There are tens of occupations mentioned in Czech registries. I have prepared a list of those most common occupations in four languages, Czech, German, Latin and English.
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This is first version of the list. I'll add new occupations time to time to fill in possible gaps. The occupations mentioned there are those which are most common. If you are not able to find "your" occupation in the list, please let me know and I'll add it.
You might get confused by German occupations followed by -meister or -gesell, so you can find it on the list, too.
| Czech | German | Latin | English |
| bednář | Binder | vietor | cooper |
| celoláník | Ganzlähner | rusticus | owner of one "lán" of land |
| chalupník | Chalupner | curticulus | small peasant, cottager |
| čeledín | Knecht | famulus | farm hand |
| čtvrtláník | Viertler | rusticus | owner of 1/4 "lán" of land |
| domkář | Häusler | casarius, gazarius | peasant cottager |
| gruntovník | Grundbesitzers | --- | owner of farm, farmer |
| hrnčíř | Töpfer, Hafner | fornator | potter |
| kolář | Wagner | rotarius | wheeler |
| kovář | Schmidt | faber | blacksmith |
| koželuh | Gerber | pellifex, coriarius | tanner |
| krejčí | Schneider | sartor | tailor |
| kupec | Kaufmann | mercator | merchant |
| láník | Lähner | rusticus | owner of one "lán" of land |
| měšťan | Bürger | civis | burgher |
| mistr | Meister | magister | master |
| mlynář | Müller | molitor | miller |
| mydlář | Seifensieder | saponarius | soap maker |
| nádeník | Taglöhner | operarius | day-labourer |
| obyvatel | Inwohner | incola | inhabitant |
| ovčák | Schäfer | opilio | shepherd |
| pachtýř | Pächter | conductor | leaseholder |
| pastýř | Hirt | opilio | shepherd |
| pekař | Bäcker | pistor | baker |
| písař | Schreiber | scriba | scribe, typist |
| podruh | Inmann | inquilinus | farm-help |
| pololáník | Halblähner | semirusticus | owner of 1/2 "lán" of land |
| pomocník | Gehilfe | optio, factor | helper |
| porodní bába | Hebamme | obstetrix | midwife |
| provazník | Seiler | cordarius, funarius | rope maker |
| radní | Ratsherr | senator | councilman |
| rolník | Ackermann | incola | farmer |
| rybář | Fischer | piscator | fisherman |
| rychtář | Richter | judex, iudex | reeve |
| řezník | Fleischer | lanius | butcher |
| sedlák | Bauer | rusticus | farmer |
| sládek | Brauer | braxator | brewer |
| slouha | Knecht | famulus | servant |
| soukeník | Tuchmacher | textor | draper |
| soused* | Nachbar | --- | neighbor |
| starosta | Bürgermeister | primator | mayor |
| svobodník | Freie | libertinus | personally free man |
| šafář | Schaffer | villicus | steward |
| šenkýř | Schänker, (Schenk)wirth | caupo | innkeeper |
| švec | Schuhmacher | sutor | shoemaker |
| tesař | Zimmermann | carpentarius | carpenter |
| tkadlec | Weber | textor | weaver |
| tovaryš | Gesell | famulus | journeyman |
| truhlář | Tischler | scrinarius, cantarius | cabinet-maker, joiner |
| učitel | Lehrer, Schullehrer | ludi magister | teacher |
| uhlíř | Köhler | carbonarius | coal-miner |
| úředník | Beamte | officialis | clerk |
| výměnkář, výminkář | Ausgedinger, Ausnehmer | exceptor | retired farmer |
| zahradník* | Gärtner, Gärtler | hortulanus | peasant |
| zedník | Maurer | murarius | bricklayer |
*Soused - in villages; status similar to the burgher in town.
*Zahradník has two different meanings - peasant, who owned house with garden, was one meaning, gardener is another. If you see zahradník in registries, 99 percent of them are peasants, not gardeners.
You can sometimes see also Feldgärtner (Feldgarthner) which means the same, but with a small piece of field.
