The Bata family name is associated with Bata Shoes, founded by Tomáš Baťa and his siblings in Zlín in 1894.
The company began as a small shoemaking business in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and later became an international footwear manufacturer and retailer. Tomáš Baťa introduced industrial production methods, expanded exports, and helped transform Zlín into a company-centered industrial town. The business also became known for employee housing, schools, and other planned facilities.
The name is often written with the Czech diacritic as “Baťa,” while the international company generally uses “Bata.” Both forms refer to the same founding family. “Bata” is therefore the clearest answer for an English-language question about the company.
After Tomáš Baťa died in a plane crash in 1932, leadership passed to his half-brother Jan Antonín Baťa. The company later established operations across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.