Word Origin & History
polka1844, from Fr., from Czech polka, the dance, lit. "Polish woman" (Polish Polka), fem. of Polak "a Pole." The word may also be an alteration of Czech pulka "half," for the half-steps of Bohemian peasant dances. The dance was in vogue first in Prague, 1835; it reached London by the spring of 1842. Polka
dot is first recorded 1884 and is named for the dance, for no reason except its popularity, which led to many contemporary products and fashions taking the name.