Adin m BosnianMeaning unknown, possibly from Turkish
ad meaning
"name".
Admir m Bosnian, AlbanianMeaning uncertain. It might be a variant of
Amir 1 or it could be derived from Latin
admiror meaning
"admire".
Albena f BulgarianCreated by Bulgarian writer Yordan Yovkov for the heroine in his drama
Albena (1930). He may have based it on
ablen, the name of a type of peony (a flowering plant).
Aljaž m SloveneDerived from a Slovene surname, which is of unknown meaning.
Alma 1 f English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Albanian, Slovene, CroatianThis name became popular after the Battle of Alma (1854), which took place near the River Alma in Crimea and ended in a victory for Britain and France. However, the name was in rare use before the battle; it was probably inspired by Latin
almus "nourishing". It also coincides with the Spanish word meaning
"the soul".
Asen m BulgarianMeaning unknown, probably of Turkic origin. This was the name of a 12th-century Bulgarian emperor (Ivan Asen I) and several of his successors.
Běla f CzechDerived from the Old Slavic word *
bělŭ meaning
"white".
Belobog m Slavic MythologyMeans
"the white god" from Old Slavic
bělŭ "white" and
bogŭ "god". This was the name of a poorly attested (possibly spurious) Slavic god of good fortune.
Blagica f MacedonianDerived from Macedonian
благ (blag) meaning
"sweet, pleasant, good" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Blaže m MacedonianDerived from Macedonian
блажен (blažen) meaning
"blissful, blessed", ultimately from Old Slavic
bolgŭ "good, pleasant".
Blažena f Czech, SlovakDerived from Czech and Slovak
blažený meaning
"blissful, happy, blessed", ultimately from Old Slavic *
bolgŭ "good, pleasant".
Bor m SloveneMeans
"pine tree" in Slovene. It is also a short form of names containing
bor, such as
Borislav or
Boris.
Boris m Bulgarian, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Czech, Slovak, Georgian, German, FrenchFrom a Bulgar Turkic name, also recorded as
Bogoris, perhaps meaning
"short" or
"wolf" or
"snow leopard". It was borne by the 9th-century Boris I of Bulgaria, who converted his realm to Christianity and is thus regarded as a saint in the Orthodox Church. To the north in Kievan Rus it was the name of another saint, a son of
Vladimir the Great who was murdered with his brother
Gleb in the 11th century. His mother may have been Bulgarian.
... [more] Breda 2 f SloveneMeaning unknown. It was used by the Slovene author Ivan Pregelj for the title character in his novel
Mlada Breda (1913).
Chernobog m Slavic MythologyMeans
"the black god" from Old Slavic
čĭrnŭ "black" and
bogŭ "god". According to a few late sources, Chernobog was a Slavic god of misfortune.
Cvetka f SloveneDerived from Slovene
cvet meaning
"blossom, flower".
Danica f Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Slovak, Macedonian, EnglishFrom a Slavic word meaning
"morning star, Venus". This name occurs in Slavic folklore as a personification of the morning star. It has sometimes been used in the English-speaking world since the 1970s.
Davor m Croatian, Serbian, SloveneMeaning uncertain, possibly from an old Slavic exclamation expressing joy or sorrow. This was the name of a supposed Slavic war god. His name was the basis for the word
davorije, a type of patriotic war song popular in the 19th century.
Dazhbog m Slavic MythologyMeans
"the giving god" from Old Slavic
dati "to give" and
bogŭ "god". Dazhbog was a Slavic god of the sun and light, a son of
Svarog. In some myths he is the ancestor of the Rus people.
Dženita f BosnianFrom Bosnian
dženet meaning
"paradise, garden", derived from Arabic
جنّة (jannah).
Elmira 3 f Russian (Rare)Contraction of Russian
электрификация мира (elektrifikatsiya mira) meaning
"electrification of the world". This name was created by communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names.
Goran m Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, BulgarianDerived from South Slavic
gora meaning "mountain". It was popularized by the Croatian poet Ivan Goran Kovačić (1913-1943), who got his middle name because of the mountain town where he was born.
