Tesla

Tesla is a Serbian occupational surname derived from the word tesla (тесла), meaning "adze" — a woodworking tool resembling an axe with a curved blade. The name thus originally designated a carpenter. It is directly related to the Proto-Slavic root *tesla, which is cognate with other Slavic terms for the same tool, such as Russian teslo (тесло) and Polish ciosła. Linguistically, it also shares an ancient Indo-European connection with Latin tēla (meaning "web" or "warp") and, further back, with German Dechsel and Dutch dissel. The surname is most famously borne by the Serbian-American inventor and physicist Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), the pioneer of alternating current electricity. In recent decades, the name has become globally associated with innovation due to the automotive company Tesla, Inc., itself named in tribute to Nikola Tesla. The surname remains relatively common in Serbia and among the Serbian diaspora, with variants in other Slavic languages such as the Czech surnames Tesař and Tesařík, both containing the root -tes- related to carpentry, as well as the feminine forms Tesaříková and Tesařová.

• Meaning: Occupational surname for a carpenter, from Serbian tesla "adze"
• Origin: Serbian
• Type: Occupational
• Usage: Predominantly Serbian, with cognates in other Slavic languages