Surname Janota - Meaning and Origin

Janota: What does the surname Janota mean?

The last name Janota is of Polish origin and is derived from the given name Jan, which is a Polish form of the name John. Jan is derived from the Aramaic/Hebrew name Yohanan and it literally means ‘Jehovah has favoured’ or ‘the Lord is gracious’.

The Polish last name Janota is an occupational surname, deriving its meaning from a person who owned or guided a stallion for riding or work and that job was called an ojotnik or janota in Old Polish. People who had this job and their families’ descendants acquired this last name.

Janota can also be a diminutive of Janosek. Janosek is derived from the given name Jan and is a common last name in Central Europe. This surname is also found in some other Slavic countries and it means ‘son of Jan’, much like the English suffix ‘-son’.

The Janota surname in Poland also has roots in the Jewish Starosty. The Starosty members were powerful landowners in the 15th and 16th centuries. Some of these Starosty members had the Janota surname passed down to them and their families.

The Janota surname is still found widely in Poland and in other countries and its meaning and its root in ancient occupational trades and strong religious ties gives this surname a unique and fascinating history.

Janota: Where does the name Janota come from?

The last name Janota is most commonly found today in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly Poland and Slovakia. Historically, the name Janota is derived from the personal name Jan, a Polish diminutive form of John. It may have also been adopted by others from the Czech or Slovak term for a “farmer” or a “tax collector.”

In Poland, Janota is a well-established surname, found in directory listings as early as the mid-19th century. Census records from 1890 show Janota as the ninth-most popular surname among Polish nobility. Today there are nearly 60,000 Janotas living in Poland. The name is also common in Slovakia, where census records show Janota listed as one of the 100 most popular surnames.

In other parts of the world, Janota is less popular but still relatively widespread, particularly in countries with large Polish and Slovakian diasporas, such as the United States, Argentina, France and Australia. Census data from the United States suggests Janota is much less common in the Anglophone world, with fewer than 5,000 people in the United States bearing the surname.

Overall, Janota is most common in Central and Eastern Europe and has been documented as one of the top 100 surnames in many of these countries for over a century. The name is also relatively widespread outside of Central and Eastern Europe, though much less common than in its native lands.

Variations of the surname Janota

There are many variants, spellings and surnames for the surname Janota, such as Janot, Janotová, Janote, Janotka, Janotka, Janotech, Janovsky, Janowski, Janovitz, Janous, Eanot, Eanote, Eanotech, Eanovsky, Yonot, Yonote, Yonotová, Yonotech, Yonovsky, and Yannotta.

Originally, Janota was derived from the personal name Jan, which was an ancient Czech name common in the Middle Ages. Jan is the Czech form of the name John, a popular biblical name of Hebrew origin meaning “God is gracious.” However, the original spelling of Janota comes from the Czech name “Jana,” which is the feminine form of John. Janota is believed to be an occupational surname denoting someone who was a godfather or godmother.

Janota is a very common surname in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and the spelling can vary across regions. Another popular alternative spelling is “Janotic,” a more modernized version of the surname.

Janota can be found in many other countries such as Germany, Poland, Hungary, and the United States. While the original spelling remains popular, there are many variants of the name. For instance, the American spelling is most commonly “Yannotta.”

Although the spelling and pronunciation of Janota can vary, the meaning of the surname remains the same. Most variant forms of the surname point to a common ancestor, a godfather or godmother, which represents the connection between family and faith.

Famous people with the name Janota

• Jacek Janota: former Polish footballer and manager.
• Miroslav Janota: Czech professional hockey player.
• Angus Janota: Canadian politician who served in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1979-1993.
• Dmitry Janota: Belarusian professional football player.
• Roger Janota: Russian professional tennis player.
• Harriet Janota: British television presenter.
• Emil Janota: Czech skater in pair skating and ice dancing.
• Tadeusz Janota: former Polish long-distance runner.
• Ryszard Janota: Polish figure skater who competed in single, pair, and ice dancing.
• Stanka Janota: Slovak politician and former Prime Minister of Slovakia.

Other surnames

Janotta