Czech Girl Names: a comprehensive guide
To understand Czech girl names, one should know about the so-called svátek (name day) celebration.
Each day in the Czech calendar is assigned one or two names; every year, on that day, people with that name celebrate their svátek.
Unusual names tend to be avoided in the Czech Republic because parents typically choose a name featured in the calendar to ensure their child can celebrate their svátek.
The first section covers some of the most popular Czech girl names; the following sections look at more traditional and rarer ones.
Most Popular Czech Girl Names
Some Czech names have Slavic origins, which is not surprising given that Czech is a Slavic language. Other Czech names come from Greek, Latin, or Hebrew; most of these are adapted to the Czech language, so they have a distinct Czech spelling with special symbols and accents.
Czech people also enjoy shortening their names. It’s rare for a Czech person to go by their full name —most people will introduce themselves with their nickname or a shortened version of their name that they use on a day-to-day basis. These nicknames are included in the list.
Here are some of the most beautiful Czech girl names:
Adéla Nicknames: Adélka, Áďa Name day: September 2Adéla is a Czech version of the Old German name Adelheid. It means “noble creature.”
Alena Nickames: Ája, Alenka Name day: August 13While Alena is one of the most common Czech girl names, its origin is unclear. Some suggest it comes from the Greek name Helena (meaning “shining light”).
Other theories say that the name comes from the Latin Magdaléna (“woman from Magdala” or “tower”).
Aneta Nicknames: Anetka, Anet Name day: May 17Aneta is thought to be a Czech version of the French diminutive (Anette) of the Hebrew name Anna. It means “merciful” or “gracious.”
Anežka Name day: March 2Anežka is considered a very cute Czech girl name. It comes from «hagné», meaning “pure.” The English equivalent of this name is Agatha or Agnes.
Anežka is one of the few Czech names that doesn’t have a commonly used nickname or a shortened version of the name. This is because the combination of the letters “ž” and “k” makes the name sound as if it were a nickname already.
Therefore, while Czech people don’t usually go by their full name amongst their friends, someone named Anežka will most likely be an exception to that rule.
Denisa Nicknames: Denča, Deniska Name day: September 11Much like the popular masculine version of the name Denis, Denisa is of Greek origin. The name means “follower of Dionysus,” who was the Greek god of wine.
Dominika Nicknames: Domča, Domka Name day: August 4Dominika is the feminine version of the name Dominik. Both names come from Latin and mean “belonging to the Lord.”
Eliška Name day: October 5Eliška is considered to be a very pretty Czech girl name. One of the most popular Czech fairy tales (Princezna ze mlejna - The Watermill Princess) is about a girl called Eliška, which is why so many people love this name. It is of Hebrew origin and means “pledged to God.”
Much like Anežka, Eliška is one of those rare names that doesn’t need to be shortened and doesn’t require a nickname.
Ivana Nicknames: Ivanka, Ivča Name day: April 4The name Ivana is of Slavic origin. It means “God is gracious.”
Iveta Nicknames: Ivetka, Iva Name day: June 7Iveta is a Germanic name that means “of the yew tree.” Older Czech texts may feature the name Yveta instead, which is a more traditional version of this popular name.
Jana Nicknames: Janča, Janička Name day: May 24Jana is one of the most commonly used Czech girl names. It is of Hebrew origin and means “God is gracious.” Its masculine form, Jan, is also very popular.
Jiřina Nicknames: Jířa, Jiřka Name day: February 15While this name was once very popular, it is slowly becoming a rare Czech girl name. However, there are still many Czechs with this name. It is of Greek origin and means “farming woman.”
Kamila Nicknames: Kamča, Kamka Name day: May 31Originally a Latin name, Kamila means “young religious servant” or “helper to the priest.”
Karolína Nicknames: Kája, Karolínka Name day: July 14This beautiful Czech girl name has been consistently very popular – most Czechs will have met at least one Karolína in their lives. It is the Czech version of the English name Caroline.
It is originally German, and it means “free woman” or “warrior.”
Kateřina Nicknames: Káťa, Katka Name day: November 25Kateřina is originally a Greek name. It means “pure.”
Kristýna Nicknames: Týna, Týnka Name day: July 24While the Czech spelling might be unusual to an English speaker, the name itself isn’t. It is the Czech version of the name Christine. The name Kristýna is of Greek origin and means “follower of Christ.”
Lenka Nicknames: Lenička, Léňa Name day: February 21Much like Alena, the origin of the name Lenka isn’t clear. It either comes from the Greek Helena (“shining light”) or the Latin Magdaléna (“woman from Magdala” or “tower”).
Markéta Nicknames: Markétka, Markytka Name day: July 13The name Markéta is thought to be of either Latin, Greek, or Persian origin. It means “pearl.”
Martina Nicknames: Marťa, Martinka Name day: July 17Martina is a name inspired by Roman mythology. It refers to Mars, the god of war. It means “warlike” or “dedicated to Mars.”
Naděžda Nicknames: Naďa, Naděnka Name day: September 17Naděžda comes from the translated version of the Greek word Elpis – naděje (meaning “hope”).
Nela Nicknames: Nelča, Nelinka Name day: February 2Nela is thought to be a short version of names such as Petronela or Cornelia. It means “bright, shining one.”
