Surname Zahradka - Meaning and Origin
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Zahradka: What does the surname Zahradka mean?
The last name Zahradka is thought to be of Czech or Slovak origin. It is a patronymic name derived from the given name ‘Záhradník’, or ‘Zahradnik’ in Slovak, meaning ‘gardener’ or ‘nurseryman’. This likely indicates that the original bearer of the name kept a garden or was involved in horticulture. It is possible that the Zahradka family have been involved in gardening and horticulture since their ancestor first adopted the surname in their homeland of Czech or Slovakia.
The name itself is written variously as: Zahradka, Zahrádka, Zahradník, Zahradnik, Záhradka and Záhradník. The spelling can also vary geographically, depending on the language used and the tradition of the particular family. The various spellings of the name are generally interchangeable and there is no significant difference between them, aside from dialectal variations.
The Zahradka surname is now found throughout Europe, North America, Australia, and other parts of the world, usually in extremely small numbers. It is likely that many of these bearers of the name are descendants of those who left the Czech or Slovak homelands many years ago in search of new opportunities and lands. They may also be related to other occupants of those countries who adopted the surname as a result of local tendencies or customs.
Order DNA origin analysisZahradka: Where does the name Zahradka come from?
The last name Zahradka most commonly appears in the Czech Republic today. To put it into perspective, the last name Zahradka ranks 8,199th in popularity among Czech nationals. Czech typically use only one given name plus the father’s surname. People of this surname are spread across the whole of the country, but it appears to be more common in northern Moravia, a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic. Records of the surname Zahradka date back as far as the 15th century, when it was first recorded in the sacred Bohemian township of Drahonice.
It is also possible to find various variations of the surname Zahradka today found in other parts of Central and Eastern Europe, including Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. In Poland, the name is written as Zahradka or Zahradko. The same is true in Hungary and Slovakia, where it is written as Zahradka or Zahradko. In all cases, the surname originates from the Czech word Zahrada, meaning ‘garden’ and was originally given to someone who worked in gardens or living near them.
The surname Zahradka is not as common in other countries outside of Central and Eastern Europe, although there has been evidence of the occurrence in the USA and Canada. This suggests that the surname Zahradka may have been brought to these countries by immigrants who originated from the Czech Republic or Central and Eastern Europe.
Variations of the surname Zahradka
The surname Zahradka is of Czech and Slovak origin, and it has several different variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. One of the most common variants of Zahradka is the Czech spelling Záhradka. It is sometimes seen as Zahrádka or Záhrádka, as well as Zagradka, Zagradova, and Zagradovsky. In Slovakia, the variant spelled Zahradník is common.
In addition to the spelling variants, there are also related surnames of the same origin, such as Záhradníček, Zahradníček, Záhradník, Záhradníčková, Zahradnick, Zahradniková, and Záhradniková. These surnames are derived either from the name of a garden (as in the noun form zahrada, which means ‘garden’ in Slavic languages) or from a personal name (as in the verb form zahrad, which means ‘to garden’ in Slavic languages).
The English surname Gardiner is also derived from the same root as Zahradka. It is derived from the Norman French term ‘warden’ or ‘guardian’, which is in turn derived from the Late Latin word ‘warden’. The spelling variants of Gardiner include Gardener, Gardnor, Gardynor, and Gardiner.
Other surnames of the same origin include Záhradnik, Zahradnik, and Zagradnik. From the Czech spelling, the variant Jeradka is also seen. These surnames have been used in various Slavic cultures since at least medieval times.
Famous people with the name Zahradka
- Mieczysław Zahradka (Polish journalist, editor and publisher)
- Lenka Zahradka (Czech Olympic ice hockey player)
- Jana Zahradka (Czech poet and playwright)
- Jan Zahradka (Czech poet and musician)
- Pierre Zahradka (Luxembourg Olympian, long-distance runner)
- Jan M. Zahradka (Czech-American post-surrealist painter)
- Pavel Zahradka (Czech ice hockey player)
- Vladimir Zahradka (Czech chess master)
- Marcel Zahradka (Czech football player)
- Petar Zahradka (Serbian poet and playwright)
- Karel Zahradka (Czech sculptor)
- Robert Zahradka (American filmmaker and author)
- Adam Zahradka (Czech cross country skier)
- Eric Zahradka (Canadian Olympic luger)
- Libor Zahradka (Czech fencer)
- Elena Zahradka (Belarusian rhythmic gymnast)
- Klara Zahradka (Czech resistance fighter and author)
- Ludmila Zahradka (Czechoslovakian athlete)