Croatian names follow complex and unique lettering, structuring, composition, and naming customs that have considerable similarities with most other European name systems and with those of other

Slavic peoples Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic language, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout ...

in particular. Upon the Croatian populace's arrival on what is currently modern-day continental Croatia in the early 7th century,

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, ...

used Slavic names and corresponding naming customs. With modernization and globalization in the last century, given names and surnames have expanded past typical Slavic traditionalism and have included borrowed names from all over the world. However, although given names vary from region to region in Croatia and can be heavily influenced by other countries' names, surnames tend to be Slavic. Croatian names usually, but not always, consist of a given name, followed by a family name; however certain names follow naming customs that diverge from the norm. Naming customs have been a part of Croatian culture for over 400 years. Historically, Croatian royalty were all given traditional titles of nobility designating them with certain privileges and social standing; the titles were usually followed by the full name or simply their surname. In modern-day society, families all over the country use

honorific titles An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...

when speaking to family members who are older or as a sign of general respect. Traditionally, only close friends or direct family members address each other by their first names.

Style and form of address

Nobility

During 925 - 1102, the

Kingdom of Croatia Kingdom of Croatia may refer to: * Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102), an independent medieval kingdom * Croatia in personal union with Hungary (1102–1526), a kingdom in personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary * Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg) ( ...

's nobility had various titles and forms of address that varied from region to region and position to position. The King of Croatia was afforded the right of choosing his royal handle, for example in 1941, Prince Adimone, Duke of Aosta, took the name of King Tomislav II upon his succession to the Croatian throne. Titles were exclusive to members of the King's High Court and included the Queen consort and the following: # Duke (the highest ranking a noble could receive in his majesty's court) # Marquess (a lineage rank through European peerage) # Count (a successive rank to the Marquess) # Baron (title of honor bestowed on a civilian whose actions warranted the title) The titles were usually followed by the full name or more commonly by their surname.

Government

The Government of Croatia, which includes its

executive branch The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state. In political systems b ...

and

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

, employ selected titles usually corresponding to position or powers. Titles are also bestowed on members of the Croatian Judiciary.

Prime ministerial style

# Predsjednik Vlade ( Prime Minister (PM) of Croatia; the title is usually followed by the name of the incumbent) # His/Her Excellency (For the preface of the PM on foreign travel or amidst diplomatic work) # Premijer (unofficial; this title is also usually followed by the name of the incumbent)

Presidential style

# Predsjednik (

President of Croatia The president of Croatia, officially the President of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Predsjednik Republike Hrvatske), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representative of the Republic of Croatia both within the ...

; the title is also usually followed by the surname of the incumbent)

Parliamentary style

# Predsjednik Sabora (

Speaker of the Croatian Parliament The speaker of the Croatian Parliament ( hr, Predsjednik Hrvatskog sabora, literally the president of the Croatian Parliament) is the presiding officer in the Croatian Parliament, Croatia's legislative body. Under Article 97 of the constitut ...

; title followed by full legal name) # Mister/Madam Speaker (ditto)

Judicial style

# His/Her Honor (For judges on the Judiciary of Croatia and

Constitutional Court of Croatia The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Ustavni sud Republike Hrvatske) is an institution that acts as the interpreter and guardian of the Croatian Constitution and which monitors the conformity of laws with the Constitution a ...

)

Honorific titles

It is common etiquette in Croatia to address members of society with

as a sign of respect and societal distance. It is only with close friends or direct family members that first names are used. Honorific titles include the following and are usually followed by the surname of the addressed. # Gospodin (corresponding to Mr. or Sir in English and Monsieur in French) # Gospođa (corresponding to Ms. or Mrs. in English and Madame in French) # Gospođica (corresponding to Miss in English and Mademoiselle in French)

Croatian given names

History

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

have used

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slavi ...

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

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

faith. However, Slavic names remained dominant until the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described ...

(1545–63) when the

Catholic church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

decided that every Christian should have Christian name instead of native one. This lasted until the 19th century, when Croats again started to use neglected traditional names—especially those of mediæval Croatian

kings Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh' ...

and

dukes Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

. More recently, as a result of globalization, unusual and exotic names of various cultures have also gained in wide spread popularity.

