Czech Names: Top Baby Names for 2025, Classics and Nicknames
The most popular Czech baby names in 2025 were Viktorie and Jakub, according to the Czech Statistical Office. Viktorie reached first place for the first time; Jakub kept the top spot by just 18 babies ahead of Matyáš. Among the whole population, older classics such as Jan, Jiří, Petr, Marie and Jana are still the names you meet most.
Top baby names in Czechia, 2025
| Rank | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Viktorie (1,193) | Jakub |
| 2 | Eliška (1,125) | Matyáš |
| 3 | Sofie | Jan |
| 4 | Anna | Adam, Matěj, David and Vojtěch round out the top seven |
| 5 | Natálie |
Source: Czech Statistical Office release of 28 May 2026. The office published exact counts for the top two girls’ names; the others are shown by rank.
Classic Czech names you’ll meet everywhere
Baby-name charts change fast, but the adults around you mostly carry names that were popular from the 1950s to the 1980s.
- Men: Jan, Jiří, Petr, Josef, Pavel, Martin, Tomáš, Jaroslav, Miroslav, Václav
- Women: Marie, Jana, Eva, Hana, Anna, Lenka, Kateřina, Lucie, Věra, Alena
Nicknames: why Jan becomes Honza
Czechs use nicknames constantly, and some look nothing like the full name. Knowing the common ones helps you follow conversations and read novels.
| Full name | Everyday nickname | Affectionate |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | Honza | Honzík, Jeník |
| Josef | Pepa | Pepík |
| Jiří | Jirka | Jiříček |
| Václav | Vašek | Vašík |
| Kateřina | Káťa | Katka, Kačenka |
| Marie | Marie / Majka | Maruška, Mařenka |
| Alžběta | Bětka | Betynka |
Names change when you call someone
Czech has a special form for addressing people, the vocative. You’ll hear it the moment someone calls a friend:
- Petr → Petře! Pavel → Pavle! Tomáš → Tomáši!
- Jana → Jano! Lenka → Lenko! Marie stays Marie!
Emails follow the same rule: Ahoj Petře, not “Ahoj Petr”.
Name days
Each date of the Czech calendar belongs to one or more names, and people celebrate their svátek almost like a second birthday, with flowers or a small gift. Jan’s day is 24 June, Josef’s 19 March, Marie’s 12 September. The full list is on Czech name days.
How to pronounce tricky names
- Jiří : YEE-rzhee. The ř is one sound; see Ř.
- Matyáš: MAH-tih-yahsh. The y keeps the t hard, so there is no “ty” softening.
- Vojtěch: VOY-tyekh. ě softens t to “ty”; ch as in loch.
- Kateřina: KAH-teh-rzhee-nah.
- Eliška: EH-lish-kah. Stress on the first syllable, always.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common Czech first name?
Among all adults, Jiří and Jan for men and Marie and Jana for women have long led the counts. Among babies born in 2025, Jakub and Viktorie were first.
What is a Czech name day?
A day in the calendar assigned to a name. People with that name receive congratulations and small gifts.
Why is Jan called Honza?
Honza comes from the German form Hans, via older Czech Hanuš. It became the everyday form of Jan centuries ago and also stars in many Czech fairy tales.
Keep going
- Czech surnames: the most common and what they mean
- Czech name days
- How to pronounce Czech names
Sources
- Czech Statistical Office, “Viktorie byla vůbec poprvé nejoblíbenější, Jakub prvenství obhájil těsně”, 28 May 2026: csu.gov.cz
- Seznam Zprávy, report on the 2025 baby names: seznamzpravy.cz
