopec "hill". The name was perhaps given to a person who lived close to a hill. |
| Kostelecky |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "a person from Kostelec". The place name Kostelec is derived from the Czech word kostel "church". |
| Kovác |
|
Usage: Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Slovak spelling variant of Kovac. |
| Kovac |
|
Usage: Croatian, Slovene, Serbian, Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "blacksmith" in the Slavic languages. |
| Kovár |
|
Usage: Czech, Polish
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "blacksmith" in Czech. |
| Krall |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| From Czech král "king". Referred to one connected in some way with a king's household or one who played the part of a king in a pageant or play. |
| Kramr |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Czech form of Kramer. |
| Kratochvil |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the Czech kratochvile "pastime". |
| Krejci |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "tailor" in Czech. |
| Križ |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Slovene
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "cross" in Czech. |
| Kucera |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "curl" in Czech; a nickname for a person with curly locks of hair. |
| Kudrna |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| A cognate of Kucera. |
| Kysely |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
|
| Means "sour" in Czech. It was most likely used to denote a person known for his bad mood. |
| Lanik |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Derived from Czech lan, a measure of land equal to approximately 18 hectares. The name loosely translates as "farmer" and thus is considered a Moravian cognate of Sedlak. |
| Láska |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
|
| Means "love" in Czech and Slovak. |
| Lukska |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Derived from the given name Lukas. |
| Macek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the name Macek, a pet form of Matej. |
| Machán |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the personal name Mach (a Czech diminutive of Michael or Matěj). |
| Maly |
|
Usage: Polish, Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "small" in the Slavic languages. |
| Marek |
|
Usage: Czech, Polish, Hungarian
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the given name Marek. |
| Martinek |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the given name Martin. |
| Maruska |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the given name Maria. |
| Mašek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the given name Mašek which can be a pet form of either Tomas, or Matej. |
| Maselnika |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Refers to one who churned or sold butter or buttermilk. |
| Matejka |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the given name Matej. |
| Matoušek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from a pet form of the given name Matouš. |
| Medved |
|
Usage: Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "bear" in Slovak. |
| Mlynarik |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Means "a miller" in Czech. |
| Moravec |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "a person from Moravia". |
| Musil |
|
Usage: Polish, Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "the one who had to", from the past participle of the verb "must". |
| Myska |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Means "a mouse" in Czech. |
| Navrátil |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the past participle of the verb navrátit "to return". The name was perhaps used to denote a person who came back to his home following a long absence. |
| Nedbalek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Refers to one who is careless. It is of Czech and Polish origin. |
| Nedved |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| A variant of Medved, derived from the dialect word nedved "bear". |
| Nemec |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "German" in Czech. |
| Nemeček |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Diminutive of Nemec. |
| Nosek |
|
Usage: Czech, Polish
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "a small nose" in Czech and Polish. |
| Novaček |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| A diminutive of Novak. |
| Novak |
|
Usage: Czech, Polish, Slovak, Slovene, Jewish
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Slavic novy "new", originally a name for someone who was new to a village. |
| Novosad |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Means "new settler", "new land" or" new orchard". It is Moravian in origin. |
| Novotny |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Slavic novy "new", originally a name for someone who was new to a village. |
| Pechacek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Variant of Pechaček. |
| Pechaček |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Diminutive form of Petr. |
| Pešek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Pešek, a diminutive form of Petr. |
| Podsednik |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| A cognate of Zahradnik mainly used in the region of Moravia. |
| Pokorny |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Polish
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the Slavic word pokorny "tame". |
| Polak |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "a Polish person" in Czech. |
| Pololanik |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Derived from Czech polo "one half" and lan, a measure of land equal to approximately 18 hectares. The name denoted someone who owned half a lan of land. |
| Pospíšil |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "a person in a hurry", from the Czech pospíšit "to be in a hurry". |
| Pražak |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "a person from Prague". |
| Prochazka |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the Czech word prochazet "to wander". |
| Pulkrábek |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Derived from the medieval status name purkrabí 'burgrave'. |
| Pulnik |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| A variant of Pololanik. |
| Reha |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the given name Rehor, Rehor being the Czech form of Gregory. |
| Reznicek |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| A diminutive of reznik "butcher". |
