Václav (Czech pronunciation: [ˈvaːtslaf]) or rarely Vácslav is a Czech male given name. It is among the most common Czech names. The Latinised form of the name is Wenceslaus and the Polish form of the name is Wacław. The name was derived from the old Czech name Veceslav, meaning 'more famous'. Nicknames are Vašek, Vašík, Venca, Venda.
The Latinised form is used in English for Czech kings and some other early modern notable people. The people listed below are Czech unless otherwise noted. Notable people with the name include:
Contents
Nobility
Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia (kníže Václav I.; 907–935 or 929), saint
Wenceslaus II, Duke of Bohemia (kníže Václav II.; died 1192)
Wenceslaus I of Bohemia (Václav I.; c. 1205–1253), King of Bohemia
Wenceslaus II of Bohemia (Václav II.; 1271–1305), King of Bohemia and Poland
Wenceslaus III of Bohemia (Václav III.; 1289–1306), King of Hungary, Bohemia and Poland
Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia (Václav IV.; 1361–1419), King of Bohemia and German King
Wenceslaus II, Duke of Opava (Václav II. Opavský; c. 1397 – c. 1446), duke
Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg (Václav Lucemburský; 1337–1383), first Duke of Luxembourg
Václav Eusebius František, Prince of Lobkowicz (1609–1677), Bohemian nobleman, military leader and diplomat
Other
Václav Hanka (1791–1861), philologist
Václav Havel (1936–2011), politician and writer, President of Czechoslovakia (1989–1992) and the Czech Republic (1993–2003)
Václav Holek (1886–1954), firearm engineer
Václav Jelínek (1944–2022), Czechoslovak spy
Václav Jícha (1914–1945), World War II flying ace
Václav Klaus (born 1941), politician and economist, President of the Czech Republic (2003–2013)
Václav Klement (1868–1938), entrepreneur, industrialist and automotive pioneer
Václav Matěj Kramerius (1753–1808), publisher and journalist
Václav Laurin (1865–1930), engineer, industrialist and automotive pioneer
Václav Morávek (1904–1942), brigadier general and member of the anti-Nazi resistance
Vaclav Smil (born Václav Smil 1943), Czech-Canadian scientist and policy analyst
Václav Vacek (1877–1960), politician