South Slavic Names

These names are used in regions that use South Slavic languages.
gender
usage
Svetla f Bulgarian
Derived from Slavic svet meaning "light, world".
Svetlana f Russian, Slovak, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Armenian, Georgian
Derived from Russian svet meaning "light, world". It was popularized by the poem Svetlana (1813) by the poet Vasily Zhukovsky. It is sometimes used as a translation of Photine.
Svetomir m Serbian, Bulgarian
Serbian and Bulgarian form of Świętomierz.
Svit m Slovene
Means "dawn" in Slovene.
Svjetlana f Croatian, Serbian
Croatian and Serbian form of Svetlana.
Tadej m Slovene
Slovene form of Thaddeus.
Tadeja f Slovene
Slovene feminine form of Thaddeus.
Tadija m Croatian, Serbian
Croatian and Serbian form of Thaddeus.
Tahir m Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Bosnian
Means "virtuous, pure, chaste" in Arabic.
Taja f Slovene
Possibly a diminutive of Tajda or Tatjana.
Tajana f Croatian, Serbian
Derived from Croatian and Serbian tajiti "to keep secret".
Tajda f Slovene
Slovene form of Thaïs.
Tajra f Bosnian
Possibly from Arabic طائر (ta'ir) meaning "bird".
Tamara f Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Hungarian, English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Lithuanian, Georgian
Russian form of Tamar. Russian performers such as Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978), Tamara Drasin (1905-1943), Tamara Geva (1907-1997) and Tamara Toumanova (1919-1996) introduced it to the English-speaking world. It rapidly grew in popularity in the United States starting in 1957. Another famous bearer was the Polish cubist painter Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980).
Tanya f Russian, Bulgarian, English
Russian diminutive of Tatiana. It began to be used in the English-speaking world during the 1930s.
Tarik m Bosnian, Arabic
Bosnian form of Tariq. It is also an alternate transcription of the Arabic name.
Tase m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Diminutive of Atanas.
Tatiana f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, French, Slovak, Polish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Greek, Georgian, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of the Roman name Tatianus, a derivative of the Roman name Tatius. This was the name of a 3rd-century saint who was martyred in Rome under the emperor Alexander Severus. She was especially venerated in Orthodox Christianity, and the name has been common in Russia (as Татьяна) and Eastern Europe. It was not regularly used in the English-speaking world until the 1980s.
Tatjana f Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian, German, Latvian, Lithuanian, Finnish, Estonian
Form of Tatiana in several languages, in some cases via Russian Татьяна (Tatyana).
Tatyana f Russian, Bulgarian
Russian and Bulgarian form of Tatiana.
Tea f Croatian, Slovene, Finnish, Georgian
Short form of Dorothea, Theodora and other names containing a similar sound.
Teja f Slovene
Short form of Doroteja or Mateja 1.
Tena f Croatian
Diminutive of Terezija.
Teo m & f Spanish, Italian, Croatian, Slovene, Georgian
Short form of Teodoro and other names that begin with Teo. In Georgian this is a feminine name, a short form of Teona.
Teodosija f Serbian, Macedonian
Serbian and Macedonian form of Theodosia.
Terezija f Slovene, Croatian
Slovene and Croatian form of Theresa.
Tian m Slovene
Variant of Tijan.
Tihana f Croatian, Serbian
Short form of Slavic names beginning with the element tikhu "quiet".
Tihomir m Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Slovene
Derived from the Slavic elements tikhu "quiet" and miru "peace, world".
Tihomira f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Tihomir.
Tijan m Slovene
Possibly a short form of Sebastijan or Kristijan, or a masculine form of Tijana.
Tilen m Slovene
Slovene form of Aegidius (see Giles).
Tim m English, German, Dutch, Slovene, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Short form of Timothy or (in Germany) Dietmar. It was borne by the fictional character Tiny Tim, the ill son of Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol (1843).
Timotei m Romanian, Bulgarian (Rare)
Romanian and Bulgarian form of Timothy.
Timotej m Slovene, Macedonian, Slovak
Slovene, Macedonian and Slovak form of Timothy.
Tin m Croatian
Croatian short form of Martin, Valentin and other names ending in tin.
