I recently learned that what we thought was a fully Czech (bohemian) family name, Nemec, turns out to be based on the Czech word nemý which means "German that doesn't speak Czech". According to Ancestry.com it's because of Bavarians that were "brought in large numbers by feudal overlords to the territory of present-day Slovenia". Does anyone know more about this? I would love to learn more to share with my family, but I'm not sure where to look. My grandfather passed away in 2002 so I am unfortunately unable to ask him about it.
Some backstory
We recently did a DNA test that showed a very high level of German/Bavarian which had us scratching our heads because we though my grandfather was 100% Czech. This is what prompted me to start researching the Nemec name where I found the information below from Ancestry.com:
Nemec Name Meaning
Czech and Slovak (Nemec): ethnic name for a German or German-speaker, from nemec ‘German’. In Old Czech this word was used to denote any foreigner, being derived from nemý ‘mute’, referring to an inability to speak Czech. This name is also found in Germany. Slovenian: ethnic name from Nemec ‘German’, a derivative of the adjective nem ‘mute’ (see 1). Germans (mainly Bavarians) were brought in large numbers by feudal overlords to the territory of present-day Slovenia and of the early medieval Slovenian state Carantania (present-day Carinthia and Styria, now divided between Austria and Slovenia).
Link: https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=nemecjmicr
Germans have often settled in Bohemia throughout centuries so it is still possible that your family comes from Bohemia. You would have to have some family records about your origin if you want to succeed. A city of birth of an ancestor at least and some estimation of his birth year. Then you can search a local vital record.
If all that your family wants to know is just to narrow down whether your origin is Czech or Slovene, I would suggest to recall the proper pronunciation used by your grandfather. Was the first syllable soft as in the word "new"? Or was it hard as in the word "never"?
Slavic words may contain diacritics to soften syllables. In Czech, "a German" is written as "Němec", which is read like /ɲemets/. In Slovene, a vocabulary shows me that "a German" is written as "Nemec", which is read like /nemets/.
This is one of the fun parts of history. We like to say these days “I am 100% Italian” or “I am 100% Polish” but if we were able to back into the true genealogies we would find it is far, far more interesting than this. Italians could have Lombard, Greek, Ostrogoth, Celtic, and much more in them, never mind the question of what region of Italy they’re from or what ancient Italic people they descend from. Someone from Poland could be descended from Germans, Balts, or many other groups depending on their background.
Bohemia (the modern day Czech Republic) is fascinating because it historically had such a close relationship with Germany. While the core population was indeed Slavic, many ethnic Germans settled in the territory and many others assimilated into German language and culture.
Your name also reminds me of the Hungarian name “Nemeth” which it looks like has a similar origin. Perhaps the word was used in both places as names for German natives / settlers.
If you’re from Slovenia that’s a totally other story. Historically, Slovenia was a part of Austria but it would be the same story where you’d have a large number of Germans in the region too. Good luck with your research. :)