Wojciech () is a
Polish name, equivalent to
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
Vojtěch ,
Slovak Vojtech, and
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
Woitke. The name is formed from two Slavic roots:
* ''wój'' (Slavic: ''voj''), a root pertaining to war. It also forms words like ''wojownik'' ("warrior") and ''wojna'' ("war").
* ''ciech'' (from an earlier form, ''tech''), meaning "joy".
The resulting combination means "he who enjoys war" or "joyous warrior".
Its Polish
diminutive
A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...
forms include ''Wojtek'' , ''Wojtuś'' , ''Wojtas'', ''Wojcio'', ''Wojteczek'', ''Wojcieszek'', ''Wojtaszka'', ''Wojtaszek'', ''Wojan'' (noted already in 1136), ''Wojko'', and variants noted as early as 1400, including ''Woytko'', ''Woythko'', and ''Voytko''. The feminine form is Wojciecha (). Related names in
South Slavic languages
The South Slavic languages are one of three branches of the Slavic languages. There are approximately 30 million speakers, mainly in the Balkans. These are separated geographically from speakers of the other two Slavic branches (West Slavic la ...
include ''Vojko'', ''Vojislav'', and ''Vojteh''.
The name has been rendered into German in several different variations, including: ''Woitke'', ''Witke'', ''Voitke'', ''Voytke'', ''Woytke'', ''Vogtke'', ''Woytegk'', ''Woytek'', ''Wogtke'', ''Woetke'', ''Wötke'', and ''Wotke''. It appears as ''
Woyzeck'' in the play of that name by
Georg Büchner
Karl Georg Büchner (17 October 1813 – 19 February 1837) was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose, considered part of the Young Germany movement. He was also a revolutionary and the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büchn ...
. A variant form is ''
Wozzeck'', the result of confusion due to the similarity of the letters and in
Sütterlin
(, " script") is the last widely used form of , the historical form of German handwriting script that evolved alongside German blackletter (most notably ') typefaces. Graphic artist Ludwig Sütterlin was commissioned by the Prussian Ministry ...
handwriting; this form is used as the name of the opera by
Alban Berg
Alban Maria Johannes Berg ( ; ; 9 February 1885 – 24 December 1935) was an Austrian composer of the Second Viennese School. His compositional style combined Romantic lyricism with the twelve-tone technique. Although he left a relatively sma ...
, based on Büchner's play.
The Germanic name
Adalbert
Adalbert is a German given name which means "noble bright" or "noble shining", derived from the words ''adal'' (meaning noble) and ''berht'' (shining or bright). Alternative spellings include Adelbart, Adelbert and Adalberto. Derivative names incl ...
is sometimes associated with Wojciech, or Vojtech, but the two names are not linguistically related. Their components and meanings are completely different, but the names may have become associated as a result of the 10th-century St.
Adalbert of Prague
Adalbert of Prague (, , , , ; 95623 April 997), known in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia by his birth name Vojtěch (), was a Czech missionary and Christian saint. He was the Bishop of Prague and a missionary to the Hungarians, Poles, ...
(born Vojtěch Slavník) having taken the name Adalbert at his
confirmation
In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...
.
The
name day
In Christianity, a name day is a tradition in many countries of Europe and the Americas, as well as Christian communities elsewhere. It consists of celebrating a day of the year that is associated with one's baptismal name, which is normatively t ...
for individuals named Wojciech is 23 April.
People and characters with the given name Wojciech
* Saint
Adalbert of Prague
Adalbert of Prague (, , , , ; 95623 April 997), known in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia by his birth name Vojtěch (), was a Czech missionary and Christian saint. He was the Bishop of Prague and a missionary to the Hungarians, Poles, ...
(Czech: ''svatý Vojtěch''; Polish: ''Św. Wojciech''), the first recorded user of this name
*
Wojciech Bogusławski
Wojciech Romuald Bogusławski (9 April 1757 – 23 July 1829) was a Polish actor, theater director and playwright of the Polish Enlightenment. He was the director of the National Theatre, Warsaw, (''Teatr Narodowy''), during three distinct pe ...
(1757–1829), a
Polish actor, theatre director, and writer of dramas
*
Wojciech Bobowski
Wojciech Bobowski or Ali Ufki (also Albertus Bobovius, Ali Bey, Santurî Ali Ufki; 1610–1675) was a Polish, later Ottoman musician and dragoman in the Ottoman Empire. He translated the Bible into Ottoman Turkish, composed an Ottoman ''Psalte ...
(1610–1675), an
Ottoman musician,
dragoman
A dragoman was an Interpreter (communication), interpreter, translator, and official guide between Turkish language, Turkish-, Arabic language, Arabic-, and Persian language, Persian-speaking countries and polity, polities of the Middle East and ...
, and an intellectual of
Polish descent.
*
Wojciech Buliński
Wojciech Włodzimierz Buliński (13 November 1929 - 24 November 2021) was a Polish architect and professor who was dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Tadeusz Kościuszko University of Technology from 1987 to 1993. He is noted as among the fi ...
(1929–2021), Polish architect and professor
*
Wojciech Fangor
Wojciech Bonawentura Fangor (pronounced: ) (15 November 1922 – 25 October 2015), also known as Voy Fangor, was a Polish Painting, painter, graphic artist, and Sculpture, sculptor. Described as "one of the most distinctive painters to emerge f ...
(1922–2015), Polish painter, graphic artist and sculptor
*
Wojciech Fibak
Wojciech Fibak (; popularly Wojtek Fibak ; born 30 August 1952) is a Polish former professional tennis player, entrepreneur, and art collector. Fibak is best known for his doubles success with Dutch pro Tom Okker and Australian Kim Warwick, a ...
