Slovak name

Given names in Slovakia are called baptismal names (Slovak: krstné mená) even though today they are completely separate from the Christian baptismal names. Proper baptismal names given during infant baptism are still common in the countryside, yet they are only seldom used within the official name (if they are, they form the person's middle name). Generally, names in Slovakia can be of several distinct origins:

• Slavic names of pre-Christian origin (e.g. Dobromil)
• Christian names often inspired by saints (e.g. Vojtech)
• Names of past kings and rulers (e.g. Ladislav)
• Modern names (e.g. Lukas)
• Names of ethnic minorities living in Slovakia (e.g. Béla)

Traditionally, it was common to choose a given name for the newborn from within the family; grandfather and grandmother names being particularly popular. While this is no longer as common as in the past, it is still widely practiced especially in the rural areas.

Many Slovak given names, like in most other Slavic naming systems, have a diminutive and shorter version, which is used in an informal context. For example, the diminutive of Slavomír is Slavo, of Vojtech — Vojto, of Alexandra — Saša, etc. Sometimes these diminutive names become independent and "official" given names. Some older, traditional given names have distinct shortened forms, quite different from the original, for example Štefan — Victor, Pišta, etc. These traditional shortened forms are becoming quite rare in everyday usage.

Surnames differ according to gender. Generally feminine form is created by adding suffix "ová" to the masculine form. In some cases a "y"/"ý" at the end of a masculine name is replaced with an "á". Feminine names almost always end in "á" while masculine names almost never do. Note that á is a different character from a. For example, Bača is a masculine form while Bačová would be feminine. Because Slovakia also has people with Hungarian, German, and other ancestors, some surnames in Slovakia will follow the convention of those languages and not conform to these norms.

Some popular surnames include:[3]

• derived from professions:

Kováč – smith, Mlynár – miller, Bača – shepherd, Rybár – fisher, Kráľ – king, Pekár – baker, Kuchár – cook, Mäsiar – butcher, Holič – barber, Maliar – painter, Kľúčiar – key maker, Mečiar – sword maker, Sklenár – glass maker.

• 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.

• other:

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, Kocur – tom cat.

• Slavic surnames
• Name days in Slovakia
• Czech name
• Slovak identity card

• Czech and Slovak given names