Svoboda is a common surname among West Slavic nations. Svobodová is a Czech feminine form of the surname. For more than century it is one of the three most common Czech surnames.
The primary meaning of the word is "freedom" or "liberty" in the Czech language. As a surname, it used to refer to "free men" (to distinguish them from "serfs"). In the old Czech orthography the word was written as Swoboda and this spelling is still preserved in countries where the letter "w" is common, such as Poland or German-speaking countries. The Slovak, Croatian and Serbian version is written as "Sloboda".
Adam Svoboda (born 1978), a Czech ice hockey goaltenderAntonín Svoboda (1907–1980), a Czech computer scientist, mathematician, electrical engineer, and researcherBill Svoboda (1928–1980), an American football linebackerBohuslav Svoboda, Czech politician, mayor of PragueCyril Svoboda (born 1956), former Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech RepublicDavid Svoboda, Czech modern pentathleteFrantišek Svoboda (1906–1948), a Czech football playerFrantišek Svoboda (canoeist) (born 1904), a Czechoslovak canoeistGabriela Svobodová (born 1953), a former Czech cross country skierHana Svobodová, beauty competition winnerJ. Steven Svoboda, a patent lawyerJakub Svoboda, Czech ice hockey playerJaroslav Svoboda (born 1980), Czech ice hockey right wingerJim Svoboda, American football coachJiří Svoboda (canoeist) (born 1954), a Czechoslovak sprint canoeistJiří Svoboda (volleyball) (born 1941), a Czech former volleyball playerJiřina Ptáčníková Svobodová, (born 1986), Czech female pole vaulter, wife of the Czech hurdler Petr SvobodaJindřich Svoboda (footballer) (born 1952), a Czech football playerJindřich Svoboda (aviator) (1917–1942), a Czech bomber captain in the RAFJosef Svoboda (1920–2002), a Czech artist and scenic designerKarel Svoboda (1938–2007), a Czech composer of popular musicKarel Svoboda (artist) (1824–1870), a Czech painter of historical scenesKvětoslav Svoboda (born 1982), a Czech freestyle swimmerLudvík Svoboda (1895–1979), a Czechoslovak general and politicianMarcel Svoboda (born 1976), a Czech ski mountaineerMartin Svoboda (born 1975), Czech football goalkeeperMilan Svoboda, a Czechoslovak slalom canoeistMiroslav Svoboda (disambiguation), multiple peopleOldřich Svoboda (born 1967), Czech ice hockey goalkeeperPatrik Svoboda (born 1994), Czech football playerPavel Svoboda (born 1962), a Czech politician and lawyerPavel Svoboda (organist) (born 1987), a Czech OrganistPetr Svoboda (born 1966), a retired Czech professional ice hockey defensemanPetr Svoboda (athlete) (born 1984), a Czech athlete, competing in the hurdle sprintPetr Svoboda (ice hockey b. 1980) (born 1980), a former professional ice hockey defencemanRadoslav Svoboda, Czech ice hockey playerStanislav Svoboda, Czech cyclistSvatopluk Svoboda (1886–1971), a Czech gymnastTerese Svoboda, an American author from New York CityTomáš Svoboda (composer) (born 1939), a prolific Czech-American contemporary classical composerTomáš Svoboda (ice hockey) (born 1987), a Czech ice hockey forwardZdeněk Svoboda (born 1972), a former professional footballer