Czechia Naming Customs: Difference between revisions

Czechia Naming Customs (view source)

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 *Usually surnames were not translated, but simply '''altered to fit the phonetic spelling and grammar of the language used in the parish register'''. It is not uncommon to see Czech surnames changed according to German spelling rules. Thus we find ''Čermák - Tschermak'', ''Šebek - Schebek'', ''Havlíček - Hawlitzek''. Likewise, German surnames often are seen with Czech spellings: ''Schultz - Šulc'', ''Schreier - Šrajer'', ''Schmidt - Šmid''.
 *Grammatically, there are two types of surnames: nouns and adjectives. Surname endings will vary according to the gender of the person. Female surnames are usually feminized with the basic endings: '''-ová''' or '''-á'''.
-==Surnames==
-===Surnames Historical Development===
-*Before record keeping began, most people had only one name, such as John.
-*As the population increased, it became necessary to distinguish between individuals with the same name. The problem was usually solved by adding descriptive information. John became John the smith, John the son of Matthew, John the short, or John from Prague.
-*At first surnames applied only to one person, not to the whole family. After a few generations, these names became hereditary and were passed on from generation to generation.
-*Surnames developed from several sources. For example:
-**'''Occupational'''
-**'''Geographical'''
-**'''Patronymic'''
-**'''Descriptive''' or '''nickname''' (such as Joy or Child)
-*The '''nobility and wealthy land owners''' were the first to begin using surnames.
-*'''Merchants and townspeople''' then adopted the custom, as did the '''rural population'''. This process took two or three centuries.
 ===Inflection===