Frequency

According to 2011 Census in Croatia, the most frequent male names are

Ivan Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulga ...

Marko Marko may refer to: * Marko (given name) * Marko (surname) * Márkó, a village in Hungary See also *Marco (disambiguation) *Markko (disambiguation) *Marka (disambiguation) *Markov *Marku Marku is an Albanian surname. Notable people with the ...

Josip Josip () is a male given name found among Croats and Slovenes, a cognate of Joseph. In Croatia, the name Josip was the second most common masculine given name in the decades up to 1959, and has stayed among the top ten most common ones througho ...

Stjepan Stjepan is a Croatian masculine given name, variant of Stephen, used by ijekavian speakers. In Croatia, the name Stjepan was among the top ten most common masculine given names in the decades up to 1969. Notable people with the name include: * ...

and

Tomislav Tomislav (, ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, that is widespread amongst the South Slavs. The meaning of the name ''Tomislav'' is thought to have derived from the Old Slavonic verb "'' tomiti''" or "'' tomit" meaning to "''languish ...

, and the most common female names include

Marija Marija is a feminine given name, a variation of the name Maria, which was in turn a Latin form of the Greek names Μαριαμ, or Mariam, and Μαρια, or Maria, found in the New Testament. Depending on phonological rules concerning consecuti ...

, Ana and

Ivana Ivana ( sr, Ивана) is a feminine given name of Slavic origin that is also popular in southern Ireland, France, French-speaking Canada, the Mediterranean and Latin America. It is the feminine form of the name Ivan, which are both the Slavic ...

. The 2011 census data by decade of birth shows other common given names depending on the decade, including

Željko Željko (), sometimes written Zeljko, is a South Slavic masculine given name. In Croatia, the name Željko was among the most common masculine given names in the decades between 1950 and 1979, and was the most common name in the 1960s. Notable pe ...

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the '' Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his c ...

Ivica Ivica is a Slavic masculine given name, a diminutive form of Ivan. The direct English equivalent of the name is Johnny, while the equivalent of its augmentative Ivan is John. It is one of the frequent male given names in Croatia, and is also pre ...

Luka Luka may refer to: People * Luka (given name), a South Slavic masculine given name cognate of Luke, and a Japanese given name * Luka (singer), stage name of Brazilian singer and songwriter Luciana Karina Santos de Lima (born 1979) * Luka Keʻeli ...

Franjo Franjo is a Croatian masculine given name. In Croatia, the name Franjo was among the top ten most common masculine given names in the decades up to 1949. Notable people with the name include: * Franjo Arapović (born 1965), former Croatian basket ...

Ante Ante or Antes may refer to: * Ante (cards), an initial stake paid in a card game * Ante (poker), a forced bet in the game of poker * Ante (name), Croatian form of the given name Anthony * The Latin word ''ante'', meaning "before", which is used as ...

Damir Damir is a common male given name in South Slavic languages. It also occasionally appears in Central Asia and Turkic regions of Russia. It is of Slavic names, Slavic origin, with ''da'' meaning "give"/"take", and ''mir'', meaning "peace". It can ...

for males and

Kata ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practis ...

Dragica Dragica (Cyrillic: Драгица) is a South Slavic feminine given name. Those bearing it include: * Dragica Cepernić (1981— ), Croatian football player * Dragica Džono (1987— ), Croatian handball player * Dragica Đurić (1963— ), form ...

Nada Nada may refer to: Culture * Nāda, a concept in ancient Indian metaphysics Places *Nada, Hainan, China *Nada, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States * Nada, Nepal, village in Achham District, Seti Zone *Nada, Texas, United S ...

Ljubica Ljubica ( sr-cyr, Љубица and mk, Љубица) is a Slavic feminine given name meaning "love" or "kiss", where -ica is a diminutive suffix. Also, ''ljubica'' means violet, while the actual flower is ''ljubičica'', a superdiminutive. It is ...

