Comeback of traditional Czech names

Esmeralda, Vanessa, Antonio. After a decade in which Czechs experimented with every name under the sun, including Vinetou and Midnight Storm, parents are coming to appreciate traditional Czech names again. Today's maternity wards are full of babies called Tereza, Eliska, Jan and Tomas.

Comeback of traditional Czech names

Perhaps it was inevitable. For over four decades the rules were very strict and parents were only allowed to pick names from the Czech calendar. After 1989 - people could pick any name at all - the only condition was that it was registered in some country of the world and was not insulting or demeaning.

It was like going from bread and butter to exotic food -Czechs christened their offspring Esmeralda, Rosalinda, Manuel or Antonio. It was glamour in the cradle - but needless to say the combination of an exotic name and a traditional Czech surname was not always a happy one. Whatever the reason - today's parents are going back to their roots - and giving their children traditional names again. Jan, Jakub and Tomas - all biblical names - are the three most popular boy's names in the Czech Republic today. Go back 100 years -and it would have been much the same. Girls are most frequently named Tereza, Katerina or Eliska, the latter two being the names of Czech queens.

Hopefully though - Czechs will still use their imagination and go for diversity when it comes to naming their children. Just to avoid problems. Czech Television recently carried an amusing report from a small village school where all of the 15 boys in a first grade class were called Jan. Needless to say, the teacher was highly unnerved by the situation. So you see, there can be too much of a good thing.

Popularity ladder of babies' names in January, 2004

Boys' names

1.  Jan        272

2.  Jakub    219

3.  Tomas   197

4.  Martin    165

5.  Ondrej   137

6.  Lukas    136

7.  Michal   131

8.  Daniel   118

9.  David    117

10.Filip      117

next in line - Matej, Petr, Adam, Vojtech, Jiri

Girls' names

1.  Tereza      221

2.  Katerina   179

3.  Eliska       177

4.  Adela       146

5.  Anna        135

6.  Kristyna   128

7.  Natalie     128

8.  Nikola      123

9.  Lucie        121

10.Barbora   120

next in line - Karolina, Veronika, Klara, Michaela, Aneta