Tomislav (, ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, that is widespread amongst the

South Slavs South Slavs are Slavic peoples who speak South Slavic languages and inhabit a contiguous region of Southeast Europe comprising the eastern Alps and the Balkan Peninsula. Geographically separated from the West Slavs and East Slavs by Austri ...

. The meaning of the name ''Tomislav'' is thought to have derived from the Old Slavonic verb "'' tomiti''" or "'' tomit'''" meaning to "''languish''", "''torture''" or "''struggle''", combined with "''slava"'' meaning glory. Other origin theories suggest the name is a variant derived from the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...

Apostle Thomas Thomas the Apostle ( arc, 𐡀𐡌𐡅𐡕𐡌, hbo, תוֹמא הקדוש or תוֹמָא שליחא (''Toma HaKadosh'' "Thomas the Holy" or ''Toma Shlikha'' "Thomas the Messenger/Apostle" in Hebrew-Aramaic), syc, ܬܐܘܡܐ, , meaning "twi ...

, whilst another theory postulates that it is a

Slavicised Slavicisation or Slavicization, is the acculturation of something Slavic into a non-Slavic culture, cuisine, region, or nation. To a lesser degree, it also means acculturation or adoption of something non-Slavic into Slavic culture or terms. Th ...

corruption of the (Dog) Latin "''Dominus Slavus''". The first recorded bearer of the name was the 10th-century King

Tomislav of Croatia Tomislav (, la, Tamisclaus) was the first king of Croatia. He became Duke of Croatia and was crowned king in 925, reigning until 928. During Tomislav's rule, Croatia forged an alliance with the Byzantine Empire against Bulgaria. Croatia's strug ...

, for this reason it has become popular amongst

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic ...

. In

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

, the name Tomislav was among the top ten most common masculine given name in the decades between 1970 and 1999. The name is also widespread amongst

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of ...

, reaching popularity during the 1930s and 40s. King

Alexander I of Yugoslavia Alexander I ( sr-Cyrl, Александар I Карађорђевић, Aleksandar I Karađorđević, ) ( – 9 October 1934), also known as Alexander the Unifier, was the prince regent of the Kingdom of Serbia from 1914 and later the King of Yu ...

gave his second child the name as a symbolic gesture of unity for his subjects. The name is also carried within the nations of

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, and ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

, and Bulgaria. Amongst

West Slavs The West Slavs are Slavic peoples who speak the West Slavic languages. They separated from the common Slavic group around the 7th century, and established independent polities in Central Europe by the 8th to 9th centuries. The West Slavic la ...

, the cognate is Tomisław, and among

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...

it is Tomiszláv. Tomislav can also be found with alternative spelling in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. '' Toma'' is a popular diminutive for ''Tomislav'' in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, whilst the derivative

Name day In Christianity, a name day is a tradition in many countries of Europe and the Americas, among other parts of Christendom. It consists of celebrating a day of the year that is associated with one's baptismal name, which is normatively that of a ...

(''Tomindan'') is celebrated on October 6 according to the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandri ...

, and October 19 in the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years d ...

People with the name

Arts and entertainment

* Tomislav Dretar, Croatian novelist *

Tomislav Ivčić Tomislav Ivčić (6 January 1953 – 4 March 1993) was a Croatian pop singer, songwriter and politician. He died in a car accident and is buried in Zagreb at the Mirogoj Cemetery. A native of Zadar, Tomislav Ivčić became one of the most pop ...

, Croatian singer *

Tomislav Ladan Tomislav Ladan (25 June 1932 – 12 September 2008) was a Croatian essayist, critic, translator and novelist. Ladan was born in Ivanjica, Serbia, and spent his formative years in his native Bosnia and Herzegovina (Travnik, Bugojno), where he ...

, Croatian novelist * Tomislav Miličević, American musician * Tomislav Mužek, Croatian tenor *

Tomislav Osmanli Tomislav Osmanli ( Macedonian Cyrillic: Томислав Османли, Macedonian pronunciation: ǒmislaʋ osˈmanɫɯ born 25 October 1956) is a Macedonian author, screenwriter, playwright, and journalist. Biography Os ...