Tina f English, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, German, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Georgian
Short form of Christina, Martina and other names ending in tina. In addition to these names, it is also used in Dutch as a short form of Catharina, in Swedish and Croatian as a short form of Katarina, and in Georgian as a short form of Tinatin. A famous bearer is the American musician Tina Turner (1939-2023), born Anna Mae Bullock.
Tine 2 m Slovene
Slovene diminutive of Martin or Valentin.
Tinek m Slovene
Slovene diminutive of Martin or Valentin.
Tinkara f Slovene
Elaboration of Tina.
Tit m Slovene, Russian (Rare)
Slovene and Russian form of Titus.
Tjaša f Slovene
Diminutive of Tatjana.
Tjaž m Slovene
Short form of Matjaž.
Todor m Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian
Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian form of Theodore.
Todorka f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Bulgarian and Macedonian feminine form of Theodore.
Toma 2 m Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Georgian
Form of Thomas used in several languages.
Tomaž m Slovene
Slovene form of Thomas.
Tomica m Croatian
Diminutive of Tomislav or Toma 2.
Tomislav m Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Medieval Slavic
Probably derived from the Slavic element tomiti meaning "torture" combined with slava meaning "glory". This was the name of the first king of Croatia (10th century).
Tomo m Croatian
Either a variant of Toma 2 or a diminutive of Tomislav.
Tonći m Croatian
Croatian diminutive of Anthony.
Tonči m Croatian
Croatian diminutive of Anthony.
Tone 1 m Slovene
Short form of Anton.
Toni 1 m Finnish, Croatian, Bulgarian, Spanish, Portuguese, German
Short form of Anttoni, Antun, and other related names.
Tonka f Slovene, Croatian
Slovene and Croatian diminutive of Antonia.
Toše m Macedonian
Diminutive of Todor. This name was borne by the Macedonian pop star Toše Proeski (1981-2007).
Toshe m Macedonian
Alternate transcription of Macedonian Тоше (see Toše).
Trajan 2 m Macedonian, Serbian
Means "enduring, permanent" in South Slavic. This also coincides with the Macedonian and Serbian form of the Roman emperor's name Trajan 1, which may also factor into the name's usage.
Trajanka f Macedonian
Feminine form of Trajan 2.
Trayan m Bulgarian
Bulgarian form of Trajan 2.
Trena f Macedonian
Short form of Trendafilka.
Trendafilka f Macedonian
Derived from Macedonian трендафил (trendafil) meaning "eglantine, sweet briar".
Trifon m Bulgarian
Bulgarian form of Tryphon.
Tsveta f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Tsvetan.
Tsvetan m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian цвет (tsvet) meaning "flower, blossom".
Tsvetana f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Tsvetan.
Tsvetanka f Bulgarian
Feminine diminutive of Tsvetan.
Tvrtko m Croatian
Derived from Croatian tvrd meaning "hard".
Ula f Polish, Slovene
Diminutive of Urszula (Polish) or Uršula (Slovene).
Urban m Swedish, German, Slovene, Polish, Biblical
From the Latin name Urbanus meaning "city dweller". This name is mentioned briefly in one of Paul's epistles in the New Testament. It was subsequently borne by eight popes.
Urh m Slovene
Slovene form of Ulrich.
Uros m Serbian
Alternate transcription of Serbian Урош (see Uroš).
Uroš m Serbian, Slovene
Serbian form of an old Hungarian name, possibly from úr meaning "man, lord" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of five Serbian kings.
Urška f Slovene
Slovene diminutive of Ursula.
Uršula f Slovene
Slovene form of Ursula.
Valent m Croatian
Croatian short form of Valentin.
Valentin m French, Romanian, German, Czech, Russian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Croatian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish
Form of Valentinus (see Valentine 1) in several languages.
Valentina f Italian, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Albanian, Romanian, Spanish, Greek, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Valentinus (see Valentine 1). A famous bearer is the Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (1937-), who in 1963 became the first woman to visit space.
Valeri m Bulgarian, Georgian, Russian
Bulgarian and Georgian form of Valerius, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian Валерий (see Valeriy).
Valerija f Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Lithuanian
Form of Valeria in several languages.
