Serbian name
Encyclopedia
This article features the naming culture
and names of ethnic Serbs
.
Serbian first names largely originate from Slavic roots:
For more Slavic names used in Serbia see the article:
or choose:
Some may be non-Slavic but chosen to reflect Christian
faith. Names of this nature may often originate from Hebrew
for Biblical reasons. Christian names include:
Along similar lines of non-Slavic names among Christians, the origins for many such names are Greek
:
Latin
names include:
names have often been transcribed with a phonetic ending, -ich or -itch, and;
This form is often associated with Serbs from before the early 20th century: hence Milutin Milanković
is usually referred to, for historical reasons, as Milutin Milankovitch, and Mileva Marić
, born in Vojvodina
(then a part of Hungary) has sometimes been rendered as Marity (e.g. in the claim of "Einstein-Marity" theory).
The -ić suffix is a Slavic diminutive
, originally functioning to create patronymics. Thus the surname Petrović
means the little son of Petar (Petrić signifies the little son of Petra, the widow).
Most Serbian surnames are paternal (father), maternal (mother), occupational, or derived from personal traits.
Other common surname suffixes are -ov, -ev, -in and -ski which is the Slavic possessive case
suffix, thus Nikola's son becomes Nikolin, Petar's son Petrov, and Jovan's son Jovanov. The two suffixes are often combined, most commonly as -ović. Other, less common suffices are -alj/olj/elj, -ija, -ica, -ar/ac/an, .
When marrying, the woman adopts her husband's family name.
It is estimated that some two thirds of all Serbian surnames end in -ić. but that some 80% of Serbs carry common surnames that are spread among non-related families.
The most common surnames are Petrović
, Popović, Nikolić
, and Jovanović
.
(Archbishop of Ohrid from 1216 to 1236) registered the naming culture of the South Slavs
in Byzantine lands. In the 11th and 12th century, family names became more common and stable in Byzantium, adapted by the majority of people in Byzantine Macedonia, Epirus
and other regions (including women, sometimes even monks), not only aristocrats. The South Slavs, however, maintained the tradition of only giving a personal name, sometimes with a Patronymic
. There are only 2 cases of family names used by South Slavs during this time; Bogdanopoulos and Serbopoulos, both Serbian names with the Greek suffix -opoulos (όπουλος, originating in Peloponnese
in the 10th century)
In older naming convention which was common in Serbia up until mid 19th century a person's name would consist of three distinct parts: the person's given name, the patronymic derived from father's personal name, and the family name, as seen in for example in the name of language reformer Vuk Stefanović Karadžić.
Serbian culture
Serbian culture refers to the culture of Serbia and of ethnic Serbs.The Serbian culture starts with that of the South Slavic peoples that lived in the Balkans. Early on, Serbs may have been influenced by the Paleo-Balkan peoples...
and names of ethnic Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
.