Gordan m Serbian, CroatianDerived from South Slavic
gord meaning
"proud". This name and the feminine form Gordana were popularized by the publication of Croatian author Marija Jurić Zagorka's novel
Gordana (1935).
Grażyna f PolishFrom Lithuanian
graži meaning
"beautiful". This name was created by Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz for his poem
Grażyna (1823).
Ivaylo m BulgarianPerhaps derived from an old Bulgar name meaning
"wolf". This was the name of a 13th-century emperor of Bulgaria. It is possible that this spelling was the result of a 15th-century misreading of his real name
Vulo from historical documents.
Iya f RussianMeaning unknown. This name was borne by Saint Ia of Persia, a 4th-century martyr who is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Iztok m SloveneDerived from an archaic Slovene word meaning
"east".
Jordan m & f English, French, Macedonian, SerbianFrom the name of the river that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is
יַרְדֵן (Yarden), and it is derived from
יָרַד (yarad) meaning
"descend" or
"flow down". In the New Testament
John the Baptist baptizes
Jesus Christ in its waters, and it was adopted as a personal name in Europe after crusaders brought water back from the river to baptize their children. There may have been some influence from the Latin name
Jordanes, notably borne by a 6th-century Gothic historian.
... [more] Kaloyan m BulgarianFrom Greek
καλός Ἰωάννης (kalos Ioannes) meaning
"handsome John", the nickname of a 13th-century emperor of Bulgaria. He successfully defended the empire from the Fourth Crusade.
Kalyna f Ukrainian (Rare)From the Ukrainian word for a type of shrub, also called the guelder rose (species Viburnum opulus).
Kamen m BulgarianMeans
"stone" in Bulgarian. This is a translation of the Greek name
Πέτρος (Petros).
Koraljka f CroatianFrom Croatian
koralj meaning
"coral", ultimately from Latin
corallium.
Kordian m PolishCoined by Polish writer Juliusz Słowacki for the title character of his drama
Kordian (1833). Słowacki likely based the name on Latin
cor "heart" (genitive
cordis).
Lalka f BulgarianFrom Bulgarian
лале (lale) meaning
"tulip". It is derived via Turkish from Persian
لاله (laleh).
LaWanda f African AmericanCombination of the popular prefix
la and the name
Wanda. This name has been used in America since the 1910s. It peaked in popularity in 1977, the same year that actress LaWanda Page (1920-2002) finished portraying the character Aunt Esther on the television comedy
Sanford and Son. It subsequently faded from the charts.
Lech m Polish, Slavic MythologyAccording to Polish legend this was the name of the founder of the Lechites, a group that includes the Poles. The name probably derives from that of the old Slavic tribe the Lendians, called the
Lędzianie in Polish.
... [more] Leszek m PolishOriginally a diminutive of
Lech. The name was borne by several medieval dukes of Poland.
Lev 1 m RussianMeans
"lion" in Russian, functioning as a vernacular form of
Leo. This was the real Russian name of both author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) and revolutionary Leon Trotsky (1879-1940).
Liběna f CzechDerived from Czech
libý meaning
"pleasant, nice", from the Slavic element
ľuby meaning "love".
Libuše f CzechDerived from Czech
libý meaning
"pleasant, nice", from the Slavic element
ľuby meaning "love". According to Czech legend Libuše was the founder of Prague.
Lumír m CzechMeaning unknown, though possibly related to the Slavic element
mirŭ meaning "peace, world". In Czech legend this is the name of a bard.
Mak m BosnianMeans
"poppy (flower)" in Bosnian. It is most often given in honour of the Bosnian poet Mehmedalija Dizdar (1917-1971), whose pseudonym was Mak.
Marlen 1 m RussianBlend of
Marx and
Lenin. This name was created by communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names.
Milada f Czech, SlovakOriginally a diminutive of names containing the Slavic element
milŭ meaning
"gracious, dear". It can also be derived from Czech and Slovak
mladá meaning
"young", ultimately from Old Slavic *
moldŭ.
Mirsad m BosnianMeaning unknown, possibly derived from Arabic meaning
"watchtower" or Persian meaning
"ambush".
Mojca f SlovenePossibly a Slovene diminutive of
Marija. Alternatively, it could be related to Slovene
moj meaning
"my, mine".
