What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on Twitter on 26 December 2022.

Americká was built in 1884.

Until 1926, this was Krameriova, after Václav Matěj Kramerius (1753-1808), writer, publisher and journalist who was one of the early figures of the National Revival.

Then, the Big Vinohrady Allied Renaming Extravaganza happened in 1926 (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2023/12/23/prague-2-day-1-italska/).

Interestingly, it took until 1943 – so well after a year after the US entered WW2 – for the Nazi occupiers to rename the street. They went for Japonská of all things.

It reverted to Americká in 1945, and has stayed that way, even during communism.

So, without further ado, here are twenty Americans of Czech origin. I’ve left out Madeleine, Miloš, Martina and Ivan/Ivana/Ivanka in favour of cases we may be less familiar with.

Jim Acosta, CNN’s chief domestic correspondent, has a mother of partially Czech origin: https://x.com/Acosta/status/994926690735460352

Scott Bakula, of Quantum Leap and Star Trek: Enterprise fame, says his surname is ‘Czech and Bohemian’, although I can’t quite link the pronunciation in to any version of Czech that I know: https://pagesix.com/2014/09/17/scott-bakula-wants-you-to-know-how-to-pronounce-his-name/

Mika Brzezinski, host of MSNBC’s morning news show, Morning Joe, is the daughter of the late Emilie Anna Beneš, who, in turn, was a grand-niece of Edvard Beneš: https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-phoenix-mika-brzezinskis-grandmoth/34713330/

Jerry Cantrell, founder and lead guitarist of Alice in Chains, had a maternal grandfather from the Czech Republic: https://www.kerrang.com/jerry-cantrell-i-knew-what-being-a-rock-star-was-from-an-early-age-i-knew-it-wasnt-a-safe-path-but-ive-always-been-a-gambler

Anna Chlumsky, originally famous as a child actor in My Girl, and more recently famous for her role in Veep, is a third-generation Czech American:

Chris Columbus, director of Home Alone, Mrs Doubtfire and the early Harry Potter films, is of Czech origin on his mother’s side – both her parents were born to Czech parents in Pennsylvania.

Remember Rachel Dolezal in 2015? Of course you do. Her surname is clearly of Czech origin.

Crispin Glover, known for playing eccentric characters in Back to the Future, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Charlie’s Angels, has a mother whose ancestors came from Milevsko in Písek District.

He’s… spent a bit of money in the Czech Republic since: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/crispin-glover-czech-castle

John Kasich, two-time candidate for the Republican presidential nomination (2000 and 2016), had a Czech father: https://www.dw.com/en/john-kasich-the-moderate-alternative/a-19037857

Robert Kyncl, currently Chief Business Officer at YouTube, will become CEO of Warner Music Group on 1 January, and was born in Czechoslovakia in 1970: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/youtubes-robert-kyncl-policing-worlds-largest-video-platform-logan-paul-controversy-1092350/

Ashton Kutcher has Czech origins from both his parents, and now, looking at it, it’s so obvious that Kučera —> Kutcher: https://www.csfd.cz/film/77730-zlata-sedmdesata/prehled/

Sissy Spacek (Carrie, Coal Miner’s Daughter, The Help) had a father who was three-quarters Moravian and one-quarter Sudeten German. Presumably the surname was originally Špaček: https://store.ncsml.org/product/my-extraordinary-ordinary-life-by-sissy-spacek/

Singer Jason Mraz (I’m Yours, I Won’t Give Up), as well as the surname being another giveaway, had a grandfather (or great-grandfather?) who moved to the US from the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1915:

Katie Ledecky, seven-time gold medalist in swimming at the Olympics, is the granddaughter of Jaromír ‘Jerry’ Ledecky, an economist who escaped communist Czechoslovakia for New York City in 1947: https://www.si.com/olympics/2016/06/01/olympics-2016-road-to-rio-katie-ledecky-swimming

Evan Lysacek, 2010 Olympic champion in figure skating, had a great-grandfather, František Lysáček, who arrived in Chicago from Moravia in 1925:

Ray Kroc (1902-1984), who bought McDonald’s in 1961 and then brought it to the world, was the son of Alois “Louis” Kroc, who was born near Rokycany, and Rose Hrach, whose own parents were both from South Bohemia.

Jim Lovell, as command module pilot of Apollo 8, was one of the first three astronauts to orbit the Moon. His mother, Blanche Lovell (born Masek), was of Czech origin.

Jan Hammer, he of the Miami Vice Theme and Crockett’s Theme (also used in Miami Vice), was born in Prague (his mother was the famous jazz singer Vlasta Průchová). He relocated to the US, eventually becoming a citizen, after the Warsaw Pact invasion.

John Havlicek (1940-2019), as any ČSSD* fans will guess from his surname, was of Czech heritage. He also played for the Boston Celtics, won eight NBA championships with them, and is considered one of the basketball greats.

* Do these still exist?

Finally, William Zabka, of more than one Karate Kid fame, and who also stars in Cobra Kai, is another one whose origin suddenly becomes more obvious when you look at his surname (and automatically start thinking about doing a food shop).

I’ve left loads out. Feel free to add your own! I’ll thank you by buying you a drink at the Americká street festival next year.