Vesna Vesna ( Cyrillic: Весна) was a mythological female character associated with youth and springtime in early Slavic mythology, particularly within Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia and Slovenia. Along with her male companion Vesnik, she was ass ...

Mirjana Mirjana (; ) is a Slavic feminine given name meaning ′''mir''′ ("peace, world, prestige, area, space"). The name is widespread throughout Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia. Mirjana is possibly a form of Miriam a ...

for females.

Traditional Croatian names

Some common Croatian names of Slavic origin include: Feminine: Berislava, Blaga, Blagica,

Bogdan Bogdan or Bohdan ( Cyrillic: Богдан) is a Slavic masculine name that appears in all Slavic countries as well as Romania and Moldova. It is derived from the Slavic words ''Bog/Boh'' (Cyrillic: Бог), meaning "god", and ''dan'' (Cyrillic: ...

a, Bogomila, Bogumila, Borka,

Borislav Borislav or Boryslav (Cyrillic script: Борислав) is a Slavic male given name. People who have this name include: *Borislav Cvetković, a Croatian-born Serbian football manager and former player *Borislav Ivanov, a Bulgarian chess player ...

Božena Božena is a feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Božena (Křesinová), Bohemian duchess * Božena Angelova, Slovenian violinist * Božena Dobešová, Czech gymnast * Božena Komárková, Czech philosopher * Božena Laglero ...

, Božica,

Božidar Božidar ( Bulgarian, Macedonian, sr-cyr, Божидар, pl, Bożydar, sometimes transliterated as Bojidar, or Bozhidar) is a Slavic given name meaning "Divine gift". It is a calque of the Greek name Theodore, itself derived from the Greek wo ...

ka,

Branimir Branimir () is a Slavic male given name. It is a combination of the ( Slavic) verb ''braniti'' ("to defend") and the noun ''mir'' ("the world" or "peace" in Old Slavic), and hence means "the one who defends the world/peace". It is especially commo ...

Branka Branka ( sr-cyr, Бранка) is a Serbo-Croatian female given name derived from the Slavic root ''bran'' – the same as in Branislav and Branimir – with the meaning "to defend or protect". It can also be a version of the Portuguese name ' ...

, Buga, Cvita, Cvijeta, Danica, Davorka, Divna, Dragana, Dragica, Dragomirka, Dragomira, Draginja, Dragina, Draga, Draženka, Dubravka, Dunja, Hrvoja, Hrvojka, Jasenka, Jasna, Ljuba, Ljubica,

Mila Mila may refer to: Places * Mila, Algeria, a city * Mila Province, Algeria * Mila District, Mila Province, Algeria * Mila, a commune in Mila Province, Algeria * Mila, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Mila, a subdistrict of the Pidie Reg ...

, Milica, Miljenka, Mislava,

Mira Mira (), designation Omicron Ceti (ο Ceti, abbreviated Omicron Cet, ο Cet), is a red-giant star estimated to be 200–400 light-years from the Sun in the constellation Cetus. ο Ceti is a binary stellar system, consisting of a va ...

, Mirjana, Mirka, Misirka, Mirna, Mojmira, Morana, Nada, Neda, Nediljka, Nevenka,

Ognjen Ognjen ( sr-Cyrl, Огњен, ) is a Slavic given name derived from word ''oganj'' meaning "fire" and may refer to: *Ognjen Amidžić Ognjen ( sr-Cyrl, Огњен, ) is a Slavic given name derived from word ''oganj'' meaning "fire" and may refer t ...

ka, Ranka, Rašeljka, Ratka, Ruža, Ružica, Sanja,

Slava Slava may refer to: Ships * Slava-class cruiser, ''Slava'' class cruiser, a modern Russian warship ** Soviet cruiser Slava (1979), now Russian cruiser ''Moskva'', a ''Slava'' class guided missile cruiser sunk during the 2022 Russian invasion of U ...

Slavica Slavica may refer to: People * Slavica Ćukteraš Slavica may refer to: People * Slavica Ćukteraš (born 1985), Serbian singer * Slavica Đukić (born 1960), Serbian handball player * Slavica Ecclestone (born 1958), Croatian fashion model * ...