Given names
As with most Western cultures, a child is given a first name chosen by their parents. The given name comes first, the surname last, e.g. "Željko Popović", where "Željko" is a first name and "Popović" is a family name.| Serbian | Derivation | Origin | Meaning | Related (Forms) |
Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slobodan Slobodan Slobodan is a Serbian given name which means "free" used to other South Slavs as well. It was coined by Serbian liberal politician Vladimir Jovanović who, inspired by John Stuart Mill's essay On Liberty baptised his son Slobodan in 1869 and his daughter Pravda in 1871... Слободан |
Serbian Serbs The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in... |
Free man | Eleftherios, Sloba | Slobodanka | |
| 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... Мирослав |
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... |
Peace and Glory | Mirosław Mirosław (given name) Mirosław is a Polish given name of Slavic origin, equivalent to "Miroslav". It is composed of the elements miro meaning peace and sław meaning glory or fame, thus a person who loves peace, alternatively someone who achieves fame by establishing peace.... , Mirko |
Mira, Miroslava | |
| Vladimir Vladimir (name) Vladimir is a male Slavic given name of Church Slavonic and Old Slavic origin, now widespread throughout all Slavic nations... Владимир |
Владимѣръ | 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... Old Church Slavonic Old Church Slavonic Old Church Slavonic or Old Church Slavic was the first literary Slavic language, first developed by the 9th century Byzantine Greek missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius who were credited with standardizing the language and using it for translating the Bible and other Ancient Greek... |
Rule in Peace | Vlada, Vlado | Vladimira, Vlada |
| Vukašin Вукашин |
Slavic 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... |
Son of the wolf, younger wolf | Vuki, Vuk, Vule, Vučko, Vukosav | No female form | |
| 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... Зоран |
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... |
Daybreak | Zoki, Zoća | Zora, Zorana, Zorica | |
| 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... Горан |
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... |
Woodsman, Highlander "The tall one" |
Gorana | ||
| Aleksandar Александар |
Aléxandros Αλέξανδρος |
Greek Greek language Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;... |
Protector of Man | Aleksa, Saša, Sale | Aleksandra, Saša, Saška |
| Jovan John (given name) John is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Latin Ioannes, Iohannes, which is in turn a form of the Greek , Iōánnēs. This Greek name is a form of the Hebrew name , , which means "God is generous"... Jован |
Ioannis Ιωάννης |
Hebrew (Biblical) |
God is gracious | Ivan Ivan (name) Ivan is a Christian male given name that is primarily associated with Slavic languages.-Etymology:Ivan is the common Slavic Latin spelling, while Cyrillic spelling is two-fold: in Bulgarian, Russian, Macedonian, Serbian it is Иван, while in Belarusian and Ukrainian it is Iван.It is the Slavic... Jovo, Jovica, Joca, Jole |
Jovana, Ivana |
| Marko Marko (given name) Marko is a masculine given name. People bearing the name include:*Prince Marko , Serbian feudal lord in Macedonia*Marko Ahtisaari , Finnish businessman and musician*Marko Albert , Estonian triathlete... Марко |
Marcus Marcus (name) Marcus is a masculine given name of Ancient Roman pre-Christian origin derived probably from Etruscan Marce of unknown meaning, or referring to the mythological figure Mars... |
Latin Latin Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and... |
Maki, Mare | ||
| Nikola Nikola Nikola is a male given name, derived from Greek Nikolaos , common in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Czechia and Slovenia... Никола |
Nikolaos Nikolaos Nikolaos is a common Greek first name which some believe means " victory of the people", Nikolaos means "victorious over the people" . Composed from Niko and Laos . In addition, Laos originates from the greek root "-las", as found in word "λα-τομείο" meaning stone... Νικόλαος |
Greek Greek language Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;... |
Victory of the people | Nidža, Niko | Nikoleta, Nikolina |
| Đorđe Ђopђe |
Georgios Γεώργιος |
Greek Greek language Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;... |
Farmer | Đurađ Đuro, Đole, Đoka, Đorđa, Đorđo |
Đorđica, Đurđica |
| Mihailo Mihailo Mihailo is a Slavic masculine given name, a variant of the Hebrew name Michael. Other slavic variants include Mihail, Mihajlo, and Mikhail. Common as a given name among Serbs, it is an uncommon surname... Михаило |
Mikha'el מִיכָאֵל |
Hebrew (Biblical) |
"He who is like God" | Mika, Miki, Miha | |
Serbian first names largely originate from Slavic roots:
- (e.g. SlobodanSlobodanSlobodan is a Serbian given name which means "free" used to other South Slavs as well. It was coined by Serbian liberal politician Vladimir Jovanović who, inspired by John Stuart Mill's essay On Liberty baptised his son Slobodan in 1869 and his daughter Pravda in 1871...
, MiroslavMiroslav (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...
, VladimirVladimir (name)Vladimir is a male Slavic given name of Church Slavonic and Old Slavic origin, now widespread throughout all Slavic nations...