, Macedonian screenwriter * Tomislav "Toma" Zdravković, Serbian singer * Tomislav Zografski, Macedonian composer

Business

* Tomislav Damnjanovic, Serbian businessman & arms smuggler * Tomislav Momirović, Serbian businessman and politician * Tomislav Karadžić, Montenegrin-Serb businessman & football administrator

Media

* Tomislav Jakić, Croatian journalist * Tomislav Kezarovski, Macedonian journalist

Military

* Tomislav Sertić, Croatian General * Tomislav Simović, Serbian Lieutenant General (JNA)

Politics

Tomislav Donchev Tomislav Peykov Donchev ( Bulgarian: Томислав Пейков Дончев) (born 6 August 1973 in Gabrovo, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian GERB politician. Between 2007 and 2010 Donchev was mayor of Gabrovo, from March 2010 to March 2013 he was M ...

, Bulgarian politician * Tomislav Karamarko, Croatian politician * Tomislav Lampel, birth name of the Serbian-Israeli politician Yosef "Tommy" Lapid * Tomislav Ljubenović, Serbian politician *

Tomislav Merčep Tomislav Merčep (28 September 1952 – 16 November 2020) was a Croatian politician and paramilitary leader during the Croatian War of Independence who was later convicted of war crimes. Early life and the Croatian War of Independence A native o ...

, Croatian politician *

Tomislav Nikolić Tomislav Nikolić ( sr-Cyrl, Томислав Николић, ; born 15 February 1952) is a Serbian retired politician who served as the president of Serbia from 2012 to 2017. A former member of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS), he di ...

, former President of Serbia * Tomislav Petrak, Croatian politician * Tomislav Žigmanov, Croat-Serbian politician

Royalty

* Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia *

Tomislav II Prince Aimone, 4th Duke of Aosta (''Aimone Roberto Margherita Maria Giuseppe Torino''; 9 March 1900 – 29 January 1948) was a prince of Italy's reigning House of Savoy and an officer of the Royal Italian Navy. The second son of Prince Emanuel ...

(honorary title), Prince Aimone, 4th Duke of Aosta

Science and academia

* Tomislav Maretić, Croatian linguist & lexicographer * Tomislav Šola, Croatian museologist * Tomislav Trifić, Serbian academic & graphic artist *

Tomislav Volek Tomislav Volek, is a Czech musicologist who is best known for his research on the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Biography Spending much of his career in Prague, Volek made a virtue of necessity by exploring the musical life of eighteenth-c ...

, Czech musicologist

Sports

* Tomislav Ašković, Serbian long-distance runner *

Tomislav Brkić Tomislav Brkić (; born 9 March 1990) is a Bosnian professional tennis player. He has won one ATP doubles title with Serbian partner Nikola Ćaćić. Brkić achieved a career-high in doubles of World No. 37 on 23 May 2022. He is currently the ca ...

, Bosnian tennis player *

Tomislav Butina Tomislav Butina (; born 30 March 1974) is a Croatian former footballer who played as goalkeeper for Dinamo Zagreb, Club Brugge and Olympiacos. He was also capped 28 times for the Croatia national team in the period from 2001 to 2006, and was me ...

, Croatian footballer * Tomislav Ćiraković, Montenegrin footballer * Tomislav Colić, Serbian footballer *

Tomislav Crnković Tomislav Crnković (17 June 1929 – 17 January 2009) was a Croatian footballer. He was born in Kotor in what was still the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Playing career Club As a defender, he played for HAŠK, Metalac and Dinamo Zag ...

, Croatian footballer * Tomislav Dokić, Serbian volleyball player *

Tomislav Draganja Tomislav Draganja (; born 10 August 1994) is a Croatian tennis player. Draganja usually competes on the ATP Challenger Tour Draganja primarily focuses on doubles, where he has a career high ATP doubles ranking of 115 achieved on 26 February 20 ...

