Trades, nature and nicknames
Czech surnames come mostly from occupations (Dvořák, “of the manor”; Kovář, “smith”), descriptions (Novák “newcomer,” Černý “dark,” Veselý “cheerful,” Malý “small”) and nature or nicknames (Fiala “violet,” Liška “fox”). Král means “king,” usually as a nickname.
Feminine forms in -ová
A distinctive feature: Czech surnames usually take a feminine ending -ová for women. A man is Novák; a woman in the same family is Nováková. The composer Dvořák’s daughter would be Dvořáková.