Cognomi cechi

Senza grosse pretese... :-)

Cognomi cechi

Messaggiodi Luk il sab ago 18, 2007 12:28 pm

Qualche tempo fa su internet avevo trovato questo articolo che spiega l'etimologia dei cognomi cechi. Se lo copia-incollate su Word leggerete meglio le tabelle. ciao



Czech Surnames

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This article was written according to the article Jak vznikala nase prijmeni (How did our surnames come into being) in Moldanova, Dobroslava :Nase prijmeni, Prague 1983 and completed by the results of personal research.

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There are more than 40,000 variations of Czech surnames. If were taken into consideration, that the whole Czech Republic has 10 million inhabitants, it would mean, that in case of the equal distribution, some 250 inhabitants incl. children would account for one specific surname.

But the situation is in fact different . Some surnames are more or less common, some (and they have majority) are rare and are connected only with few families.

First twenty frequent surnames cover 6,92 per cent of total population.

First fourty frequent surnames account already 10,18 per cent and

First 100 surnames belong to 17,18 per cent of all Czech population.

I. THE ORIGIN OF CZECH SURNAMES

a) A Newcomer to a Village.

The most common family name in Bohemia and Moravia is the surname NOVAK (if translated into English, it could sound NEWMAN) .There is more than 1 per cent of our population (100 Thousands people) who have this family name. It was given by the fact, that the novelty was the first and most important sign of a newcomer who came to the closed community of old village inhabitants. The same ground have similar Czech surnames NOVOTNY, and less common NOVY or NOVACEK (dimin. form of NOVY or NOVAK). Who came from a wander was called PROCHAZKA (from verb to walk).

b) Social Status of the Name Bearer.

The second expressive distinguishing feature was the connection to land-owners. Besides the serfs (subduted people) there were free, independent yeomen or freeholders among the rural population. Thus he was given a surname SVOBODA (a free man) or DVORAK (a farmer having his free farm - DVUR = court, yard) . The farmer who had a big piece of a land was called SEDLAK, a smaller one SEDLACEK, in Moravia the equivalent was LANIK. Who, according to his social status owned only a small house without scarcely any land, was called CHALUPA, CHALUPNIK, CHALOUPKA (the same as cottager) or ZAHRADNIK (from zahrada - a garden).

c) Personal Features of an Individuum.

The personal features contributed to the surnames becoming. There was an overwhelming fair-haired (xanthochroi) population in our country in the past and a man with dark hair or face was an exception. Thus a surname CERNY (and equivalent CERNIK ) or in German parts SCHWARZ (in the Czech script SVARC) came into existence. Similar is the origin of surnames describing the temperamental and physical features of the bearer : VESELY (a cheerful man), KYSELY (sauer or bitter) , KYSELA KUCERA (a curly) RUZICKA (a small rose, a handful, nice man). Other examples are HLAVA, HLAVICA = a head, HUBA - a mouth, BRADA - a chin , NOZKA - a foot, esp. a small one, NOHA - a big foot etc.

d) First Biblical and Slavic Names

Most of surnames are derived from Christian first names, with many variations, derivates, formed also by plenty of suffixes. The most common surnames, derived form a first name are BENES(Benedict) or MAREK (Marcus). The derivates are for instance BENISEK, BENAK, BENDA, BENIK, MARECEK, MARKUS, MARKOVIC, MARHOUL, MARES, MARSALEK (could be derived also from marshall), MARSIK, MARTISEK. Very common are also family names URBAN, BARTOS (Bartholomew), HAVEL (Gallus), JANAK, JANECEK, JANOUSEK, JANDA (John), KASPAR (Caspar), KLIMA (Clemens), MACH or MACHACEK, MARTINEK (Martin), PESEK, PETRAK (Peter), VAVRA (Vavrinec- Lawrence), BLAZEK, SIMEK (Simon), STEPANEK (Stephan), TOMAS or TOMASEK and VACEK (Venceslaus). Not only biblic names were used, but also first names of the slavic origin, for instance JAROS (from Jaromir) , SOBEK (from Sobeslav), STICH (from Stibor). The commonly used suffixes were:

