Kralj is a South Slavic surname and title. It literally means "king" and, according to
Petar Skok, is derived from
Charles the Great
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...
(
Karolus) in the same sense as
Tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
is to
Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...
.
In
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
, it is the 14th most common surname: it is present throughout the country, but it is especially common in central and southern Slovenia. In Croatia, it is the 49th most common surname, also present throughout the country, but most numerous in central Croatia. It is the one of the most common surnames in two counties of Croatia.
It is also present in Serbia, e.g. the well known actor Petar Kralj, a name which during the Communist rule in Serbia caused stir when read according to the Austria-Hungary, Austrian-Hungarian bureaucratic manner—inherited throughout Central Europe—of listing surnames before personal names in schools, the army, hospitals etc. because it sounds like King Peter of Yugoslavia.
As a surname, it may refer to:
* Darko Kralj (Croatian Paralympic athlete)
* Elvira Kralj (Slovenian actress)
* France Kralj (Slovenian painter)
* Goran Kralj (American singer and songwriter)
* Ivica Kralj (Serbian footballer)
* Ladislav Kralj-Međimurec (Croatian painter and engraver)
* Petar Kralj (Serbian actor)
* Tone Kralj (Slovenian painter)
References
Noble titles
Slovene-language surnames
Croatian surnames
Serbian surnames
{{King-surname