Valko m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian вълк (valk) meaning "wolf".
Valter m Italian, Swedish, Slovene, Croatian, Estonian
Form of Walter used in several languages.
Valya f & m Russian, Bulgarian
Diminutive of Valentina or Valentin.
Vana f Macedonian
Short form of Ivana or Jovana.
Vancho m Macedonian, Bulgarian (Rare)
Alternate transcription of Macedonian Ванчо (see Vančo), as well as the usual Bulgarian transcription.
Vančo m Macedonian
Macedonian diminutive of Ivan.
Vanesa f Spanish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian
Form of Vanessa in several languages.
Vangel m Macedonian
Macedonian form of Evangelos.
Vanja m & f Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Swedish, Norwegian
Croatian, Serbian and Slovene (masculine and feminine) form of Vanya. It is also used in Scandinavia, where it is primarily feminine.
Varvara f Russian, Greek, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Russian, Greek, Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Barbara.
Vasa f Macedonian
Short form of Vasilija.
Vasil m Bulgarian, Belarusian, Macedonian, Georgian, Albanian
Form of Basil 1 in several languages.
Vasilija f Serbian, Macedonian
Serbian and Macedonian feminine form of Basil 1.
Vasilije m Serbian
Serbian form of Basil 1.
Vasilka f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Bulgarian and Macedonian feminine diminutive of Basil 1.
Vaska m & f Russian, Macedonian, Bulgarian
Russian diminutive of Vasiliy (masculine) or a Macedonian and Bulgarian diminutive of Vasilija (feminine).
Vasko m Macedonian, Bulgarian
Diminutive of Vasil.
Vaso 1 m Georgian, Serbian
Diminutive of Vasil or Vasilije.
Vatroslav m Croatian
Derived from Croatian vatra "fire" combined with Slavic slava "glory". It was either coined (or revived from an unattested name) in the 19th century.
Veca f Serbian
Diminutive of Vesna.
Vedad m Bosnian
Bosnian masculine form of Widad.
Vedran m Croatian, Serbian
Means "clear, cheerful" in Croatian and Serbian.
Vedrana f Croatian, Serbian
Feminine form of Vedran.
Velibor m Serbian, Croatian
Derived from the Slavic elements veli "great" and borti "battle".
Velichko m Bulgarian
Derived from Slavic veliku meaning "great".
Velimir m Croatian, Serbian, Medieval Slavic
Derived from the Slavic elements veli "great" and miru "peace, world".
Veljko m Serbian, Croatian
Diminutive of Veselko.
Venera f Sicilian, Russian, Bulgarian, Albanian
Form of Venus, from the genitive form Veneris. This name was borne by a 2nd-century saint who was martyred in Rome or Sicily.
Venijamin m Macedonian
Macedonian form of Benjamin.
Ventseslav m Bulgarian
Bulgarian form of Václav, via the Latinized form Wenceslaus.
Ventsislava f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Ventseslav.
Vera 1 f Russian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian, Georgian
Means "faith" in Russian, though it is sometimes associated with the Latin word verus "true". It has been in general use in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.
Verica f Serbian, Croatian
Serbian and Croatian diminutive of Vera 1.
Vesela f Bulgarian
Derived from South Slavic vesel meaning "cheerful".
Veselin m Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian
Derived from South Slavic vesel meaning "cheerful".
Veselko m Croatian, Serbian
Derived from South Slavic vesel meaning "cheerful".
Vesna f Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian
Means "spring" in many Slavic languages. This was the name of a Slavic spirit associated with the springtime. It has been used as a given name only since the 20th century.
Veta f Macedonian
Short form of Elisaveta.
Vid m Slovene, Croatian, Hungarian
Slovene, Croatian and Hungarian form of Vitus. Saint Vitus, known in Slavic languages as Sveti Vid (or similar), has been conflated with the Slavic god Svetovid.
Vida 2 f Slovene
Slovene feminine form of Vid. Lepa Vida ("beautiful Vida") is a character in Slovene tradition and later romantic poetry (notably by France Prešeren).
Vikentije m Serbian
Serbian form of Vincent.
