The Černík Surname
History
There was an overwhelming fair-haired population in Bohemia and Moravia in the past and a man with dark hair or face was an exception. The surname Černík (and variant Černík) is of Slavic origin, primarily found in Czech and Slovak regions. It is derived from the word "černý" or "čierny," meaning "black" or "dark," likely acting as a nickname for a person with dark hair or a swarthy complexion. Thus a surname ČERNY (and equivalent ČERNÍK) came into existence.
Name Origin
Linguistic Roots: It stems from Slavic roots (Czech/Slovak), specifically from "černý/čierny". Suffix: The suffix "-ik" is a diminutive or patronymic marker, effectively meaning "little black-haired one" or "son of the dark one".
Spellings & Pronunciations
- Czech
- Černak, Černý, Černa, Čhernick, Čhernin, Černey
- Polish
- Czarnik
- Slovenia
- Černic or Černič
- Ukraine/Belarus
- Chernic or Chernic
- Pronunciation
- The Czech name Černík is pronounced as follows:
The 'Č' sounds like 'ch' as in "chair."
The 'er' sounds like "air."
The 'í' sounds like 'ee' as in "see."
Stress is always on the first syllable.
Our grandparents and mother pronounced the 'er' as in "her" and the 'i' as in "pick."
Johann "Jan" and Rosalia Černík (VESELÁ) —The Journey to America
Johann “Jan” Černík and his wife Rosalia (VESELÁ) immigrated to the United States on June 12, 1875. They arrived at the Baltimore port on the steamship, the 'SS Ohio,' with 8 children: Maria, Francisca, Josefa, František, Johann Jr., Anna, Mathias “Matěj” and Antonia was only 6 months old. Maria was the oldest at 17. Imagine spending weeks (she wasn’t a fast ship) in a confined area, with sea sick children and little entertainment. It’s hard to believe that they didn’t arrive with a few missing.
Our 2nd-great-grandfather —Born August 13, 1830 at house #14 Racerovice, Moravia
Our 2nd-great-grandmother —Born August 6, 1836 at house #3 Cíhalín, Moravia
Our Ancestors
Our Černík ancestors and their many relatives came from Moravia and originally settled in Nebraska in 1875.
Moravia - Třebíč
- Červená Lhota
- Číhalín
- Račerovice
Illinois
- Lisle
Nebraska
- Colon
- Wahoo
- Omaha
North Dakota
- Grafton
Michigan
- Manistee
Washington
- Colby
DNA Heritage
When we did our Ancestry DNA, our mother had already passed. However, our Uncle Ray did his. As expected, most of it showed a Central & Eastern Europe origin.
Raymond Richard Anthony Černík DNA Map —our uncle on our mom's side.
From the Captain’s log of the Ohio:
"Bremen, Germany Baltimore, MD
12 June 1875"
"I, G. Meyer master of the Ship Ohio of Bremen do solemnly, sincerely, and truly swear that the annexed list, subscribed with my name, contains, to the best of my knowledge and belief, a just and true account or report of all the passengers who have been taken on board the said vessel at Bremen or any other foreign port, or at sea, and brought in the said vessel into any district of the United States since her departure from the said port of Bremen Germany sworn to this 12 day of June 1875 Gustave Meyer.'"
Černík Route to America
The journey from Račerovice, Moravia to their new home in Colon, Nebraska - 1875
Map Legend
Key locations in the Černík journey to America.
House #13, Račerovice, Moravia - Early 1875
The Černík family's ancestral home in Račerovice. Not a lot to see now.
Baltimore Harbor, Baltimore Maryland - June 12, 1875
The family arrived at
Baltimore Harbor after their Atlantic crossing
with their eight children.
this voyage.
The harbor welcomed 1.2 million European immigrants who crossed the Atlantic, landing at a pier
near
Fort McHenry.
Colon, Nebraska
The Černík family's final destination, where they settled on their farm near Colon, Nebraska.
The First of the Four Families
Our Černík ancestors were the first of the four families to leave Moravia and immigrate to America. Johann "Jan" and Rosalia made their way to the German port city of Bremen. It took 14 days to cross the Atlantic, arriving at the Port of Baltimore on June 12, 1875. There were 434 immigrants onboard. I cannot even phantom this.
It's unclear who they knew in America before immigration, but there was a rising Czech community in Saunders County, Nebraska. We often think about Wahoo as the first settlement for our Černíks, but it was the location for later farms for many of them. They initially settled south of Cedar Bluffs and all around Colon.
The five male Černík sons —František 'Frank, 'Johann 'John,' Matěj 'Mike,' Charles and Peter —had farms encircling Colon, just north of Wahoo.
Our other Czech families later settled around Colon, too. The proximity of these farms and their shared Catholic faith drove the marriages that led to all of us. Two Černík daughters (Matěj's sisters) married two Meduna brothers. Two Cerník sons (Matěj's brothers) married two Tesina sisters-more double cousins.
Having few Catholics in the area, Colon and surrounding settlements were cared for by priests from Fremont and Lincoln. Around 1918, enough Catholics now lived around Colon, and a decision was made to build St. Joseph Catholic Church. On the next page, you can read about how our Černík ancestors and our Zimola and Vybíral ancestors played a significant role in its construction and operation.
Land & Legacy
Cedar Township Section 34 - Peter Paul Černík
Center Township Section 34 - Frantisek "Frank" Černík
Center Township Section 13 - Frantisek "Frank" Černík
Center Township Section 11 - Charles Černík
Center Township Section 10 - Matěj "Mike" Černík
Center Township Section 4 - Matěj "Mike" Černík
Center Township Section 8 - Johann F. "John" Černík
Marietta Township Section 31 and 32 - Matěj "Mike" Černík
Wahoo Township Section 8 - Matěj "Mike" Černík
Center Township Section 36 - Matěj "Mathias/Mike" Černík
Marietta Precinct Farmers' Directory - Matěj "Mathias/Mike" Černík
Saunders County Township Maps - Frank M., Frank B. Ray and Marie Černík
Family Stories
Anecdotes and tales from across the generations
Family Anecdote
Over the years whether it was the visit my brothers and I took in 2006 or my uncle and cousins visiting the Home Country, no one has been able to locate any Černík relatives.
Even my Czech Genealogist/Researcher, who researched extensively at various (Regional Catholic Parish Offices) RCPO locations and town halls —even knocking on doors— was unable to locate any relatives.
The Frank and Bessie Černík Farm
The farm played a huge role in our lives. The things we were able to do that other "city" kids did not
get to. But also all the family holiday gatherings, our grandmother's incredible cooking skills and just
being kids in a "wide open space". The farm was/is 200 acres.
These are our farm stories.
Černík Family Tree
The ancestor tree for Marie Magdalene Carol Černík, the mother of myself and five brothers.
Her tree in America dates back to 1875. Before that, it was all in a 50 square mile area in Moravia near Třebíč.
See the Trees →
Černík Documents over the Last 230+ years.
I've been lucky to have many documents passed on to me by my mother do preserve and maintain for our family heritage. Some additional documents were photographed by the Czech Genealogist I hired back in 2006, Dr. Miroslav 'Mirek' Koudelka.
Explore the archives. View Documents →
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