Pavlína Nicknames: Pája, Pavlínka Name day: August 31The name Pavlína comes from the Latin word paulus which means “small.”
Petra Nicknames: Péťa, Petruška Name day: August 17Petra is a feminine version of the Czech name Petr. It comes from the Greek word petros which means “rock” or “stone.”
Radka Nicknames: Ráďa, Raduška Name day: September 14Radka is thought to come from other, nowadays less common Slavic names, such as Radoslava, Radmila, or Ctirada. It most likely means “joy.”
Romana Nicknames: Romča, Romanka Name day: November 18The name Romana is of Latin origin. It means “a Roman woman.”
Soňa Nicknames: Sonička Name day: March 28Soňa comes from the Greek name Sophia. It means “wise.”
Šárka Name day: June 30Šárka is a name of Bohemian origin. It was first used in the Chronicle of Dalimil in the early 14th century. In it, Šárka was a beautiful maiden warrior who was used as bait to trick the enemy men. The name most likely refers to a hill or a river.
Šárka is yet another name that doesn’t have a commonly used nickname.
Štěpánka Nicknames: Štěpka, Štěpi Name day: October 31The name Štěpánka is of Greek origin. It means “wreath,” “crown,” or “reward.”
Vendula Nicknames: Vendulka, Venda Name day: April 6Vendula comes from the Czech masculine names Václav and Vendelín. It means “having greater glory.”
Věra Nicknames: Věrka, Věruška Name day: October 8Věra is a traditional Czech girl name of Slavic origin. It comes from the old word viera, which means “faith.”
Zuzana Nicknames: Zuzka, Zuzanka Name day: August 11Zuzana is the Czech equivalent of the popular English name Susan. It comes from the Hebrew name Shoshanna, meaning “lily.”
Žaneta Nicknames: Žáža, Žanda Name day: December 27Žaneta is a Czech name that is derived from the French name Jeannette.
AlžbětaThe name Alžběta comes from the Hebrew Elíšébah, meaning “pledged to God.” This name is considered to be the Czech equivalent of the English Elizabeth. When Czech people talk about Queen Elizabeth II, they say “královna Alžběta II.”
Old-fashioned Czech Girl Names
Much like all names, Czech names, too, have developed over time. The names that were once most beloved are now barely used.
Still, many of these traditional names have a strong cultural significance to Czech people. While some of these may not be a popular choice for baby names anymore, they are still held in high regard.
Here is a list of some of the most important old-fashioned Czech girl names:
AndělaAnděla comes from the Greek Angelos and means “god’s messenger.” It’s very close to the Czech word for angel – anděl.
DoubravkaDoubravka is a name of Slavic origin. It means “oak grove.”
While there are very few people with this name, Czech people are still very fond of it. A famous Bohemian princess from the tenth century was called Doubravka.
FrantiškaThe name Františka is of Germanic origin. It’s the feminine version of the much more popular male name František. It means “free.”
IrenaIrena comes from the Greek eiréné, meaning “peace” or “peace-loving.” This used to be an extremely popular name in the Czech Republic during the 1950s and 1960s. There are still many Czech people named Irena, but most of them are of the older generations.
JaroslavaJaroslava is a Slavic name. It’s the feminine version of the Czech name Jaroslav. It means “glory of spring” – jaro is the Czech word for spring.
KvětaKvěta is a Czech name that comes from the word květ, meaning “flower” or “blossom.”
LibušeLibuše is not the most popular and common Czech girl name, but it has huge cultural significance.
In Czech history, Libuše was the legendary ancestor of all Czech people. She was the youngest of three sisters who married the plowman Přemysl.
Together, they founded the Přemyslid dynasty. She also prophesized the city of Prague, the Czech Republic’s capital city.
Libuše is a Slavic name, and it means “love” or “loveable.”
LudmilaLudmila is a name of Slavic origin. It means “favor of the people.”
This is another name closely tied to Czech history. Ludmila of Bohemia was a martyr and a saint. She was also the grandmother of the famous Good King Wenceslas.
MatyldaMatylda is a name of Germanic origin. It means “mighty in battle.” This is considered a very old-fashioned name, although it has made somewhat of a comeback in recent years.
MiladaMilada is a name of Slavic origin. It means “love” or “gracious.”
RůženaRůžena is a Czech girl name that means “rose”. It’s not a very common name amongst the younger generations, although it had once been extremely popular.
The diminutive version of this name, Růženka, is what Czech people call Sleeping Beauty in their version of the classic fairy tale.
VladislavaVladislava is a name of Slavic origin and the feminine version of Vladislav. It means “glory” or “rule with glory.”
ZlatušeZlatuše is a name of Slavic origin. It means “golden glory.”
Rare Czech Girl Names
In recent years, foreign-sounding and unusual names have become increasingly popular in the Czech Republic.
With the rising popularity of American TV and movies, many parents opt for names that have more of a global sound and appeal. Here is a list of some of the more unique Czech girl names:
- Blanka
- Edita
- Ester
- Gita
- Marika
- Olga
- Rozálie
- Taťána
- Žofie
Conclusion
These are just some of the most popular and interesting Czech girl names. There are, of course, many other names that this list does not include. Names common in English, such as Anna, Marie, or Veronika, are also popular amongst Czechs.
This article has a companion article on Czech boy names.