| Rezník |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
|
| Means "butcher" in Czech and Slovak. |
| Ružička |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Means "a little rose" in Czech. This is the last name of 1939 Nobel Laureate Leopold Ruzicka. |
| Rybar |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
|
| Means "fisher" in Czech. |
| Sarka (1) |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "dweller by a bend in a river" from the Old Czech šárový meaning "curved". |
| Sarka (2) |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "grey" from the Old Czech šarý. |
| Sasha |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Derived from the given name Sasha. |
| Schovajsa |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Means "hide yourself". It is of Moravian origin. |
| Sedláček |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| A diminutive form of Sedlak. |
| Sedlak |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means farmer in Czech (from the Slavic root sed, set, "to sit, stay"). A Sedlak had more land than a Zahradnik, a Chalupnik or a Baracnik, but less land than a Dvorak. |
| Sevčik |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Occupational name for one who made or sold shoes; a shoemaker. |
| Šimek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the name Šimek, a pet form of Šimon. |
| Simon |
|
Usage: Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Jewish
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the Hebrew first name Simon. |
| Skala |
|
Usage: Polish, Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "rock" in the Slavic languages. |
| Skalicky |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Drived from the Slavic word skala "rock". The name refers to someone who either climbed rocks, or was from a place called Skalice. |
| Slavik |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "nightingale" in Czech. |
| Slezak |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "a person from Silesia". Silesia is a historical region which is nowadays split between Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic. |
| Slovaček |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Originally described one who was of Slovakian descent. |
| Slovak |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "a person from Slovakia". |
| Smolák |
|
Usage: Czech, Polish
|
| Derived from the Slavic word smola "pitch". |
| Sokol |
|
Usage: Czech, Jewish
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "falcon" from the Slavic sokol. A occupational name for a falconer or as an ornamental name in the Jewish cases. |
| Sokoll |
|
Usage: Russian, Czech, Jewish
|
| From the Russian word sokol meaning "hawk". |
| Souček |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Means "a small knot" in Czech. It was probably a nickname for a strong, stubborn man. |
| Stanek (2) |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Stanek, a pet form of the name Stanislav. |
| Stárek |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Czech spelling of Starek. |
| Starosta |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Means "mayor" in Czech. |
| Štepanek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from a pet form of the given name Štepan. |
| Strnad |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Slovene
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "bunting" in the central Slavic languages. |
| Suchý |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "thin" or "dry" in Czech. |
| Svoboda |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "freedom" in Czech. It was a name of freemen in middle ages, of people who worked hard for their lord but they were not slaves. |
| Sykora |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "titmouse" in Czech. |
| Tesar |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "carpenter" in Czech and Slovak. |
| Tesarik |
|
Usage: Czech, Slovak
|
| A diminutive of Tesar. |
| Vacek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the given name Vaclav. |
| Vacik |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Variant of Vacek. |
| Valenta |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the given name Valentin. |
| Vancura |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the first name Václav in the later 15th century. |
| Vanek |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Vanek, an archaic pet form of the given name Vaclav. |
| Vašek |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Derived from the given name Vašek - a pet from for Václav. |
| Vavra |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the name Vavra, a pet form of Vavrinec. |
| Vesela |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| The surname Vesela means "happy" or "cheerful". It is of Moravian origin. |
| Vesely |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "cheerful" in Czech. |
| Vlasák |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Czech vlas "hair". The name probably referred to a barber or to a person who bought and sold hair. |
| Vlček |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Means "little wolf" from the Slavic word vlk "wolf". |
| Vrubel |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| From the Czech word vrabec "sparrow" which in the Silesian dialect was transformed into the form Vrubel. |
| Wentrcek |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Refers to one whose characteristics made him stand out, such as taller or shorter than normal, bald-headed, more clever, more stubborn, etc. than the rank and file. The origins of the name are limited to the eastern Moravian villages of Zadverice, Zelechovice or Slusovice. |
| Yedlicka |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Variant of Jedlicka. |
| Yedlička |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| Variant of Jedlicka. |
| Zahradnik |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Czech zahrada "garden". A Zahradnik was a person who owned less land than a Sedlak or a Dvorak, but more land than a Chalupnik. |
| Zelenka |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| A cognate of Zielinski. |
| Zeman |
|
Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "landholder" from the Czech zem "land". The surname is well known in Europe because of the football trainer Zdenek Zeman. |
| Zíma |
|
Usage: Czech
|
| From the word zima, which means "winter" in Czech. |
| Zupan |
|
Usage: Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "village, community leader" from the Slavic župan. |
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