• - a: HAVELA, BARTA, KUBA (Ja-kub), TOMSA (Tom-as)

• - s: TOMS (Tom-as), KUBES (Ja-kub)

• - s: (in fact -s with hook, pronounced -sh-) PES (Pe-tr), BURES (Bur-ian), BARTOS (Bart-olomej), VAVRUS or VAVROUS (Vavr-inec)

• - c: (pronounced as -z- in German words like Ziel) KUBEC, MACA (Ma-tej)

• - k, ek: (pronounced -kh, -eck) MARTINEK, BROZEK, LACEK

• -ha: BLAHA (Blazej), JANDA (Jan)

• - ta: KUBATA, MACHATA, VASATA

• - n: ZIKAN (Zich- Zacharias)

• - u: JANU, MACHU (discribing rather the origin like in Russian ALEXANDROVIC or in anglo-saxon names - SON)

e) Surnames Derived from Localities, Regions, Foreign Countries

There is another sort of Czech surnames, derived from local names. They are mostly formed by a suffix - ky, or -sky. Here are some examples: PRAZSKY from Praha, MOHELNICKY from Mohelnice, KOLINSKY from Kolin, PALACKY from Palacov or BILOVSKY from Bilov or Bilovec. The surnames derived from villages or towns, may be also in second grammar case (genitive): SKOUNIC, or SKAUNITZ, KLECAN (i.e. from Klecany), or may describe simply an inhabitant from a town: PRAZAN, PRAZAK (inhabitant of Prague). Here can be included the surnames, indicating a citizen from foreign country or region: NEMEC (came from Germany), SLEZAK (from Silesia), MORAVEC (from Moravia) or HANAK (a Moravian fertile region around Olomouc), SLOVAK (from the south of Moravia or from Slovakia).

f) Trade and Occupation.

Another big group of sournames is formed by those, derived from the names of occupation, or of social status (see above as well). Thus there is a surname of KOVAR (smith), KOLAR (cart-wright), KADLEC (weaver), RYBAR (fisherman), but also in German form FISCHER or FISER, MLYNAR or in German MUELLER resp. MILER or TESAR (carpenter). Adding a prefix or suffix or its deminutive form has already certain expressive meaning: NEKOVAR (a smith who is better to keep out of the way), TESARIK (a carpenter, rather small by the skill or height).

The social/class status has reflected in the family names MESTAN (=bourgher), SEDLAK or LANIK (a farmer), CTVRTNIK (a farmer who owned a quarter of a 'land'), CHALUPNIK (cottager), SVOBODNIK (a freeman), HRABE (count), BISKUP (bishop), or STAROSTA ( a mayor), RYCHTAR ( judge or sherif), SAFAR (administrator of a landlord´s yard). There is a plenty of surnames, based on the military rank and file: VOJAK, VOJACEK - soldier, but there is also a Czech name SOLDAN or SOLDAT as well, DRAGOUN, KAPRALEK (caporal), JENERAL (general).

The artisans received the nicknames, from which the surnames developed later , also according to their tools. Thus we can find a tailor named JEHLICKA (= a needle), or a baker ROHLICEK (a roll), or a butcher JITRNICKA (something like a white pudding). The examples of other surnames are for instance KLADIVO (hammer), PALICKA (pounder), KNEDLIK (dumpling), MOUCKA (flour), BUCHTA (cake) etc.

g) The Nature (Animals and Plants).

The nature provided a lot of insporation for the creation of the family names. A large group of surnames developed from the names of various animals, that either resambled the physical or character feature of a man: MYSKA (mouse), ZABA (frog), JELINEK (stag), JEZEK (hedgehog), VRABEC (sparrow), VRANA (crow), or BROUCEK (a dimin. form of a beetle), plants - FIALA (viola), CHMELA (hops), ZITO (rye), REPA (beet), MAKOVICKA (poppyhead), JAHODA (strawberry), SMRCKA (spruce), JEDLICKA (fir), or DOUBEK (oak).

h) Surnames describing the activity or status.