Viktoria f German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Greek, Georgian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Belarusian
German, Scandinavian and Greek variant of Victoria. It is also an alternate transcription of Russian/Bulgarian Виктория or Ukrainian Вікторія (see Viktoriya) or Belarusian Вікторыя (see Viktoryia), as well as the usual Georgian transcription.
Viktoriya f Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Belarusian
Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of Victoria, as well as an alternate transcription of Belarusian Вікторыя (see Viktoryia).
Vilim m Croatian
Croatian form of William.
Viljem m Slovene
Slovene form of William.
Vilko m Slovene, Croatian
Slovene and Croatian diminutive of William.
Vincenc m Czech, Slovene
Czech and Slovene form of Vincent.
Vinka f Croatian
Croatian feminine form of Vincent.
Vinko m Croatian, Slovene
Croatian and Slovene form of Vincent.
Višeslav m Serbian, Croatian
Serbian and Croatian form of Veceslav (see Václav).
Višnja f Croatian, Serbian
Means "sour cherry" in Croatian and Serbian.
Vitomir m Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Medieval Slavic
Derived from the Slavic elements vit "master, lord" and miru "peace, world".
Vjeko m Croatian
Short form of Vjekoslav.
Vjekoslav m Croatian
Derived from the Slavic elements vyeku "age" and slava "glory".
Vjekoslava f Croatian
Feminine form of Vjekoslav.
Vjera f Croatian, Serbian
Croatian and Serbian cognate of Vera 1.
Vladan m Serbian, Czech, Slovak
Short form of Slavic names beginning with the element vladeti meaning "rule".
Vladana f Serbian, Czech
Feminine form of Vladan.
Vladimir m Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Albanian, Medieval Slavic
Derived from the Slavic element vladeti meaning "rule" combined with meru meaning "great, famous". The second element has also been associated with miru meaning "peace, world". This was the name of a 9th-century ruler of Bulgaria. It was also borne by an 11th-century grand prince of Kyiv, Vladimir the Great, who is venerated as a saint because of his efforts to Christianize his realm. Other notable bearers include the revolutionary and first leader of the Soviet state Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924), and the Russian president and prime minister Vladimir Putin (1952-).
Vladimira f Slovene, Croatian
Feminine form of Vladimir.
Vladislav m Russian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Medieval Slavic
Derived from the Slavic elements vladeti "rule" and slava "glory".
Vlado m Croatian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Short form of Vladimir and other Slavic names beginning with the element vladeti meaning "rule".
Vlaho m Croatian
Croatian form of Blasius (see Blaise).
Vlasta f Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian
Short form of names beginning with the Slavic element vlasti "rule, sovereignty" (the descendant word vlast means "homeland" in modern Czech).
Vlastimir m Serbian, Macedonian, Medieval Slavic
Derived from the Slavic elements vlasti meaning "rule, sovereignty" and miru meaning "peace, world".
Vlatka f Croatian
Diminutive of Vladimira.
Vojislav m Serbian
Derived from the Slavic elements voji "warrior, soldier" and slava "glory, fame".
Vojislava f Serbian
Feminine form of Vojislav.
Vuk m Serbian
Means "wolf" in Serbian.
Vukašin m Serbian
Derived from Serbian vuk meaning "wolf". This was the name of a 14th-century Serbian ruler.
Vyara f Bulgarian
Bulgarian form of Vera 1.
Yakov m Hebrew, Russian, Bulgarian (Rare)
Russian and Bulgarian form of Jacob (or James), and an alternate transcription of Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (see Yaakov).
Yana f Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian
Bulgarian, Russian and Ukrainian form of Jana 1.
Yanka f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Yoan 2.
Yanko m Bulgarian
Diminutive of Yoan 2.
Yasen m Bulgarian
Means both "ash tree" and "clear, serene" in Bulgarian.
Yavor m Bulgarian
Bulgarian form of Javor.
Yoan 2 m Bulgarian
Bulgarian form of John.
Yoana f Bulgarian
Bulgarian feminine form of John.
Yordan m Bulgarian
Bulgarian form of Jordan.
Yordana f Bulgarian
Bulgarian feminine form of Jordan.
Yordanka f Bulgarian
Bulgarian feminine form of Jordan.
Yosif m Bulgarian
Bulgarian form of Joseph.
