What Are the Most Common Czech Names?

What’s in a (Czech) name?

Did you know, for example, that Jan is no longer the most popular Czech name for men? Or what the most popular name for women is in the current decade?

In the 1940s, the most popular male name was Josef, followed closely by Jiří, Jaroslav, František, and Jan. For women, the most popular name by far was Marie. Next came Jana, Anna, Věra, and Eva. 

This chart from Česko v datech details the most popular Czech names in the 1940s:

Over the decades, the popularity of these names changed considerably. Petr became the most popular name in the 60s and 70s, while Jan held that title from the 80s through the 2000s. 

For women, a different name has been the most popular in each decade since the 1960s, with Jana, Lucie, Kateřina, and Tereza occupying that position. 

Today, Eliška is the most popular name among women. Tereza, Adéla, Anna, and Natálie round out the top 5. 

For men, Honza has finally been usurped. In the current decade, Jakub is the most popular male name, followed by Jan, Tomáš, Adam, and Matyáš.

Here’s the chart for the 2010s:

The most common surname in the Czech Republic probably won’t surprise anyone: Novák remains the most popular, with Svoboda and Novotný coming in at a distant second and third.