List of German-English occupations
Lán is an ancient land measurment unit, about 16-20 hectars (it depends, we are used to count it as 18 hectars). 1 "lán" is ca. 4,5 (American) acres.
Latin-Czech genealogical dictionary
You can sometimes see also Feldgärtner (Feldgarthner) which means the same, but with a small piece of field.
List of German-English occupations
Lán is an ancient land measurment unit, about 16-20 hectars (it depends, we are used to count it as 18 hectars). 1 "lán" is ca. 4,5 (American) acres.
Latin-Czech genealogical dictionary
Oh yes! Thank you Blanka! This should help me so much when I'm in the Brno archives (Moravia). That is turning out to be such a treasure trove of information for both sets of grandparents since they all were born in nearby villages in region of Hodonin. I also tried genteam.at as you suggested here, and it's very useful to locate village information. You're wonderfully helpful. (e.g. I have seen "domkar" so many times and didn't know what it referred to; thought it was something about "living in".
ReplyDeleteI have one that I don't seem to see in this list. It's baffled me, partly because I'm not sure if I'm transcribing it correctly.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like "grunsovnika." I have a scanned version of the record on a recent post I did. It's under Barbara REINDL's entry. Maybe you can trascribe it better. Any ideas?
Brian, it's "gruntovnika". Gruntovnik is a owner of grunt, where "grunt" stands for any house with fields. It's common word which covers cottages, both large and small farms etc. I'll add it to the table above.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
I did run across his death record (in German) where it said he was a "Bauer." So, that makes more sense now.
ReplyDeleteOh, excellent! I know some of them, but it's so helpful to have a ready list of possibilities when faced with a difficult hand to read.
ReplyDeleteRose, I'm happy the list of occupations helped you!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Blanko! Very Nice and Helpful blog.
ReplyDeleteHere are a few more occupations I have run into:
dělník, pracovník Arbeiter laborator worker, laborer
dřevorubec Holzhauer lignator woodcutter
duchovní Geistlicher clerus? = clergy clergyman
koželuh Gerber coriarius tanner
kuchař Koch coctor cook
lékař Artzt medicus doctor
obchodník, kupec Kaufmann emptor merchant
polosedlák Bauer agricola farmer
řemeslník Handwerker mechanicus craftsman
richtář Bürgermeister praetor mayor
sluha (m), služka (f) Hausdiener, Knecht servitor servant
voják Soldat miles soldier
zahradník Gärtner hortulanus gardener
And here are some I could use your help on:
Obecniho slouby =?
šafář na Svamberg = ?
polosedlák = ? (Doesn't polo = semi or partial?
Dekujem,
Dan
Obecní slouha - municipal servant; usually person who delivers messages, who is taking care for the town hall etc.
DeleteŠafář - steward
Polosedlák - half-farmer; the one who owns half a land of usual farmer.
Thank you so much. I have been looking for a list like this for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI just ran into one... havíř. If I translated it correctly it is a miner, probably a coal miner. Does this sound correct?
ReplyDeleteuhliř = charcoal burner
ReplyDeleteBlanko,
ReplyDeleteThank you for being so willing to share. I've just begun researching my ancestors from Frenštat where about every third person is a weaver.
tkadlec - Weber - textor - weaver
Can you help me with these?
pasekář
obuonik
Dekujem,
Ed
Hi Ed - I believe the word "obuonik" is actually "obvunik". And it means shoemaker. I believe this because I found "obuonik" in a census record for my 3rd great grandfather, and I know from an earlier record that he was a shoemaker.
DeleteI see your question from 2013. I'm looking for a similar occupation title "Padseker" and find nothing. In Google Translate your "pasekář" is translated as "Poacher." Somehow that seems an unlikely official occupation. Do you suppose that it's "hunter" or "trapper"?
DeleteI'm trying to locate info about my G-Grandfather Jan Felix Samec. (aprox time frame 1900-1905)My Grandfather Frank Samec was a seminary student in Prague. He told his family that his father was a secretary to the czar. Is there a way to research the layers of government to see if Jan was employed there?