, Slavenka, Smiljana, Spomenka, Srebrenka, Stanislava, Stana, Stanka, Snješka, Snježana, Sunčana, Sunčica,

Svjetlana Svetlana () is a common Orthodox Slavic feminine given name, deriving from the East and South Slavic root ''svet'' (), meaning "light", "shining", "luminescent", "pure", "blessed", or "holy", depending upon context similar if not the same as ...

, Tjeha, Tihana, Tihomila, Tuga, Vedrana, Vera, Verica, Vjera,

, Vjekoslava, Vlasta, Vlatka,

Zdenka Zdenka or Zdeňka () is a feminine given name in Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Serbian, and Slovenian, originally a short form of Zdeslava. Notable people with the name include: * Zdenka Badovinac, Slovenian art critic * Zdenka Braunerová, Czech paint ...

Zlata Zlata () is a female given name of South Slavic languages, South Slavic origin meaning "golden". It is common amongst all South Slavic countries in the Balkans, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia and Serbia. The n ...

, Zora, Zorica, Zorka, Zrinka, Zrina, Zvjezdana, Zvonimira, Zvonka, Željka, Živka Masculine:

Berislav Berislav is a Slavic masculine given name derived from ''beri'' - "he/she carries" and ''slava'' - "glory, fame". Feminine form is Berislava. Another spelling is Berisav. The following notable people have this name: * Berislav Rončević - Bos ...

, Berivoj, Blago,

, Bogumil, Bogoljub, Bogomil, Bojan,

Boris Boris may refer to: People * Boris (given name), a male given name *:''See'': List of people with given name Boris * Boris (surname) * Boris I of Bulgaria (died 907), the first Christian ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire, canonized after hi ...

, Borna, Božetjeh,

, Božo, Bratislav, Budimir,

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

, Darko, Davor, Desimir, Dobroslav, Dobrovit,

Domagoj Domagoj is a Croatian name of Slavic origin derived from the Slavic elements ''dom'' ("home") and ''goj'' ("grow, breed, foster, nurture"). Notable people with the name include: * Domagoj of Croatia, a duke (knez) of Dalmatian Croatia in 864–87 ...

Dragan Dragan (, sr-Cyrl, Драган) is a popular Serbo-Croatian masculine given name derived from the common Slavic element ''drag'' meaning "dear, beloved". The feminine form is Dragana. People named Dragan include: Politicians and office holde ...

, Drago,

Dragoslav Dragoslav (Cyrillic: Драгослав) is a South Slavic masculine given name, derived from '' drag'' ("dear, beloved") and ''slava'' ("glory, fame"), both very common in Slavic dithematic names."Behind the Name", 's.v.'' https://www.behindthe ...

, Dragutin,

Dragomir Dragomir () is a Slavic masculine name, mostly found in Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Russia, and Ukraine as well as Romania. It is composed of the Slavic words ''drag'' (dear, precious) and ''mir'' (peace), both ve ...

, Dražen, Držiha, Držislav, Godemir, Gojko, Gojislav, Gojslav, Goran, Grubiša, Hrvatin, Hrvoj, Hrvoje, Hrvoslav, Kazimir, Kažimir, Jasenko, Klonimir,

Krešimir Krešimir () is a Croatian given name. It may refer to: *Krešimir Ćosić (1948–1995), Croatian professional basketball player, member of FIBA Hall of Fame and Basketball Hall of Fame *Krešimir Ćosić (politician) (born 1949), Croatian soldier ...

, Krševan, Lavoslav,

Ljubomir Lubomir, Lyubomir, Lyubomyr, Lubomír, Ľubomír, or Ljubomir is a Slavic given name meaning lub (love) and mir (peace, world). Feminine forms are: Lubomira and Ljubica. Nicknames Lubor, Luboš, Luborek, Lubošek, Borek, Lubo, Ľubo, Ljubo, ...