Mokosh f Slavic MythologyDerived from the Old Slavic root
mok meaning
"wet, moist". Mokosh was a Slavic goddess associated with weaving, women, water and fertility.
Morana f Slavic Mythology, CroatianFrom Old Slavic
morŭ meaning
"death, plague". In Slavic mythology this was the name of a goddess associated with winter and death.
Nemanja m SerbianPossibly from Slavic
ne maniti meaning
"not deceiving, not luring, not attracting". Another theory states that it means
"without possessions", derived from Serbo-Croatian
nemati meaning "have not". This was the name of a 12th-century Serbian king, and the name of the dynasty he began.
Nenad m Serbian, CroatianMeans
"unexpected" in Serbian and Croatian. In the Serbian folk song
Predrag and Nenad this is the name of
Predrag's brother.
Novak m SerbianFrom Serbian
нов (nov) meaning
"new". A notable bearer is the Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic (1987-).
Noyabrina f Russian (Rare)Derived from Russian
ноябрь (noyabr) meaning
"November". It was coined by communist parents in order to commemorate the October Revolution of 1917, which according to the Gregorian calendar (not in use in Russia at the time) actually took place in November 1917.
Obrad m SerbianPossibly derived from Serbian
obradovati meaning
"to make happy".
Oktyabrina f Russian (Rare)Derived from Russian
октябрь (oktyabr) meaning
"October". This name was created by communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names and commemorate the October Revolution of 1917.
Olga f Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Czech, Slovene, Serbian, Bulgarian, GreekRussian form of the Old Norse name
Helga. The 10th-century Saint Olga was the wife of
Igor I, the ruler of Kievan Rus (a state based around the city of Kyiv). Like her husband she was probably a Varangian, who were Norse people who settled in Eastern Europe beginning in the 9th century. Following Igor's death she ruled as regent for her son
Svyatoslav for 18 years. After she was baptized in Constantinople she attempted to convert her subjects to Christianity, though this goal was only achieved by her grandson
Vladimir.
Perun m Slavic MythologyFrom Old Slavic
perunŭ meaning
"thunder". In Slavic mythology Perun was the god of lightning and the sky, sometimes considered to be the supreme god. Oak trees were sacred to him.
Pika 2 f SloveneMeans
"dot" in Slovene. This is the Slovene name for
Pippi Longstocking, Pika Nogavička.
Porsche f English (Modern)From the name of the German car company, which was founded by Ferdinand Porsche (1875-1951). His surname is derived from the given name
Boris.
Přemysl m CzechFrom an Old Slavic name that meant
"trick, stratagem", from the prefix
pre "over, again, very" and
myslĭ "thought, idea". This was the name of the legendary founder of the Přemyslid dynasty, which ruled Bohemia from the 9th to the 14th century.
Rade m Serbian, CroatianShort form of
Milorad and other names containing the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing". It is often used independently.
Radúz m Czech (Rare)Derived from Czech
rád meaning
"happy, glad". The Czech author Julius Zeyer probably created it for a character in his play
Radúz and Mahulena (1898).
Răzvan m RomanianMeaning unknown, possibly related to the name
Radovan. Alternatively it may have been brought to Romania by the Romani people (note that Romanian and Romani are unrelated), perhaps ultimately from
Rizwan.
Ruzha f Bulgarian, MacedonianMeans
"hollyhock" in Bulgarian (referring to flowering plants from the genera Alcea and Althaea). This is also an alternate transcription of Macedonian
Ружа (see
Ruža).
Samara f English (Modern), Portuguese (Brazilian)Possibly derived from the name of the city of Samarra (in Iraq) or Samara (in Russia). The former appears in the title of the novel
Appointment in Samarra (1934) by John O'Hara, which refers to an ancient Babylonian legend about a man trying to evade death. Alternatively, this name could be derived from the word for the winged seeds that grow on trees such as maples and elms.
... [more] Šárka f CzechMeaning unknown. In Czech legend Šárka was a maiden who joined other women in declaring war upon men. She tricked the men by having herself tied to a tree, and, after they came to her rescue, offering them mead laced with a sleeping potion. After the men fell asleep the other women slew them.