ReplyDeleteI have just found your webpage. Thanks for any help. Ellen
Adding extra info to my former post. Jan Felix Samec was married to Marie Strumpl. I found her listing in the police Conscriptions. Why does that listing only have female names?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the job description of a "Wheeler?"
ReplyDeleteThis is what dictionary offers:
Deletekolář - wainwright
kolář - wheel-wright
kolář - wheeler
kolář - wheelwright
kolář - cartwright
kolář - cart-wright
We have family records from the archives in Trebon that go back to an ancestor who died in 1825 in Volary, Bohemia. He was said to be a "kolarsky mistr. What would be his occupation?
ReplyDeleteHe was a wheeler (or cart-wright) and he was a master of this craft. There were three levels of mastery of every craft: apprentice, craftsman and master.
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ReplyDeleteI have come across "obuvniko" Google Translate says it is cobbler. Would you agree?
ReplyDeleteHodinář a zlatník = Watchmaker and goldsmith
ReplyDeleteAny suggestions for jednotář ? I haven't found it listed anywhere.
ReplyDeletevýměnkářka? And thank you for this blog - it's a big help :)
ReplyDeleteLisa Franscoviak, with regard to "výměnkář" (a man), "výměnkářka" (a woman) or "výměnek" (a contract):
ReplyDeleteVýměnek, or reservatum rusticum (Lat.), or Altenteil (Germany), Ausgedinge (Austria), Austrag (Bavaria), is a frequently discussed topic on genealogical forums, because nothing really like that exists under the current US laws. Modified forms of it still exists in Germany, Czech Republic, and possibly other central European countries.
Výměnek is an exchange of a farm for a pension. The old farmer (výměnkář, and/or his wife výměnkářka) conveyed the title of his farm to the new owner, and the buyer instead of conveying cash, issued a legally binding promise to take care of the seller. Usually the seller continued to live on a portion of the property. The care typically included room, heat, board, health care, clothing, and sometimes a little allowance.
Norway had the same "retirement" agreement or contract- Føderåds or kårinstitusjonen is support received after giving ones estate to another, such as when a son took over the farm (with all responsibilities) usually some sort of agreement was made with his parents. One part of the agreement was how his parents should be taken care of. This would include how many cows they would get, potatoes, flour, and money per year.
DeleteSkadler - what is it? Listed as a journeyman.
ReplyDeleteIt is close to tkadlec but really does not look exactly. http://www.portafontium.eu/iipimage/34121773/soap-do_00592_census-1869-slavikovice-cp020_0020?x=319&y=114&w=179&h=276
It is tkadlec, not Skadler. :)
DeleteI just found your webpage and love it. I'm trying to decipher a marriage record from South Bohemia. The occupation of a 26 year old groom is shown to be that of a master craftsman of some thing or other, but I haven't been able to figure it out. Wondered if you would know. Mistr sevoovsky. Or maybe sevcovsky?
ReplyDeleteMy guess would be shoemaker, "sevcovsky" is shoemaker, but in Slovak. The Czech word is Ševcovská.
DeleteThis list is enormously helpful. Thanks for posting it!
ReplyDeleteHas anyone seen the word "žebrák" in a record book? It was listed as my g-g-g-grandfather's occupation. The Google translation is beggar. Is this right?
ReplyDeleteyes
DeleteDo you know what occupation a "burgerliche spitaler" would be?...from records 1806-1823. Would this be a caretaker position or caring for patients?? When this man married, the wedding address was the spital, but when the couple died they seemed to have lived in a proper house. Thanks for your wonderful blog.
ReplyDeleteHi there,
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know what Occupations:
Hospodský and hostinský mean in English?
Thanks in advance.
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ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know what Slukebna is?
ReplyDeleteIt might also be:
Slukelna
Slukelna
Slukebna
Thanks!
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ReplyDeleteBlanka, do you know what Jan Macek’s occupation was in this record?: https://digi.ceskearchivy.cz/6539/33/1579/1297/55/0
ReplyDeleteIt looks like vechnostensky poklásny (with accented ‘y’s) but I can’t figure our what that means.
vrchnostenský poklásný
Delete