, Ljudevit,

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

, Mile,

Milivoj Milivoj ( sr, Миливој) is an old Slavic origin given name derived from elements: ''milo'' ("gracius, favour") + ''voj'' ("soldier, war"). Popular primarily in South Slavic states. The name may refer to: * Milivoj Ašner (1913–2011), a f ...

Milovan Milovan ( sr-Cyrl, Милован) is a Slavic name derived from the passive adjective ''milovati'' ("caress"). It is recorded in Serbia since the Late Middle Ages. Variants include Milovanac and Milovanče. Given name * Milovan Bojić (born 1955) ...

, Miljenko, Mirko,

Miroslav Miroslav may refer to: * Miroslav (given name), a Slavic masculine given name * ''Young America'' (clipper) or ''Miroslav'', an Austrian clipper ship in the Transatlantic case oil trade * Miroslav (Znojmo District), a town in the Czech Republic S ...

, Miroš, Mislav,

Mladen Mladen () is a South Slavic masculine given name, derived from the Slavic root ''mlad'' (, ), meaning "young". It is present in Bulgarian, Serbian, and Croatian society since the Middle Ages. Notable people with the name include: * Mladen (vojvo ...

, Mojmir, Mutimir, Nediljko, Nedjeljko,

Nenad Nenad (; Cyrillic script: Ненад) is a male personal Slavic names, name of Slavic origin common in countries that speak Slavic languages. It is more widespread in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and North Macedonia than i ...

, Ostoja, Ozren,

Predrag Predrag ( sr-cyr, Предраг) is a Slavic masculine given name, predominantly borne by ethnic Slavs, derived from ''pre-'' ("very, much") and ''-drag'' ("dear, beloved"), both common in Slavic dithematic names. It roughly means "very beloved" ...

, Pribislav, Prvan, Prvoslav, Prvoš, Radimir, Radomir, Radoš, Rajko, Ranko,

Ratimir Ratimir ( sr-Cyrl, Ратимир) or Ratmir (russian: Ратмир) or Racimir (Polish), is a Slavic origin given name meaning "defender of peace". In Serbian the diminutive of Ratimir is Ratko. Notable people with the name include: * Ratimir, ...

, Ratko, Rato,

Radovan Radovan ( sr-cyr, Радован) is a Slavic male given name, derived from the passive adjective ''radovati'' ("rejoice"), itself from root ''rad-'' meaning "care, joy". It is found in Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, M ...

Radoslav Radoslav () is a common Slavic masculine given name, derived from ''rad-'' ("happy, eager, to care") and ''slava'' ("glory, fame"), both very common in Slavic dithematic names. It roughly means "eager glory". It is known since the Middle Ages. T ...

, Slaven, Slaviša,

Slavoljub Slavoljub or Slavolub ( Cyrillic script: Славољуб) is a masculine given name derived from the Slavic elements: ''slava'' "glory, famous" and ''ljub'' "favour, love, to like". Nicknames: Slava, Slavko, Ljuba. Other form: Ljuboslav. List o ...

Slavomir Slavomir is a masculine given name. It may refer to: * Slavomir of Moravia, medieval duke * Slavomir Miletić, Yugoslav sculptor from Bosnia and Herzegovina, now living in the Netherlands * Slavomir Miklovš Slavomir Miklovš (16 May 1934 &ndash ...

, Smiljan, Spomenko, Srebrenko, Srećko, Stanislav, Stanko, Strahimir,

Svetoslav Svetoslav is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Svetoslav of Croatia (before 997 - 1000), king of Croatia * Svetoslav Dyakov (born 1984), Bulgarian football midfielder * Svetoslav Georgiev (born 1977), Bulgarian football player * ...

, Tihomil,

Tihomir Tihomir (Bulgarian language, Bulgarian, Macedonian language, Macedonian and sr, Тихомир) is a South Slavic languages, South Slavic Slavic names, male given name which means "quiet" and "peace" (South Slavic: ''Tiho'' = quiet, ''mir'' = peace ...

, Tješimir, Tomislav, Tomo, Tvrtko, Trpimir, Vatroslav, Većeslav,

Vedran Vedran is a Slavic masculine given name of Croatian origin, which is also used among Serbs, Slovenes, and Bosniaks. Vedran means clear or cheerful. People * Vedran Perič, a Slovenian famous account manager * Vedran Celiščak, a Croatian footbal ...