, ZoranZoranZoran 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...
, LjubomirLubomir (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......
, VesnaVesna (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...
, Leposava, RadmilaRadmilaRadmila is a *popular name in Serbia. Derived from the Slavic elements radost "happiness" and mila "sweet". Another variant is Rada. It's feminine version of Rade.- Famous bearers :* Radmila Karaklajić, famous Serbian singer...
, Gordana, DraganDrăganDrăgan 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...
, MilanMilan (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,...
, GoranGoranGoran 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...
, RadomirRadomir (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...
, Miomir, BranimirBranimirBranimir 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...
, Budimir, Slavimir)
For more Slavic names used in Serbia see the article:
- Slavic names
or choose:
- List of given names of Slavic origin (Serbian Wikipedia).
Some may be non-Slavic but chosen to reflect Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
faith. Names of this nature may often originate from Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
for Biblical reasons. Christian names include:
- (e.g. NikolaNikolaNikola is a male given name, derived from Greek Nikolaos , common in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Czechia and Slovenia...
, IvanIvan (name)Ivan is a Christian male given name that is primarily associated with Slavic languages.-Etymology:Ivan is the common Slavic Latin spelling, while Cyrillic spelling is two-fold: in Bulgarian, Russian, Macedonian, Serbian it is Иван, while in Belarusian and Ukrainian it is Iван.It is the Slavic...
, JovanJovanJovan is a Serb male given name equivalent to English "John" or Slavic Ivan, from , and may refer to:*Jovan Vladimir, a Serbian monarch and saint, ruled Duklja ca...
, Marija, Ana, Đorđe, Petar, Pavle, MihailoMihailoMihailo is a Slavic masculine given name, a variant of the Hebrew name Michael. Other slavic variants include Mihail, Mihajlo, and Mikhail. Common as a given name among Serbs, it is an uncommon surname...
)
Along similar lines of non-Slavic names among Christians, the origins for many such names are Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
:
- (e.g. Aleksandar, FilipPhilip (name)Philip is a given name, derived from the Greek Philippos , meaning "friend of horses". A common mistake is to translate the name as "lover of horses". From φίλος "lover" and ίππος "horse". While the literal translation, in Ancient Greece, the ownership of horses was available only to those rich...
, Jelena, KatarinaKatarina (given name)Katarina is a feminine given name. It is a cognate of Katherine. It may refer to:In fiction:* Katarina , a character from the television series Doctor Who* Katarina Cott, character from Suikoden IVIn royalty:...
, TodorTheodorTheodor is a masculine given name. It is a German form of Theodore. It is also a variant of Teodor.-List of people with the given name Theodor:* Theodor Adorno, German philosopher* Theodor Fontane, German writer...
)
Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
names include:
- (e.g. MarkoMarko (given name)Marko is a masculine given name. People bearing the name include:*Prince Marko , Serbian feudal lord in Macedonia*Marko Ahtisaari , Finnish businessman and musician*Marko Albert , Estonian triathlete...
, Antonije)
Surnames
Most Serbian surnames have the surname suffix -ić (-ић) (itɕ). This can sometimes further be transcribed as -ic, but in history, SerbianSerbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
names have often been transcribed with a phonetic ending, -ich or -itch, and;
- HungarySerbs in HungaryThe Serbs in Hungary are recognized as an ethnic minority, numbering 7,350 people or 0.1% of the total population . The number of Serbs in Hungary has drastically diminished; in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries large Serbian communities existed throughout Hungary, notably in Buda , Baja,...
, -ity -ics -its - Republic of Macedonia, -ikj (iḱ, иќ)
- Romania, -ici
This form is often associated with Serbs from before the early 20th century: hence Milutin Milanković
Milutin Milankovic
Milutin Milanković was a Serbian geophysicist and civil engineer, best known for his theory of ice ages, suggesting a relationship between Earth's long-term climate changes and periodic changes in its orbit, now known as Milankovitch cycles. Milanković gave two fundamental contributions to global...
is usually referred to, for historical reasons, as Milutin Milankovitch, and Mileva Marić
Mileva Maric
Mileva Marić was one of the first women to study mathematics and physics in Europe...
