Surname Cejka - Meaning and Origin
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Cejka: What does the surname Cejka mean?
Cejka is a surname of Bohemian- Czech origin. It derives from the Czech word for salamander, “cejka”. The salamander is a symbol of fire and transformation, so the name may have originally described a family of blacksmiths or tinkerers.
Alternatively, Cejka may have been derived from the Czech word for a hill or mountain, referencing the family’s mountainous homeland. In this instance, the name may have originally belonged to a family of mountain dwellers or road builders.
Cejka is most common in parts of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Germany. In the English language it is often spelled as “Ceika” or “Cejka”, while in other languages it may be spelt differently due to phonetic changes.
The meaning behind the name is largely symbolic. It may represent family heritage, a former profession, or a geographical connection. Those with the name often have strong ties to their ancestors and a deep-rooted sense of identity.
Order DNA origin analysisCejka: Where does the name Cejka come from?
The surname Cejka is most commonly found today in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is also present in other parts of Central and Eastern Europe including Hungary, Poland, Romania, Croatia, and the former Yugoslavia. The Czech Republic has by far the highest number of people with the last name, as well as the strongest presence.
The Cejka surname or its many variations is a shortened version of a longer name that comes from the Latin name Caecilius, which means “blind” or “sightless”. It is believed to have originated from a nickname given to a person with poor vision. There is no clear explanation of why this name remained popular throughout the centuries.
The surname Cejka is very ancient and can be traced back to the 11th century. During this period, the Czech lands were often under occupation, and the surname has likely been adopted and passed down through generations of families from different ethnicities and countries.
The name is uncommon in regions outside of Central and Eastern Europe, but there are scattered instances of people with the surname found in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and even India, indicating that people with the last name had emigrated from the region in the past.
Variations of the surname Cejka
The surname Cejka is of Czech and Polish origin, and is derived from a nickname for a proud or boastful man, derived from the Czech and Polish word Cejke, which means “bighead”. It is a fairly common surname in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Depending on the region or country, different spellings or variants of the surname can be encountered such as Tzejka, Cajka, Cecka, Czeka, and Sejka.
In Slovakian records, the surname Cajka is considered to be a variant/ offshoot of the Cejka surname and is sometimes seen written as Cajkova.
In the Czech Republic the variant/ offshoot of the surname Cejka is generally identified as Czeka or Cheka.
In some Polish records, the variant/ offshoot of the surname Cejka is spelled Sejka.
There are also some variant or offshoot versions of Cejka such as Svajka, Svajka, and Zvajka. In some instances, these surnames are usually combined with “of” or “from.” For example, the name can be seen as “Svajka of Cejka” or “Svajka from Cejka.”
In some cases, the surname Cejka has been translated to English and is found written as Sayka or Secka.
Other surnames of the same origin and spelling as Cejka include Tsjeka and Sociejka. Other surnames taken from the same origin but with slight variations in spelling and/or pronunciation include Saykac, Saycka, Cejka, Czjka, and Zayka.
Famous people with the name Cejka
- Jan Cejka: Czech ice hockey player
- Eddie Cejka: American former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Antonín Cejka: Czech swimmer
- Václav Cejka: former treasurer of the President of the Czech Republic
- Jaroslav Cejka: Czech racing driver
- Josef Cejka: Czech scientist, also known as Josef 'the bell ringer'
- David Cejka: Czech footballer
- Jiří Cejka: Czech football defender
- Viktor Cejka: Czech middle-distance runner
- Michal Cejka: Czech footballer
- Petr Cejka: Czech former professional football player
- Petr Cejka junior: Czech professional footballer
- Tomáš Cejka: Czech ice hockey player
- Ondřej Cejka: Czech football goalkeeper
- Milan Cejka: Czech former professional football player
- Vladimír Cejka: Czech ice hockey player and coach
- Michael Cejka: American Major League Baseball umpire
- Stanislav Cejka: Czech ice hockey player