(born 1952), Polish tennis player
*
Wojciech Frykowski
Wojciech () is a Polish name, equivalent to Czech Vojtěch , Slovak Vojtech, and German Woitke. The name is formed from two Slavic roots:
* ''wój'' (Slavic: ''voj''), a root pertaining to war. It also forms words like ''wojownik'' ("warrior" ...
, Polish actor, murdered in the US in 1969
*
Wojciech Jaruzelski
Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski ( ; ; 6 July 1923 – 25 May 2014) was a Polish military general, politician and ''de facto'' leader of the Polish People's Republic from 1981 until 1989. He was the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party ...
(1923–2014), Polish political and military leader,
prime minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
, head of the
Polish Council of State
The Council of State of the Polish People's Republic, Republic of Poland () was introduced by the Small Constitution of 1947 as an organ of executive (government), executive power. The Council of State consisted of the President of Poland, Presid ...
,
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
and de facto dictator of
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
1981–89
*
Wojciech Kamiński
Wojciech Kamiński (born 27 February 1974) is a Polish professional basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with ...
(born 1974), Polish basketball coach
*
Wojciech Kasperski
Wojciech Kasperski (born April 25, 1981) is a Polish screenwriter, film director and film producer, producer. In 2006 he received the Grand Prix for ''The Seeds (film), The Seeds'' for Best Documentary at Kraków Film Festival, and went on to w ...
(born 1981), Polish film director
*
Wojciech Kilar
Wojciech Kilar (; 17 July 1932 – 29 December 2013) was a Polish classical and film music composer. One of his greatest successes came with his score to Francis Ford Coppola's '' Bram Stoker's Dracula'' in 1992, which received the ASCAP Award a ...
(1932–2013), Polish composer, known especially for his film music to ''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...
''
*
Wojciech Kondratowicz (born 1980), Polish hammer thrower
*
Wojciech Korfanty (1873–1939), a Polish activist, journalist, politician, and a leader of the
Silesian uprisings
The Silesian Uprisings (; ; ) were a series of three uprisings from August 1919 to July 1921 in Upper Silesia, which was part of the Weimar Republic at the time. Ethnic Polish and Polish-Silesian insurrectionists, seeking to have the area tran ...
*
Wojciech Kossak
Wojciech Horacy Kossak (31 December 1856 – 29 July 1942) was a Polish Painting, painter and member of the celebrated Kossak family of artists and writers. He was the son of painter Juliusz Kossak, and twin brother of freedom fighter Tadeusz Ko ...
(1856–1942), Polish
painter
Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...
*
Wojciech "Lala" Kuderski, Polish musician, member of
Myslovitz
Myslovitz is a Polish rock band. The band take their name from their industrial hometown of Mysłowice in the Upper Silesia region of southern Poland.
Band history
Guitarist and vocalist Artur Rojek started the band in 1992 as "The Freshmen ...
*
Wojciech Olejniczak (born 1974), Polish politician
*
Wojciech Pszoniak (1942–2020), Polish actor
*
Wojciech Powaga, Polish musician, member of
Myslovitz
Myslovitz is a Polish rock band. The band take their name from their industrial hometown of Mysłowice in the Upper Silesia region of southern Poland.
Band history
Guitarist and vocalist Artur Rojek started the band in 1992 as "The Freshmen ...
*
Wojciech Samotij, Polish mathematician
*
Wojciech Siudmak (born 1942), Polish painter and sculptor
*
Wojciech Stuchlik (born 1984), Polish tennis player
*
Wojciech Szczęsny (born 1990), Polish goalkeeper
*
Wojciech Szpankowski (born 1952), Polish-born American computer scientist
*
Wojciech Wentura (born 1972), Polish opera tenor
*
Wojtek Wolski (born 1986), Polish-born Canadian
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
forward for the
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...
*
Wojciech Zabłocki (1930–2020), Polish architect and fencer
*
Wojciech Zaremba (born 1988), Polish computer scientist, co-founder of
Open AI
*
Wojciech Zurek, Polish-born
physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
and nationalized American who works at
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory (often shortened as Los Alamos and LANL) is one of the sixteen research and development Laboratory, laboratories of the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, United States Department of Energy ...
in
quantum physics
Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical Scientific theory, theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms. Reprinted, Addison-Wesley, 1989, It is ...
*
Wojciech Żukrowski (1916–2000), Polish writer
Others
*
Wojtek, a
Syrian brown bear from
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
adopted by soldiers of the
Polish II Corps
See also
*
*
*
Vojtěch Vojtěch (Czech language, Czech pronunciation: ) or Vojtech is a, respectively, Czech and Slovak Slavic names, given name of Slavic origin. It is composed of two parts: ''voj'' – "troops"/"war(rior)" and ''těch'' – "consolator"/"rejoicing man". ...
*
Voytek
*
Polish name
Polish names have two main elements: the given name, and the surname. The usage of personal names in Poland is generally governed by civil law, church law, personal taste and family custom.
The law requires a given name to indicate the person' ...
*
Slavic names
Given names originating from the Slavic languages are most common in Slavic peoples, Slavic countries.
The main types of Slavic names:
* Two-base names, often ending in mir/měr (''Ostromir/měr'', ''Tihomir/měr'', ''Niemir, Němir/měr''), * ...
*
Wojciechów (disambiguation) – Polish place names
*
Wojciechowski – Polish surname
References
{{given name
Polish masculine given names
Masculine given names
Slavic masculine given names