1.5 – Česká příjmení – Czech Last Names

Male Last Names Like Nouns

In Czech, last names will have different forms based on gender.  For males, last names can have a few different forms.  Many male last names will end in a consonant like most masculine nouns such as Dvořák, Hájek, or Novák.  Male last names can also end in –a such as Svoboda, Kučera, or Růžička.  These first two types look like nouns, and thus will be treated grammatically like nouns.  Despite the fact that names such as Svoboda, Kučera, or Růžička end in an -a, they are still masculine last names.

Male Last Names Like Adjectives

Other male last names may end in –ý like a masculine adjective such as Novotný, Černý, or Pokorný.  Since these last names appear like adjectives, they will take adjective endings.

Female Last Names

Female last names, on the other hand, will all look like adjectives and will end with the letter –á.  They are derived from the corresponding male last name (based on the last name of the woman’s father or husband).  If the male variant of the last name looks like a noun, you will drop any final vowels (if the male name ends in -a, such as Kundera)  and add the ending –ová. Based on the male names above, a female last name would be Dvořáková, Nováková, Svobodová, or Růžičková. Moreover, if the masculine form of the last name ends in -ec, -ek, or -el, they drop the -e- from the name when adding -ová, so Hájek → Hájková, Němec → Němcová, Havel → Havlová.

If the corresponding male last name is an adjective in form, you will simply change the masculine adjective ending to the feminine adjective ending –á.  For example, the adjectival last names above would become Novotná, Černá, or Pokorná for a woman.

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