Lidové výklady českých příjmení
Folk etymology and Czech surnames

Summary/Abstract: This paper analyses 379 folk etymological interpretations and other 141 assumptionsabout the foreign origin of surnames, all received either by the radio programme Onthe Origin of Surnames, the Language Counselling Centre of the Czech LanguageInstitute, or the information service Ask the Library. These inquiries were sent by thepublic along with requests for a confirmation of the suggested etymological interpretationsof the surnames in question, or for an official (correct / scientific) explanation.The analysis shows that most often the folk etymology consists in erroneous decompositionof the name or in connecting the name with an incorrect original form, i.e.usually a familiar noun recognized in the name. The folk etymologies do not respectthe word-forming structure of names. They also ignore the age and origin of the surnamewhich they like to look for in foreign languages (especially in French, Polish,Hungarian), regardless of the origin of the family.

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