, Croatian tennis player * Tomislav Ivić, Croatian football manager *

Tomislav Ivković Tomislav Ivković (born 11 August 1960) is a Croatian professional football manager, executive and former player. During his playing career, which spanned two decades, he competed mostly in Portugal, appearing for five clubs including Sporting ...

, Croatian footballer *

Tomislav Jagurinovski Tomislav Jagurinovski ( mk, Томислав Јагуриновски) (born 19 August 1998) is a Macedonian handball player for RK Vardar 1961 and the Macedonian national team. He participated at the 2017 Men's Junior World Handball Championsh ...

, Macedonian handball player * Tomislav Jotovski, Macedonian tennis player * Tomislav Jurić, Croatian footballer *

Tomislav Kaloperović Tomislav Kaloperović (; 31 January 1932 – 15 January 2002) was a Yugoslav and Serbian footballer and coach. External links * Tomislav Kaloperovićat the Serbia national football team The Serbia national football team ( sr, Фудба ...

, Serbian footballer & manager * Tomislav Karlo, Croatian swimmer *

Tomislav Kelava Tomislav Kelava (born 10 August 1933) is a Serbian boxer. He competed in the men's welterweight event at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Oly ...

, Serbian boxer *

Tomislav Knez Tomislav Knez (born 9 June 1938 in Banja Luka) is a former footballer from Yugoslavia. He was part of the Yugoslav squad that won gold at the 1960 Summer Olympics. During his club career he played for Borac Banja Luka, NK Dinamo Zagreb, SV Sch ...

, Bosnian footballer * Tomi Kostadinov, Bulgarian footballer *

Tomislav Marić Tomislav Marić (born January 28, 1973) is a German-born Croatian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Club career Marić was born to Bosnian Croat parents in Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg and started his first-team career ...

, Croatian footballer *

Tomislav Mikulić Tomislav Mikulić (born 4 January 1982 in Vukovar) is a retired Croatian football player who played as a defender. Club career Mikulić started his career with Croatia's NK Osijek before moving to K.R.C. Genk in 2005. On 18 December 2007 he s ...

, Croatian footballer *

Tomislav Milićević Tomislav Milićević (; born 29 September 1940) is a former Yugoslav and Serbian footballer who played as a defender. Playing career Milićević started out at Napredak Kruševac, before joining Red Star Belgrade in 1960. He later played for the ...

, Serbian footballer * Tomislav Mišura, Slovenian footballer * Tomislav Mrčela, Australian footballer *

Tomislav Papazov Tomislav Papazov ( bg, Томислав Папазов; born 24 August 2001) is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as a centre-back for Spanish club Badalona Futur on loan from the Italian club Foggia. Career In January 2018, Papazov traveled wi ...

, Bulgarian footballer * Tomislav Pavlov, Bulgarian footballer * Tomislav Pajović, Serbian footballer * Tomislav Pondeljak, Australian footballer * Tomislav Prosen, Croatian footballer * Tomislav Pucar, Croatian table tennis player * Tomislav Sivić, Serbian footballer * Tomislav Smoljanović, Croatian rower * Tomislav Šokota, Croatian footballer * Tomislav Ternar, Slovenian tennis player * Tomislav Tomić, Bosnian footballer *

Tomislav Višević Tomislav Višević (born December 9, 1980 in Karlsruhe, West Germany) is a Bosnian Croat retired footballer defender. Club career During his career he played for clubs from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Poland Po ...

, Bosnian-Croat footballer

Geographical place names

* Tomislavci, Serbia * Tomislavgrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina * Tomislavovac, Croatia

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomislav Masculine given names Slavic masculine given names Bosnian masculine given names Croatian masculine given names Serbian masculine given names Bulgarian masculine given names hr:Tomislav (razdvojba)

People with the name

Arts and entertainment

Business

Media

Military

Politics

Royalty

Science and academia

Sports

Geographical place names

See also

References