Very interesting and unusual group of surnames is that formed from present tense or past participle of verbs or even derived from full sentences. The example of perfectum: HRABAL (raked) , KOUPIL, SOUKUP is a surname developed form the trade of its bearer - a dealer, buyer, NAVRATIL (returned) or VRZALA (chirked, scraped). Sometimes if a thing was bought too expensively, the buyer was called DRAHOKOUPIL . Similar names (nicknames or even jeers) are PRECECHTEL (And-he-wanted-it-after-all), STOJESPAL (He-slept-standing), ZLAMALJELITO (He-broke-the-black-pudding). SNEDLDITETIKASI (yes, this surname really exists: He-ate-the-squash-to-the-child) or even NASRALVHRNEC (plse do not ask me to translate it).

i) Foreign Surnames.

Czech surnames also include the surnames of foreign origin. They can be found everywhere, where two Bohemian nations have lived peacefully together for ages. A numerous German surname in our countries is the surname MUELLER or MILLER. Czech people adopted German names by mixed intermarriages or when settled in German speaking region. These are mainly the surnames, describing their origin (PRAGER, POLITZER) or simply BOEHM (Czech). Some German names appeared in a prevailing Czech milieu with a German administrations, clergy or landlords. Former NOVAK was simply translated to NEUMANN and later again Czechinized to NAJMAN. SEDLAK thus became BAUER and later BAJER, KOVAR was changed to SCHMIED and later to SMID. Besides the German influence also another nationalities contributed to the surname creation in Bohemia and Moravia. VLACH (Italian) became later a synonymum for any mason. Original Italian names are preserved in Czech artist families CHITTUSI and STRETTI. We can find a few French family names as LE BREUX, ROHAN, BUTEAU. Their ancestors came here mostly after the French Revolution or as soldiers with the Napoleonic Army in the beginning of the 19th century. Common are Polish and some Hungarian names. Difference between Czech and Slovak names is not notable in all cases.

II. THE DISTRIBUTION OF CZECH SURNAMES.



Twenty Most Common Czech Surnames

The figures are in pro mille (o/oo)

Surname 1937 1964 1996 The Explanation of the Surname

NOVAK 8,9 8,4 8,1 from the Adj. new. A newly settled neighbor, a newcomer, a newman

NOVOTNY 5,0 5,0 5,5 the same explanation as NOVAK

SVOBODA 5,0 5,9 6,1 a freeman, freeowner, yeoman

DVORAK 4,7 4,5 5,5 a man from a yard, same meaning as SVOBODA, more common in Moravia

CERNY 4,3 4,8 4,6 a dark hair man, a dark skin man

VESELY 3,5 3,2 3,5 Adv. cheerish, cheerful

PROCHAZKA 3,4 4,4 4,5 who came back from the Wander

POKORNY 3,2 2,6 2,7 from Adj. a humble, tame

KUCERA 3,0 3,0 3,0 Adj. curly

JELINEK 2,8 2,8 2,7 a stag, deer

HAJEK 2,6 2,9 2,9 bush, forest

RUZICKA 2,3 2,5 2,4 a little rose

ZEMAN 2,3 2,2 2,3 esquire, a member of lowest nobility with the coat of arms

FIALA 2,2 2,2 1,9 viola

KRAL 2,2 2,2 2,2 from the noun king

BENES 2,1 2,4 2,5 from a first name Benedikt (Benedict)

MAREK 2,0 2,3 2,1 from a first name Markus

CERMAK 1,9 2,1 2,3 a name of the bird (red robin)

HORAK n.a. 2,2 2,2 a man from the hills, a highlander

KRATOCHVIL n.a. n.a. 2,1 an amusing man

More Czech surnames, ranking 20 - 100, are attached in a separate table.



Explanation of the Table.

