Frequency: (219)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. Czech (Blatník): topographic name from blata ‘moorland’ (from bláto ‘mud’).
2. Slovenian: topographic name for a person from a muddy or miry place or a swamp, from blato ‘mud’, ‘mire’, or from Slovenian dialect blata ‘swamp’.
3. Slovenian: habitational name for someone from any of several Slovenian villages called Blato or Blate.
4. Slovenian: possibly also a nickname or topographic name from blatnik ‘pond lily’ (Nuphar luteum).
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
Dictionary of American Family Names. Copyright © 2006 Patrick Hanks. All rights reserved.
