Vacek (feminine Vacková) is a Czech surname, also found in Slovakia. It is derived from the name "Václav" (in Latin, Wenceslaus), being a diminutive or nickname thereof, or denoting "son of Václav". Notable people include:
- Dan Vacek, American cannabis rights activist
- Daniel Vacek, Czech tennis player
- Edward Collins Vacek, SJ and professor of Catholic Studies at Loyola New Orleans
- Jan Vacek, Czech tennis player
- Jaroslav Vacek, Czech linguist
- Jiří Vacek, Czech mystic, writer and translator of spiritual literature
- Josef Vacek, Czech politician
- Kamil Vacek, Czech footballer
- Karel Vacek, Czech cyclist
- Růžena Vacková, Czech art historian
- Václav Vacek, Czech politician
There are many variants or derivatives of this surname:
- Watzek - a Germanized spelling.
- Watsek- an English spelling derived from the German spelling upon immigration to the United States.
- Watzke - a Germanized derivation, dating back to the late Middle Ages. Other spellings such as Watsky, Watzky, Watski have been noted in various countries.
- Vacke - a re-Czechized or Slovacized spelling of Watzke.
- Watzka - a Germanized derivation, of some antiquity.
- Vacka - a re-Czechized or Slovacized spelling of Watzka.
- Watz - an aristocratic Austrian arms-bearing family, believed to be derived from Vacek/Watzek.
- Wacke - a spelling found in Poland; it is also the archaic Czech spelling.
- Wacyk/Vacyk - a Ukrainianized spelling found in Galicia.
- Watsko/Watzko - a Ukrainian (Galician) derivative.
References
- From the genealogies of the Watzke and Watzka families. All of the reference books on Czech and German surnames, invariably attribute Watzke and Watzka as deriving from Vacek (Watzek)
Surname listThis page lists people with the surname Vacek. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link. Categories: