Croatian name - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Croatian names have considerable similarities with most other European name systems, and with those of other Slavic peoples

Slavic peoples

The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...

in particular. Croatian names usually consist of a given name

Given name

A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...

, followed by a family name

Family name

A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...

Croatian given names

Since their 7th century arrival in today's homeland, Croats

Croats

Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...

have used Slavic

Slavic languages

The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...

names. Through the following centuries, foreign names were also accepted, especially those that mark Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

faith. However, Slavic names remained dominant until the Council of Trent

Council of Trent

The Council of Trent was the 16th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It is considered to be one of the Church's most important councils. It convened in Trent between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods...

(1545–63) when the Catholic church decided that every Christian should have Christian name instead of native one. This lasted until the 20th century, when Croats again started to use neglected traditional names—especially those of mediæval Croatian kings and dukes. More recently, as a result of globalization, unusual and exotic names of various cultures have also to gained in popularity.

Frequency

The most frequently occurring Croatian given names are Ivan (John), Josip (Joseph), Marija (Mary) and Ana (Anne).

In newborns, the trend is to use short names, with some foreign names being more popular than native ones. In Zagreb in 2006, the most common were Luka (Luke), Ivan, Lana and Lucija (Lucy). In 2009, Zagreb birth registrar listed Luka, Marko (Mark), Lana and Petra (feminine form of Petar—Peter) as the most common for newborns. In Dubrovnik in 2008, the most common were Ivan, Luka, Ana, Petra. In Zadar in 2008, the most common were Roko (Roch

Roch

Saint Roch or Rocco ; lived c.1348 - 15/16 August 1376/79 was a Christian saint, a confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August; he is specially invoked against the plague...

), Luka, Lana, Petra.

Traditional Croatian names are mostly Slavic names

Some common Croatian names of Slavic origin include:

Feminine:

Berislava, Biserka, Blaga, Blagica, Blaženka, Bogdan

Bogdan

Bogdan or Bohdan - is a Slavic masculine name. It is derived from the Slavic words Bog/Boh , meaning "god", and dan , meaning "given". Other names with similar meaning include South Slavic Božidar, Polish Bożydar, Greek Theodore, Hebrew Nathanael and Jonathan, Latin Deodatus and French Dieudonné...

a, Bogomila, Bogumila

Bogomil (name)

Bogomil Bogomil Bogomil (Cyrillic: Богомил, also Bogumił in Polish, Bohumil in Czech and Slovak - is a given name of Slavic origin. It is composed of the Slavic words 'bog' (god, rich, fate) and 'mil' (dear) and literally may mean e.g. 'Dear to God'. Its feminine equivalent are: Bogomila,...

, Borka, Borislav

Borislav

Borislav or Boryslav is a male given name.People who have this name include:*Boryslav Brondukov, a Ukrainian and Soviet film character actor.*Borislav Cvetković, a Croatian born Serbian football manager and former player...

a, Božena

Bozena

Bożena is a Polish feminine given name, originally appearing as Bożana and Bożechna. It is derived from the word "Bóg" .This Slavic name is equivalent to Božena in Czech, Slovak and other Slavic languages....

, Božica, Božidar

Božidar

Božidar , Polish: "Bożydar" is a Slavic given name used by e.g. Croatian and Serbian meaning "God's gift". It is a translation of the Greek name Theodore, itself derived from the Greek word "Theodoros". Boža is a nickname form of Božidar...

ka, Branimir

Branimir

Branimir is a South Slavic male given name. It is a combination of the verb braniti and the noun mir , and hence means "the one who defends the world/peace". It is especially common among Croats and Serbs. The female version is Branimira and Branimirka...

a, Branka, Buga, Cvita, Cvijeta, Danica, Davorka, Divna, Dragana, Dragica, Draženka, Dubravka, Dunja, Hrvoja, Hrvojka

Hrvoje

Hrvoje is a Croatian male ethnic first name derived from "Hrvat" meaning "Croat". The name is used exclusively by Croats.- People named Hrvoje :*Hrvoje Čale - Croatian footballer*Hrvoje Horvat - Croatian handball player...

, Jasenka, Jasna

Jasna (given name)

Jasna a Slavic female given name. Derived from south Slavic jasno meaning clear, sharp. Nicknames are Jasnushka, Jasenka, Jasnenka, Jassie.- Famous bearers :* Jasna Sýkorová, Czech journalist* Jasna Flamíková, Czech redactor of Mladá Fronta Dnes...

, Ljuba, Ljubica, Mila, Milica, Miljenka, Mislava, Mira

Mira (name)

Mira - is a feminine given name with varying meanings. It is related to the Latin words for "wonder" and "wonderful." In the various Slavic languages, it means "peace" and is often used as part of a longer name, such as Miroslava or Sławomira...

, Mirka, Mirna, Mojmira, Morana, Nada, Neda, Nediljka, Nevenka, Ognjenka, Ranka, Rašeljka, Ratka, Ruža, Ružica, Sanja, Slava, Slavica

Slava

The Slava , also called Krsna Slava and Krsno ime , is the Serbian Orthodox tradition of the ritual celebration and veneration of a family's own patron saint. The family celebrates the Slava annually on the patron saint's feast day...

, Slavenka

Slavena (name)

Slavena - is a feminine given name of Slavic origin meaning: Slavic Woman or fame, glory. Pronounced slah-vyeh-nah. Short form Slavka is official name...

, Smiljana, Spomenka, Srebrenka, Stanislava, Stana, Stanka

Stanislav (given name)

Stanislav or Stanislaus is a very old Slavic origin given name, meaning someone who achieves glory or fame. It is most often given in the Slavic countries of Central and South Eastern Europe. The name has spread to many non-Slavic languages as well, such as French , German and others...

, Snješka, Snježana, Sunčana, Sunčica, Svitlana, Svjetlana, Tjeha, Tihana, Tihomila, Tuga, Vedrana, Vera, Verica, Vjera

Vera (given name)

Vera is a female first name of Latin origin meaning truth, or of Slavic origin meaning faith.- People :*Vera Brittain , English writer*Vera Dushevina , Russian tennis players...

, Vesna

Vesna (name)

Vesna is a popular South Slavic female name derived from the name of Vesna, an ancient Slavic goddess of spring. It means "spring" in some Slavic languages...

, Vjekoslava

Vjekoslav

Vjekoslav or Vekoslav is a male Slavic given name, meaning "glorious through the ages" .-People:*Vjekoslav Banovic - Croatian Australian footbal player*Vjekoslav Bastl - Croatian architect*Vjekoslav Lujo Čukela - Croatian American Marine...

, Vlasta, Vlatka

Vladislav

Vladislav is a Slavic male given name, sometimes confused with/treated as the same as Ladislav...

, Zdenka

Zdenko

Zdenko is a male first name of Slovakian origin . It is a form of the Ancient Roman family name Sidonius, which means "of Sidon."-People with this name:*Zdenko Baotić, Bosnian footballer*Zdenko Fibich or Zdeněk Fibich, Czech composer...

, Zlata

Zlatan

Zlatan is a male given name of South-Slavic origin meaning Golden. It is common amongst all South Slavic countries in the Balkans, namely Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia and Serbia...

, Zora, Zorica, Zorka

Zoran

Zoran is a common Slavic name, the masculine form of Zora, which means dawn, daybreak.-People with this given name:*Zoran Abadić - Serbian architect*Zoran Bečić - Bosnian Serb actor...

, Zrinka, Zrina, Zvjezdana, Zvonimira, Zvonka, Željka, Živka

Masculine:

Berislav, Berivoj, Blago, Bogdan

Bogdan

, Bogumil

Bogomil (name)

, Bogoljub, Bogomil, Boris

Boris (first name)

Boris, Borys or Barys is a male name, with Bulgarian roots. It is common in Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and other countries...

, Borislav

Borislav

, Borna, Božetjeh, Božidar

Božidar

, Božo, Bratislav, Budimir, Branimir

Branimir

, Brajko, Branko, Braslav, Bratoljub, Cvitko, Cvjetko, Časlav, Častimir, Čedomir, Dalibor

Dalibor (name)

Dalibor is primarily a male given name of Slavic origin, but also a surname specifically in Czech Republic. The name is popular in some Western Slavic and Southern Slavic countries, such as: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia.It means: fighting far away...

, Damir

Damir

Damir is a common male given name in South Slavic languages.Theories on etymology differ - it may partly originate as a representation of the Muslim name, , meaning "heart" or "conscience", otherwise pronounced Zamir. More probably it is of Slavic origin, with da meaning "give", and mir, meaning...

, Darko, Davor, Desimir, Dobroslav, Dobrovit, Domagoj

Domagoj (given name)

Domagoj is a Croatian name of Slavic origin derived from the Slavic elements dom and goj .-People:*Domagoj of Croatia - a duke of Principality of Littoral Croatia in 864–876...

, Dragan

Drăgan

Drăgan can be:* Drăgan River , tributary of the Crişul Repede River in Romania* Drăgan River , tributary of the Florei River in RomaniaFamily name:* Iosif Constantin Drăgan, Romanian and Italian businessman, writer and historian...

, Drago

Dragan (name)

Dragan is a male name derived from the Slavic element "dorogo" or precious . It is a predominantly Serbian name but also popular among Croatians, Macedonians and Bulgarians...

, Dragoslav

Dragoslav

Dragoslav is a South Slavic given name, may refer to:*Dragoslav Čakić*Dragoslav Jevrić*Dragoslav Mitrinović*Dragoslav Stepanović*Dragoslav Šekularac...

, Dragutin, Dražan, Dražen

Drăgan

, Držiha, Držislav, Godemir

Godzimir

Godzimir or Godemir - is a very old Slavic given name meaning: godzi/gode - "to do something at appropriate time", mir - "peace, world, prestige". Feminine form: Godzimira/Godemira. Alternate form of this name is: Mirogod.The name may refer to:...

, Gojko, Gojislav, Gojslav, Goran

Goran

Goran is a Slavic male first name often used in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia.- Variations :* female Goranka * female Gorana...

, Grubiša, Hrvatin, Hrvoj, Hrvoje

Hrvoje

, Hrvoslav, Kazimir, Kažimir

Casimir

Casimir – is an English, French and Latin form of the Polish name Kazimierz, derived from the Slavic elements: kazić "to destroy" and mir "peace, prestige, world". It is originally a warlike name and may mean "someone who destroys opponent's prestige/glory during battle". Also, some researches...

, Jasenko, Klonimir, Krešimir, Krševan, Lavoslav, Ljubomir

Lubomir (given name)

Lubomir, Ljubomir or Lyubomir - is a Slavic given name meaning love and peace, prestige. Feminine forms are: Lubomira and Ljubica.- Nicknames :Lubor, Luboš, Luborek, Lubošek, Borek, Lubo, Ljubo, Ljuba, Ljuban, Ljubiša, Ljupko, Ljupče......

, Ljudevit, Milan

Milan (given name)

Milan is a common Slavic male name derived from the Slavic element mil, with meanings kind, loving, and gracious. Milan was originally a diminutive or nickname for those whose Slavic names began with "Mil-". It is used predominantly by Czechs and Serbs but also frequently in Macedonia, Croatia,...

, Mile, Milivoj, Milovan, Miljenko, Mirko, Miroslav

Miroslav (given name)

Miroslav is a Slavic name meaning "peace and glory".-List of people with the given name Miroslav:*Miroslav of Croatia, king of Croatia*Miroslav of Hum, Serbian king of Zahumlje*Miroslav of Podgoria, Serbian Zupan of Podgorica...

, Miroš, Mislav, Mladen

Mladen

Mladen is a common name of Slavic origin used in South Slavic languages. The names stems from the Slavic root mlad, meaning "young".Mladen may refer to:-People:* Mladen I Šubić Bribirski, a Croatian member of the Šubić noble family...

, Mojmir, Mutimir, Nediljko, Nedjeljko, Nenad

Nenad

Nenad is a Slavic origin male personal name common in the former Yugoslavia. It is more widespread in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia than in other countries. The name is derrived from the word 'nenadan' which means 'unexpected'...

, Ognjen, Ostoja, Ozren, Predrag, Pribislav, Prvan, Prvoslav, Prvoš, Radimir, Radomir

Radomir (given name)

Radomir is a Slavic origin given name derived from elements: rad "care, joy" and mir "peace, world, fame". Feminine form: Radomira. Nicknames: Radek, Radko, Mirek, Mirko, Radka , Mirka...

, Radoš, Rajko, Ranko, Ratimir, Ratko, Rato, Radovan, Radoslav, Siniša, Slaven, Slaviša, Slavoljub

Slavoljub

Slavoljub or Slavolub - is a given name derived from the Slavic elements: slava "glory, famous" and ljub "favour, love, to like". Nicknames: Slava, Slavko, Ljuba...

, Slavomir, Smiljan, Spomenko, Srebrenko, Srećko, Stanislav, Stanko

Stanislav (given name)

, Strahimir, Svetoslav, Tihomil, Tihomir

Tihomir

Tihomir is a South Slavic male given name which means "quiet" and "peace"...

, Tješimir, Tomislav, Tomo

Tomislav (name)

Tomislav is a South Slavic male first name. It originated from the first, and best known, Croatian king, Tomislav of Croatia. It is also one of the most common given Croatian names. The name is derived from the verb tomiti which means to suppress...

, Tvrtko, Trpimir, Vatroslav, Većeslav, Vedran

Vedran

Vedran is a Slavic masculine given name of Croatian origin. Vedran means clear or cheerful.Vedran may refer also to* A member of the race originated in Tarn-Vedra, a fictional planet in the Andromeda , see List of Andromeda star systems...

, Velimir

Velimir

Velimir or Wielimir - is a Slavic given name, derived from elements: vele "great" and mir "peace, prestige" and may refer to:*Velimir Ilić*Velimir Ivanović, Serbian footballer*Velimir Khlebnikov*Velimir Milošević*Velimir Naumović...

, Veselko, Vidoslav, Vjekoslav

Vjekoslav

, Vjenceslav, Višeslav, Vitomir, Vjeran, Vladimir

Vladimir

Vladimir is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway. Population:...

, Vlado

Vladislav

Vladislav is a Slavic male given name, sometimes confused with/treated as the same as Ladislav...

, Vlatko, Vojmil, Vojnomir, Vuk

Vuk (name)

Vuk is a South Slavic male given name, meaning "wolf". In earlier times it was given to weak and ill neonates so it would protect them from illness and witchcraft .- Notable people :*Vuk Orle , Serbian military commander...

, Zdenko, Zdeslav

Zdzisław (given name)

Zdzisław or Zdeslav - is a Slavic given name which contains two parts: "zdzie / zde" - to do, make , and "sław / slav" - glory, famous. Feminine form end in a vowel "a"...

, Zdravko, Zorislav, Zoran

Zoran

Zoran is a common Slavic name, the masculine form of Zora, which means dawn, daybreak.-People with this given name:*Zoran Abadić - Serbian architect*Zoran Bečić - Bosnian Serb actor...

, Zrinko, Zrinoslav, Zlatko

Zlatan

, Zvonimir, Zvonko, Žarko, Želimir, Željko, Živko

General Christian names widely used by Croats (mainly Greek, Latin or Hebrew by origin)

Ana (Anna), Ante (Anthony), Antun (Anthony), Andrija (Andrew), David, Dominik, Grgur (Gregory), Ilija (Elijah), Ivan (John), Jakov (Jacob), Josip (Joseph), Juraj (George), Katarina (Catherine), Luka, Marko (Mark), Marija (Mary), Matej (Matthew), Luka (Luke), Pavao (Paul) , Petar (Peter), Pero (Peter), Silvestar, Šimun (Simon), Stjepan (Stephen)...

Croatian borrowed or foreign names

Dora, Denis, Karlo (Charles), Mario, Nataša, Robert, Vanja, Viktor...

Popular or uncharacteristic Croatian names

Uncharacteristic names are generally not declined

Declension

In linguistics, declension is the inflection of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and articles to indicate number , case , and gender...

in the Croatian language

Croatian language

Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...

, but include: Dolores, Ines, Nives, Doris...

Croatian family names

Family names started to appear among Croats in the 12th century. Since the Council of Trent

Council of Trent

, both the given and family names would be written down.

Origins

Croatian family names have five different origins:

Given names, matronymics and patronymics : Anić, Blažević, Ivanec, Marić, Stipanov...
Professional names : Kovač (blacksmith

Blacksmith

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...

), Klobučar (hatmaker), Lončar (potter

Pottery

Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...

), Tkalčić (weaver), Stolar (carpenter

Carpenter

A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....

)...
Nicknames : Debeljak, Crnić, Obad...
Toponyms : Duvnjak (from Duvno), Kuprešak (from Kupres

Kupres

Kupres can refer to:* Kupres, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a town and municipality in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina* Kupres, Republika Srpska, a municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina...

) , Bosanac (Bosnian), Posavec (from Posavina

Posavina

Posavina is a Slavic name for the region of the Sava river basin in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia that is adjacent or near the Sava river itself.-History:...

), Zagorec (from Hrvatsko Zagorje

Hrvatsko Zagorje

Hrvatsko Zagorje is a region north of Zagreb, Croatia. It comprises the whole area north of Medvednica mountain up to Slovenia in the north and west, and up to the regions of Međimurje and Podravina in the north and east...

), ...
Ethnic designation : Hrvat, Horvat, Hrvatin, Horvatinčić... (Croat), Čerkez (Circassians), Čeh (Czech), Mađar (Hungarians)...

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.