• 1937 The relative frequency of the surname in 1937 (in: Nase prijmeni)

• 1964 The relative frequency of the surname in 1964 (in Nase prijmeni)

• 1996 The Telephone Directory of Prague, according to my own calculation.

Frequent Czech Surnames - rank 20 - 100

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More Czech Common Surnames

2,1 o/oo NEMEC a Czech name for a German, originally from nemy=the deaf

1,8 - 2,0 o/oo

MALY small by the heigh

POSPISIL who was in a hurry

SOUKUP who bought something

URBAN from a first name

1,5 - 1,7 o/oo

BLAZEK from a first name BLAZEJ - Beatus or Benedict

DOLEZAL part. perf. of to lie

FISER, FISCHER from German name, fisher - Czech equivalent RYBAR

KADLEC occupation - weaver

KOLAR occupation - cardwright

KOPECKY who originated in hills

KRIZ from cross

MARES from a first name Marek - Marcus

MASEK from a first nme MACH, Matthew

POLAK Czech name for a Pole

SEDLACEK dimin. form of SEDLAK - a farmer

STASTNY from adj. - happy, FELIX

TUMA from a first name TOMAS - Thomas

VANEK from a first name VACLAV - Venceslaus

1,3 - 1,5 o/oo

BLAHA from a first name BLAZEJ - Beatus or Benedict

DUSEK from a first name Duchoslav, duse = soul

HRUSKA a pear

JANDA from a first name Jan - John

KOHOUT a cock

MATOUSEK from a first name Matous - Mattew

MORAVEC from a name of a province of Morava, who came from

MUELLER holder of a mill

RIHA from a first name Rehor - Gregorius

STRNAD a name of a bird - bunting

SYKORA a bird´s name - tit

SIMEK from a first name Simon

SMID, SMIDA a smith

STEPANEK from a first name Stepan - Stephen

TICHY an attribute - silent

VACEK from a first name Vaclav

VLCEK a little Wolf

1,0 - 1,3 o/oo

BARTOS from a first name Barta, Bartolomej, Bartolomeus

BERAN a ram, shepheard, hard as ram´s horn, stubborn

HAVLICEK from a first name Havel - Gallus

HOFFMANN(HOFMAN) a German word for a farmer from a lord´s farmstaed, a free farmer

NEUMANN, NEUMAN, NAJMAN a German word for a newcomer

STANEK from a first name Stanislav

VALENTA from a personal name Valentin

VAVRA from a first name Vavrinec - Laurentius

BENDA from a first name Benedict

HOLUB a name of a bird - pigeon

HRUBY a adj. coarse, crude

MUSIL particip. perf. from a verb must

SOUCEK a knot

BROZ from a first name Ambroz - Ambrosius

BURES from a first name Burian

CECH a newcomer from Bohemia, name of inhabitant of Cechy

CERVENKA who is red in face

CIZEK a bird´s name - ...

HAVEL a first name Gallus

HLAVACEK from a noun hlava - head

JANECEK from a first name Jan

JANOUSEK from a first name Jan

JEZEK a hedge-hog

KOVAR a smith

KOVARIK dimin. form of kovar - smith

KRAUS from a German adj. curly

MACHACEK from a first name Mach - Matthew

MARTINEK from a first name Martin

PESEK, PESKA, PESKO from a first name Petr- Peter

SULC, SCHULZ the lord´s administrator of a village, from German, judge

ZELENKA from adj. zeleny - green

KASPAR from a first name Caspar or who makes a fool of s.b.

KLIMA from a first name Klement - Clemens

KREJCI a tailor

MATEJKA from a first name Matej - Mattew

NAVRATIL part. perf. of a verb to come back, to return, who returned

NEMECEK a dimin. form of Nemec = see above

RICHTER, RICHTER, RYCHTR, RYCHTAR the lord´s administrator of a village, from German, judge

SKALA strong as a rock

SLAVIK a bird´s name - nightingale

________________________________________

Karel Kysilka

zlimpkk@iqnet.cz

Copyright Š 1998, Karel Kysilka, Last Updated - 24.3.1998 15:25:22

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