Slovak Surnames
Surnames in any language can be interesting, particularly when their meaning is easily understood. When I began to learn Slovak and my vocabulary began to expand, I realized that I understood the meanings of many surnames. In English, for example, surnames that are derived from professions, such as Smith or Miller, are simple to comprehend. Descriptive names such as Black or Green are also easy to understand though a name like Jozef Slaný – Joseph Salty still sounds odd to me.
Over the years, I’ve come across some interesting names. Many of them I can simply describe as “cute” though I don’t know how I would feel if I had a surname like Malina – raspberry, for example.
Surnames from professions are common in Slovak:
Kováč – smith
Mlynár – miller
Bača – shepard
Rybár – fisher
Kráľ – king
Pekár – baker
Kuchár – cook
Mäsiar – butcher
Holič – barber
Maliar – painter
Kľúčiar – key maker
Mečiar – sword maker
Sklenár – glass maker
Some peculiar surnames are derived from adjectives:
Čierny – black
Biely – white
Suchý – dry
Mokrý – wet
Slaný – salty
Smutný – sad
Šťastný – happy/lucky
Malý – small
Široký – wide
Tichý – quiet
Surový – raw
Some surnames are so unique they fit into a category all on their own:
Koreň – root
Chren – horseradish
Repa – beet
Slanina – bacon
Polievka – soup
Cibuľka – little onion
Malina – raspberry
Dobrovodský – good water
Holub – pigeon
Chrobák – beetle
Komár – mosquito
Medvedík – little bear
Koleno – knee
Mráz – frost
Okienka – little window
Otčenáš – our father (as in the “Our Father” prayer)
Bezdeda – without a grandpa
Dolina – valley
Of course, in English we have odd names as well. Take for example the surname Bush. When you tell a Slovak the name George Bush translates to Juraj Krík, you will almost always get laughter as a response. It’s fitting, I suppose. In more ways than one.
12 Comments on “Slovak Surnames”
Hello Mr. salty, Your list of Slovak surnames was quite interesting and funny. I wonder if you ever came across the name 'Lakatos'? I believe it means one who is a locksmith but I'm not certain. I hope to hear from you soon and God bless all Slovaks :)
January 30th, 2008 at 02:09 PM
Hi Jez, I don't have personal experience with the name "Lakatos" but I found out after doing a little research (thanks Google) that "Lakatos" is a Hungarian surname and does indeed mean "locksmith". Of course since there are many people in Slovakia with Hungarian roots this is a Slovak surname too. Sometimes it is spelled as "Lakatoš". Margarete
January 31st, 2008 at 07:00 AM
What are the most common slovak family names?
February 4th, 2008 at 04:17 PM
According to the Slovak version of Wikipedia, the most common surnames in Slovakia today are Kováč, and Horváth. Kováč means "smith" and Horváth means "Croatian". Interesting. I also know that the most common surname in the Czech Republic is Novák. Novák can be loosely translated as "newman". The name Peter Novák is as common as "John Smith".
February 4th, 2008 at 06:01 PM
I want to go to my "roots" this March. Cna you help me with my family names? Hudak, Salance, Cervenak, and Kachurik. I think my mother told me her mother and father came from Spisska Nova Ves. Does that make sense?
February 4th, 2008 at 07:21 PM
Leslie, the best place to begin research on your Slovak roots is on a site called "It's All Relative", www.iarelative.com. The person who runs the site, his name is Greg Kopchak and he has some experience with Slovak Geneology. You might also be interested in joining the Yahoo group "Slovak-World". Many people who write and communicate on that forum are Americans and Canadians of Slovak and Rusyn descent. Many start out like you do, looking for their roots, and sharing stories along the way. I believe Greg is the founder of Slovak-World. I know "roots" is a common topic. Good Luck! Margarete
February 5th, 2008 at 02:52 AM
Hi, Margarete, great job with the site! I just stumbled upon it and I really like it, and as a native of Slovakia I do appreciate the quality and accuracy of your writing! Thanks a lot! Just for the fun of it, I'd like to "remind" you of one, perhaps not the most common, but definitely rather funny Slovak surname - Tesák, which means the fang (and it's also the name of our dog :)). P.S. Is your book available also in Slovakia?
February 5th, 2008 at 10:58 AM
Hi Eva, what a clever name for a dog :) Thanks for sharing. Regarding book availability in Slovakia, I'm working now to get it into the Panta Rhei bookstore chain. Check in a couple of weeks. Thanks! Margarete
February 5th, 2008 at 04:21 PM
Thank you for posting this. I have had the most difficult time finding information about my family name Omasta. I know that my relatives entered Ellis Island in the early 1900's from a town called Maiava Hungary. I believe this town was in the county of Nyitra which is now part of Slovakia. Would you happen to know of a resource that I can use to research my family name in more depth?
July 30th, 2008 at 05:33 PM
John, I don't have experience with researching family names but it seems that "a town called Maiava" is probably the town of Myjava (pronounced mee-yava) and "Nyitra" is probably the region of Nitra. Myjava, however, is located in the Trenčín region, just north of the Nitra region. There are many reasons for information having been taken down incorrectly at Ellis Island (my grandfather came through Ellis Island with a differently spelled last name), but my guess would be that Myjava is a pretty good bet for a home town. As I recommended to Leslie above, try Greg at www.iarelative.com. Also check out the Yahoo Group "Slovak World".
July 30th, 2008 at 09:10 PM
Hi, Just stumbled on your website and am quite impressed. I am 100% Slovak with surnames KRAJCIK & CERVENY. My grandparents all came from two Slovak villages in Austria/Hungary.
August 4th, 2008 at 01:23 AM
What an interesting article. I run a lettings agency on the southeast coast of England. We have a lot of Slovaks as tenants, and it has always interested me to know what the meaning of their names are. I indeed have a (Mr) Horvath and of course (Mrs) Horvathova. However it was not until recently that i have been trying to learnt the odd word or two of Slovak. I found out that I also have other tenants by the name or Mr and Mrs Winter. Yes a very english name. Their actual names being Zima - Zimova. I currently have two Slovak students lodging with me - short term until they return to University. I am picking up new words daily and practicing my vocab. Will keep in constant watch of the blog. Ciao :)
August 6th, 2008 at 08:04 PM