, born in Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
(then a part of Hungary) has sometimes been rendered as Marity (e.g. in the claim of "Einstein-Marity" theory).
The -ić suffix is a Slavic diminutive
Diminutive
In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form , is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment...
, originally functioning to create patronymics. Thus the surname Petrović
Petrovic
Petrović is a slavic last name,found in countries with slavic population.Examples of souch countries are : Croatia,Serbia,Montenegro,Bosnia and Hercegovina,Slovenia,Macedonia,Russia,this surename or last name is not tied to nationaliti,some people tie this last name to Serbian and Montenegrian...
means the little son of Petar (Petrić signifies the little son of Petra, the widow).
Most Serbian surnames are paternal (father), maternal (mother), occupational, or derived from personal traits.
Other common surname suffixes are -ov, -ev, -in and -ski which is the Slavic possessive case
Genitive case
In grammar, genitive is the grammatical case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...
suffix, thus Nikola's son becomes Nikolin, Petar's son Petrov, and Jovan's son Jovanov. The two suffixes are often combined, most commonly as -ović. Other, less common suffices are -alj/olj/elj, -ija, -ica, -ar/ac/an, .
When marrying, the woman adopts her husband's family name.
It is estimated that some two thirds of all Serbian surnames end in -ić. but that some 80% of Serbs carry common surnames that are spread among non-related families.
The most common surnames are Petrović
Petrovic
Petrović is a slavic last name,found in countries with slavic population.Examples of souch countries are : Croatia,Serbia,Montenegro,Bosnia and Hercegovina,Slovenia,Macedonia,Russia,this surename or last name is not tied to nationaliti,some people tie this last name to Serbian and Montenegrian...
, Popović, Nikolić
Nikolic
Nikolić is a Christian Croatian Serbian and Montenegrin surname and may refer to the following people:*Aleksandar Nikolić, basketball player and coach...
, and Jovanović
Jovanovic
Jovanović is a common Serbian surname. It derives from Jovan, which is comparable to John in English. The part ov designates possession: Jovanov means John's. The suffix ić is a diminutive designation, or descendant designation...
.
Name Order
Serbian names are rendered in the Western name order with the surname placed after the given name. Eastern name order may be used when multiple names appear in a sorted list, particularly in official notes and legal documents when the last name is capitalized (e.g. MILOVANOVIĆ Janko).History
Demetrios ChomatenosDemetrios Chomatenos
Demetrios Chomatenos or Chomatian , Archbishop of Ohrid from 1216 to 1236, was a Byzantine priest and judge.His comprehensive legal education allowed him to exert substantial influence as judge, arbiter, confessor and advisor to the Byzantine Imperial house...
(Archbishop of Ohrid from 1216 to 1236) registered the naming culture of the South Slavs
South Slavs
The South Slavs are the southern branch of the Slavic peoples and speak South Slavic languages. Geographically, the South Slavs are native to the Balkan peninsula, the southern Pannonian Plain and the eastern Alps...
in Byzantine lands. In the 11th and 12th century, family names became more common and stable in Byzantium, adapted by the majority of people in Byzantine Macedonia, Epirus
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...
and other regions (including women, sometimes even monks), not only aristocrats. The South Slavs, however, maintained the tradition of only giving a personal name, sometimes with a Patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
. There are only 2 cases of family names used by South Slavs during this time; Bogdanopoulos and Serbopoulos, both Serbian names with the Greek suffix -opoulos (όπουλος, originating in Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
in the 10th century)
In older naming convention which was common in Serbia up until mid 19th century a person's name would consist of three distinct parts: the person's given name, the patronymic derived from father's personal name, and the family name, as seen in for example in the name of language reformer Vuk Stefanović Karadžić.