Velimir Velimir ( sr-cyr, Велимир) is a Serbo-Croatian masculine given name and sometimes a surname, a Slavic name derived from elements ''vele'' "great" and ''mir'' "peace, prestige". It may refer to: * Velimir Ilić (born 1951), politician * Vel ...

, Veselko, Vidoslav, Vjekoslav, Vjenceslav, Višeslav,

Vitomir Vitomir ( pl, Witomir, sr, Витомир) is an old given name of Slavic origin. The word is derived from two Proto-Slavic elements: ''vito'' which means "to rule" and ''mir'' which means "peace, world, prestige". The ''vit'' is also found in ...

, Vjeran, Vladimir,

Vlado Vlado () is a Slavic masculine given name. Notable people with the given name include: * Vlado Babić (born 1960), Serbian politician *Vlado Badžim (born 1964), Slovenian football player and football coach *Vlado Bagat (1915–1944), Croatian and ...

, Vlatko, Vojmil, Vojnomir, Vuk, Zdenko,

Zdeslav Zdeslav or Zdislav may refer to: People *Zdeslav of Croatia, a Prince of Dalmatian Croatia * Zdeslav of Sternberg, Czech nobleman * Zdislav Soroko, Soviet canoer *Zdeslav Vrdoljak, Croatian water polo player Places *Zdeslav, a village and part of ...

Zdravko Zdravko () is a masculine given name of South Slavic origin derived from word "zdrav" meaning "healthy". Notable people with the name include: *Zdravko Čolić, Bosnian singer *Zdravko Ježić, Croatian water polo player * Zdravko Kovačić, Croa ...

, Zorislav,

Zoran Zoran ( sr-Cyrl, Зоран) is a common South Slavic name, the masculine form of Zora, which means ''dawn, daybreak''. The name is especially common in Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia and a little in Slovenia. Notable people with this given n ...

, Zrinko, Zrinoslav, Zlatko,

Zvonimir Zvonimir is a Croatian male given name, used since the Middle Ages. During Yugoslavia, the name became popular in other ex-Yugoslav republics like Croatia and Slovenia.{{citation needed, date=February 2014 People named Zvonimir *Demetrius Zvon ...

, Zvonko, Žarko, Želimir, Željko, Živko

Christian names

Aleksandar, Ana (Anna), Ante or Antun (Anthony), Andrija (Andrew), Danijel, David, Dominik, Edvard, Filip, Franjo (Francis), Fridrik, Grgur (Gregory), Henrik, Ilija (Elijah), Ivan (John), Jakov (Jacob), Josip (Joseph), Juraj (George), Karlo (Charles), Katarina (Catherine), Kristofor, Lav (Leo), Ljudevit (Lewis), Lovro (Lawrence), Luka (Luke), Marko (Mark), Marija (Mary), Matej (Matthew), Mihael, Mihovil, Mihajlo (Michael), Nikola, Nikša, Niko, Mikula (Nicholas), Pavao (Paul), Petar (Peter), Pero (Peter), Rikard, Sebastijan, Silvestar, Šimun (Simon), Stjepan, Stipan, Stipe (Stephen), Toma (Thomas), Vasilije, Vilim (William), Vinko (Vincent).

Borrowed or foreign names

Due to globalization and remnants of historical significance (i.e.

Croatia–Italy relations Diplomatic relations between Croatia and Italy were established on January 17, 1992 following Croatia's independence from SFR Yugoslavia. Croatia has an embassy in Rome, general consulates in Milan and Trieste, and consulates in Bari, Florence, ...

