Kralj is a South Slavic surname and title. It literally means "king" and, according to
Petar Skok
Petar Skok (; 1 March 1881 – 3 February 1956) was a Croatian linguist and onomastics, onomastician. His central work is the four-volume etymological dictionary of Serbo-Croatian.
Biography
Skok was born to a Croatian family in the village of J ...
, is derived from
Charles the Great
Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian Empire from 800, holding these titles until his death in 814. He united mo ...
(
Karolus) in the same sense as
Tsar
Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
is to
Caesar.
In
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
, 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
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
, it is the 49th most common surname, also present throughout the country, but most numerous in central Croatia. It is one of the most common surnames in two counties of Croatia.
It is also present in
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
, e.g. the well known actor
Petar Kralj, a name which during the Communist rule in Serbia caused stir when read according to the
Austrian-Hungarian bureaucratic manner—inherited throughout
Central Europe
Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...
—of listing
surname
In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
s before
personal name
A personal name, full name or prosoponym (from Ancient Greek ''prósōpon'' – person, and ''onoma'' –name) is the set of names by which an individual person or animal is known. When taken together as a word-group, they all relate to that on ...
s 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)
See also
*
References
Noble titles
Slovene-language surnames
Surnames of Croatian origin
Surnames of Serbian origin
{{King-surname