Wikipedia
Wojciech ( is a Polish given name, equivalent to Czech Vojtěch , Slovak Vojtech, and German Woitke. Wojciech is one of the oldest Slavic names. The name is formed from two components in archaic Polish:
- 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 "the joy of war" or "smiling warrior".
Its Polish diminutive forms include Wojtek (pronounced: ), 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 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. A variant form is Wozzeck, the result of confusion due to the similarity of the letters and in Sütterlin handwriting; this form is used as the name of the opera by Alban Berg based on Büchner's play.
The Germanic name Adalbert is sometimes associated with Wojciech/Vojtech, but they have no linguistic relationship with each other. 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 (born Vojtěch Slavník) taking the name of Adalbert at confirmation.
The name day for individuals named Wojciech is on April 23.