, Illyrian Provincial nationalism, etc.) many people in Croatia have American, French, Swedish, Finnish, German, Italian and English first names (given names). However, due to the alphabetical limitation of

Croatian Croatian may refer to: * Croatia *Croatian language *Croatian people *Croatians (demonym) See also * * * Croatan (disambiguation) * Croatia (disambiguation) * Croatoan (disambiguation) * Hrvatski (disambiguation) * Hrvatsko (disambiguation) * S ...

many names take on new pronunciations, are respelled, or are restructured to comply with the country's naming customs. Uncharacteristic names by nationality of origin include: ( American): Thomas, Charles, Max, Jacob, William, Isabella, Emma, Madison, Matthew, Alexander; (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

): Hans, Peter, Stephan, Gerhard, Edith, Gabriele, Monika, Wolfgang, Dennis; (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

): Jean-Louis, Lucus, Marie, Clément, Camille, Baptiste, Léonie, Julien, Françoise'','' Jeanne; (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

): Alessandro, Andrea, Alessia, Claudia, Christian, Riccardo, Luca, Matteo, Leonardo, Sofia ...

Croatian family names

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

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

Origins

Croatian family names have five different origins: ; Given names,

matronymic A matronymic is a personal name based on the given name of one's mother, grandmother, or any female ancestor. It is the female equivalent of a patronymic. Around the world, matronymic surnames are far less common than patronymic surnames. In s ...

s and

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, al ...

s : Anić, Blažević, Ivanec, Marić, Stipanov ... ; Professional names : Kovač (

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

), Klobučar ( hatmaker), Lončar ( potter), Tkalčić (

weaver Weaver or Weavers may refer to: Activities * A person who engages in weaving fabric Animals * Various birds of the family Ploceidae * Crevice weaver spider family * Orb-weaver spider family * Weever (or weever-fish) Arts and entertainment ...

), Stolar (

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tra ...

) ... ; Nicknames : Debeljak, Crnić, Obad ... ;

Toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name o ...

s : Duvnjak (from

Duvno Tomislavgrad (), also known by its former name Duvno (), is a town and municipality located in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It mainly covers an area of the historical and geographica ...

), Kuprešak (from

Kupres Kupres ( sr-cyrl, Купрес) is a town and municipality located in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 5,057 inhabitants, while the town of Kupres has ...

), Bosanac (Bosnian), Posavec (from

Posavina Posavina ( sr-cyr, Посавина) is a geographical region that stretches along the Sava river, encompassing only the inner areas of the Sava river basin, that are adjacent or near to the Sava river itself, namely catch region spanning from ...

), Zagorec (from

Hrvatsko Zagorje Hrvatsko Zagorje (; Croatian Zagorje; ''zagorje'' is Croatian for "backland" or "behind the hills") is a cultural region in northern Croatia, traditionally separated from the country's capital Zagreb by the Medvednica Mountain. It compri ...

), ... ; Ethnic designation : Hrvat, Horvat, Hrvatin, Horvatinčić ... (

Croat 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, G ...

), Čerkez (

Circassians The Circassians (also referred to as Cherkess or Adyghe; Adyghe and Kabardian: Адыгэхэр, romanized: ''Adıgəxər'') are an indigenous Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation native to the historical country-region of Circassia ...

), Čeh (

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places *Czech, ...

), Mađar (

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 Ural ...

), Vlahović (

Vlachs "Vlach" ( or ), also "Wallachian" (and many other variants), is a historical term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate mainly Romanians but also Aromanians, Megleno-Romanians, Istro-Romanians and other Easte ...

) ... :

Frequency

The

2011 Croatian census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

registered the following as the most frequent Croatian family names: #

Horvat Horvat is a surname of Croatian origin. It is the most frequent surname in Croatia and the second most frequent in Slovenia. Its variant Horvath is very frequent in Hungary and Slovakia. The surname originates in Croatia, ''Horvat'' being the ol ...

Kovačević Kovačević ( South Slavic, Cyrillic: Ковачевић), Kovačevič ( Slovene and Slovak; feminine (Slovak): Kovačevičová) or Kovačovič ( Slovak; feminine: Kovačovičová), is a Slavic surname meaning " lackmith's son". The surname is de ...

Babić Babić (Serbian Cyrillic: Бабић) is a Croatian, Bosniak and Serbian family name. It is the 3rd most frequent surname in Croatia and is derived from the common Slavic word for grandmother or old woman: baba. Geographical distribution As of 2 ...

