Hi everyone, it's not that they didn't care what people called them, but just like in english, many names have variants. Just like Bob for Robert and Bill for William, Honza is for Jan (Johann in old czech). My aunt's name is Libuše, but at home they call her Buša, but that is a variant invented by the family. I suppose that all the other variants got started the same way. Some are obvious, like Kateřina (Kačenka, Káča) , \Lidumila – Lidunka , Ladislav - Lada or Slavek, Marie (Maruška, Maryška, Mařenka, Manka ) Dorotka (Dorota, Dorla) Miroslav (Slavek) Aleš (home versions - Ala, Lešek, Alešek, Lexa) Alena (Alenka, Ala, Ali, Alka, Ája, Aluška, Lenka) Alois (Lojza, Lojzížek, Lojzek, Lolek, Alek, Lojzi) Alžběta (Běta, Bětka, Bětuška, Ela, Eliška, Líza, Bety, Betynka) Anna (Anča, Ančí, Anka, Andula, Andulka, Anička, Aninka, Aňa, Anina, Anička, Anuška) Antonín (Tonda, Tony, Tóňa, Toníček, Anton, Antonek, Antoníček) Drahomíra (Draha, Drahuše, Drahuška, Drahomírka, Mirka, Dáša) František (Franta, Fanda, Fanouš, Franěk, Fanek, Francek, Frank, Fery, Ferenc, Frantík, Franc , Fráňa) Jakub (Jakeš, Jašek, Kuba, Kubík) Jaroslav (Jára, Jarda, Jarka, Jarek, Jarouš, Slávek) Josef (Pepa, Pepek, Pepík, Pepča, Pepánek, Joska, Józa, Jozífek, Jožin, Jožo) Josefa (female version of Josef) (Jožka, Józa, Jozefka, Jožina, Jožinka, Jozefínka, Pepi, Pepka, Pepička, Pepinka, Fína) Here are many variants and, from what I can tell, even this site is missing a few. Some are also interchangeable, like "Slavek". more at: http://www.vestirna.com/www2/_jmena/jmena.php?pismeno=A Enjoy, Gabbie. >> >>