Czech and Slovak (Sedlák): status name from sedlák (standard Slovak sedliak) ‘farmer’. In Bohemia a sedlák was a comparatively rich farmer with more land than a zahradník ‘smallholder truck farmer’ (see Zahradnik) or a chalupník ‘cottager’ (see Chalupa).

Slovenian and Croatian: of Czech or Slovak origin (see above) or a derivative of sedlo ‘saddle’ (see Sedlar); as a Slovenian surname it may be a topographic name from sedlo in the meaning ‘saddle-shaped ground’.