Marić Marić ( sr-Cyrl, Марић, ) is a South Slavic surname. It is the fourth most common surname in Croatia. Notable people with the name include: * Adnan Marić (born 1997), Swedish footballer *Aleks Marić (born 1984), Australian basketball pl ...

# Jurić #

Novak Novak (in Serbo-Croatian and Slovene; Cyrillic: ), Novák (in Hungarian, Czech and Slovak), Nowak or Novack (in German and Polish), is a surname and masculine given name, derived from the Slavic word for "new" (e.g. pl, nowy, cz, nový, ...

Kovačić Kovačić ( Serbo-Croatian, sh-Cyrl, Ковачић), alternatively spelled Kovačič in Slovene and Slovak (feminine (Slovak): Kovačičová), Kovacsics in Hungarian, or transliterated as Kovacic/Kovacich/Kovachich in English, is one of the ...

# Knežević #

Vuković Vuković ( sr, Вуковић, ) is a common family name found in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia, of which bearers are either Bosniaks, Croats, Montenegrins or Serbs, as well as medieval families long before idea of nation ...

Marković Marković ( sr-Cyrl, Марковић, ) is a common family name in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Austria and Serbia. It is a patronym of '' Marko'', the local variant of the common European name "Marcus" or "Mark". Marković is the ...

Naming customs

Naming customs vary from region to region in Croatia and differ slightly from that of typical naming customs, such as Brazilian and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Port ...

customs; Croatian naming customs closely mimic that of

Roman naming conventions Over the course of some fourteen centuries, the Romans and other peoples of Italy employed a system of nomenclature that differed from that used by other cultures of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, consisting of a combination of personal and fa ...

. For instance, in the

Brod-Posavina Brod-Posavina County ( hr, Brodsko-posavska županija) is the southern Slavonian county in Croatia. Its center is the city of Slavonski Brod and it spreads along the left bank of the Sava river, hence the name ''Posavina''. Other notable towns in ...

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranea ...

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. According to the 2011 census, its population was 55,705. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located on the Zagreb- Rijeka highway and railway line, south-west of Zagr ...

Krapina Krapina (; hu, Korpona) is a town in northern Croatia and the administrative centre of Krapina-Zagorje County with a population of 4,482 (2011) and a total municipality population of 12,480 (2011). Krapina is located in the hilly Zagorje regio ...

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

Pazin Pazin ( it, Pisino, german: Mitterburg) is a town in western Croatia, the administrative seat of Istria County. It is known for the medieval Pazin Castle, the former residence of the Istrian margraves. Geography The town had a population of 8, ...

, and

Slavonski Brod Slavonski Brod (), commonly shortened to simply Brod, is a city in eastern Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Being one of the principal cities in the historical regions of Slavonia and Posavina, Slavonski Brod was the 7th large ...

regions, naming traditionally, but not always, follows this structure: Example: If "Darko Stevnich Horatio Horvat" is the full legal name of a resident of

, tradition would dictate that his family name would be "Horatio" and not the assumed "Horvat" (which is another given name, usually named after the family's

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in ce ...

); this person would go by "Darko (given name) Horatio (family name)". In selected regions of Međimurje and

Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...

, naming custom diverge again. Many residents traditionally go by their middle names and reserve the full declaration of their names for formal occasions such as court, marriage, or death. Example: If "Kolinada Blaga Lončar" is the full legal name of a resident of one of these regions, she could choose to go by, and legally declare her name as, "Blaga Lončar." In this region of the country, the following mechanism is usually used in naming, one that has been in practice for over four centuries: # The oldest son is named after the father's father. # The oldest daughter is named after the father's mother. # The second oldest son is named after the mother's father. # The second oldest daughter is named after the mother's mother. Other children of the father are either named after favorite aunts or uncles or sometimes, after the saint of the day they were born.

References

External links

Law about given name in Republic of Croatia

Croatian given names

Meaning of some Croatian family names

Site about Croatian names
{{DEFAULTSORT:Croatian Name Name Names by culture Slavic-language names