Show ContentsPokorny History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Pokorny is of Austrian origin. It is derived from the Polish word "pokorny," meaning "subservient, humble."

Early Origins of the Pokorny family

The surname Pokorny was first found in Austria, where the name was first used. During the 11th and 12th centuries, native Slavs living in Austria were often referred to as "Pokorny" by the native Austrians in an assertion of the victory of Otto the Great over the invaders. It is likely that the name evolved from nickname to surname during the early Middle Ages. Literally the name means "the humble one."

Early History of the Pokorny family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pokorny research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1653, 1729, 1794 and 1867 are included under the topic Early Pokorny History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pokorny Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Pokorny, Pockorny, Pockorni, Bockorni, Bockhorny and others.

Early Notables of the Pokorny family

During this period prominent bearers of the name Pokorny were

  • Franz Xaver Pokorny (1729-1794), a well-known Austrian violinist and composer

Pokorny Ranking

In the United States, the name Pokorny is the 13,433rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Pokorny family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: George Bockhorn, who was naturalized in New York in 1835; Francis Pokorny, who was living in Toronto, Ontario in 1871; Adolf Pokorny, who came to New York in 1872.


Contemporary Notables of the name Pokorny (post 1700) +

  • Gene Pokorny, American tubist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1988
  • Frank R Pokorny (b. 1924), American state legislator
  • Charles Pokorny, American Republican politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 7th District, 1936 2
  • Vladimír Pokorny (b. 1980), Czech footballer
  • Petr Pokorny (b. 1975), Czech footballer
  • Julius Pokorny (1887-1970), Austrian linguist and scholar of the Celtic languages, particularly Irish
  • Hermann Pokorny (1882-1960), Moravian World War I Austro-Hungarian Army cryptologist whose work with Russian ciphers, member of the Hungarian Order of Vitéz
  • Frantisek Xaver Pokorny (1729-1794), Czech Classical era composer and violinist
  • Major Franciszek Pokorny, Polish Army officer who headed the Polish General Staff's Cipher Bureau
  • Adolf Pokorny (b. 1895), German dermatologist
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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