Yulian m Russian, Bulgarian
Russian and Bulgarian form of Julian.
Yuliana f Russian, Bulgarian, Indonesian
Russian, Bulgarian and Indonesian form of Juliana.
Yuliya f Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian
Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Bulgarian form of Julia.
Zahari m Bulgarian
Bulgarian form of Zechariah.
Zaharina f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Bulgarian and Macedonian feminine form of Zechariah.
Žaklina f Macedonian, Croatian, Serbian
Macedonian, Croatian and Serbian form of Jacqueline.
Zala f Slovene
Diminutive of Rozalija.
Žan m Slovene
Slovene form of Zuan, Gian or Jean 1.
Žana f Slovene, Croatian
Slovene and Croatian form of Gianna.
Zara 2 f Bulgarian
Diminutive of Zaharina.
Zarja f Slovene
Slovene variant of Zora.
Žarko m Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian
Derived from Serbian, Croatian and Macedonian žar meaning "ember, zeal, fervour".
Zdenka f Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Czech
Feminine form of Zdenko.
Zdenko m Slovak, Slovene, Croatian
Derived from the Slavic element zidati meaning "build, create", originally a short form of names beginning with that element.
Zdeslav m Croatian
Croatian form of Zdzisław.
Zdravko m Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Derived from South Slavic zdrav meaning "healthy".
Zejd m Bosnian
Bosnian form of Zayd.
Zejneb f Bosnian
Bosnian form of Zaynab.
Želimir m Croatian, Serbian
Derived from the Slavic elements zheleti "to wish, to desire" and miru "peace, world".
Željka f Croatian, Serbian, Slovene
Feminine form of Željko.
Željko m Croatian, Serbian, Slovene
Derived from South Slavic želja meaning "desire".
Zerina f Bosnian
Bosnian form of Zarina.
Zhaklina f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Bulgarian form of Jacqueline, as well as an alternate transcription of Macedonian Жаклина (see Žaklina).
Zharko m Macedonian
Alternate transcription of Macedonian Жарко (see Žarko).
Zhelyazko m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian желязо (zhelyazo) meaning "iron".
Zhenya f & m Russian, Bulgarian
Russian diminutive of Yevgeniya or Yevgeniy or a Bulgarian diminutive of Evgeniya.
Zhivka f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Zhivko.
Zhivko m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Derived from the Slavic word живъ (zhivu) meaning "living".
Žiga m Slovene
Slovene form of Sigmund.
Živa f Slavic Mythology, Slovene
Means "living, alive" in Slavic. This was the name of a Slavic goddess associated with life, fertility and spring.
Živka f Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian
Croatian, Serbian and Macedonian feminine form of Zhivko.
Živko m Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian
Croatian, Serbian and Macedonian form of Zhivko.
Zlatan m Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Slovene
Means "golden", a derivative of the Slavic word zlato "gold".
Zlatica f Croatian, Slovak
Diminutive of Zlata.
Zlatka f Bulgarian
Diminutive of Zlata.
Zofija f Lithuanian, Slovene
Lithuanian and Slovene form of Sophia.
Zoja f Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian
Form of Zoe in several languages.
Zora f Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian
From a South and West Slavic word meaning "dawn, aurora".
Zoran m Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian
Masculine form of Zora.
Zorana f Croatian, Serbian
Variant of Zora.
Zorica f Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian
Serbian, Croatian and Macedonian diminutive of Zora.
Zornitsa f Bulgarian
Means "morning star" in Bulgarian.
Zoya f Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian
Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Bulgarian form of Zoe.
Zrinka f Croatian
Possibly from Zrin, the name of a village in Croatia, or from the noble Zrinski family that originated there.
Zrinko m Croatian
Masculine form of Zrinka.
Zvezdana f Serbian, Slovene
Serbian and Slovene form of Zvjezdana.
Zvjezdana f Croatian
Derived from Croatian zvijezda meaning "star".
Zvonimir m Croatian, Medieval Slavic
Derived from the Slavic elements zvonu "sound, chime" and miru "peace, world".
Zvonimira f Croatian
Feminine form of Zvonimir.
Zvonko m Croatian
Diminutive of Zvonimir.