Leopold m German, Dutch, English, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, PolishDerived from the Old German elements
liut "people" and
bald "bold, brave". The spelling was altered due to association with Latin
leo "lion". This name was common among German royalty, first with the Babenbergs and then the Habsburgs. Saint Leopold was a 12th-century Babenberg margrave of Austria, who is now considered the patron of that country. It was also borne by two Habsburg Holy Roman emperors, as well as three kings of Belgium. Since the 19th century this name has been occasionally used in England, originally in honour of Queen Victoria's uncle, a king of Belgium, after whom she named one of her sons. It was later used by James Joyce for the main character, Leopold Bloom, in his novel
Ulysses (1922).
Ljubica Љубица f Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, SloveneFrom the Slavic element
ľuby meaning
"love" combined with a diminutive suffix. It can also come from the Serbian and Croatian word
ljubica meaning
"violet (flower)".
Lyudmila Людмила f Russian, BulgarianRussian and Bulgarian form of
Ludmila. This was the name of a character in Aleksandr Pushkin's poem
Ruslan and Lyudmila (1820).
Magdalena Магдалена f Polish, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Lithuanian, Spanish, Catalan, Occitan, Slovene, Czech, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Serbian, Romanian, EnglishLatinate form of
Magdalene.
Mehmed m Ottoman Turkish, BosnianOlder form of
Mehmet, as well as the Bosnian form. This was the name of six sultans of the Ottoman Empire, including Mehmed II the conqueror of Constantinople.
Miodrag Миодраг m Serbian, CroatianDerived from the element
mio, a Serbo-Croatian form of the Slavic element
milŭ meaning "dear", combined with
dorgŭ meaning "precious".
Mirica f CroatianFrom the Slavic element
mirŭ meaning
"peace, world" combined with a diminutive suffix.
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 Немања 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.
Novak Новак m SerbianFrom Serbian
нов (nov) meaning
"new". A notable bearer is the Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic (1987-).
Osman m Turkish, Kurdish, Albanian, Bosnian, MalayTurkish, Kurdish, Albanian, Bosnian and Malay form of
Uthman. This was the name of the founder of the Ottoman Empire in the 14th century. It was later borne by two more Ottoman sultans.
Petra Петра f German, Dutch, Spanish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Swedish, Finnish, EnglishFeminine form of
Peter. This was also the name of an ancient city in the region that is now Jordan.
Rada Рада f Serbian, BulgarianDerived from the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing", originally a short form of names beginning with that element.
Rade Раде m Serbian, CroatianShort form of
Milorad and other names containing the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing". It is often used independently.
Radko Радко m Bulgarian, CzechOriginally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing".
Ruzha Ружа 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).
Sabina f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Swedish, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Sabinus, a Roman cognomen meaning
"a Sabine" in Latin. The Sabines were an ancient people who lived in central Italy, their lands eventually taken over by the Romans after several wars. According to legend, the Romans abducted several Sabine women during a raid, and when the men came to rescue them, the women were able to make peace between the two groups. This name was borne by several early saints.
Samo m Slovene, HistoryMeaning uncertain. This was the name of a 7th-century ruler of the Slavs, who established a kingdom including parts of modern Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. He was possibly of Frankish origin.
Silvester Силвестер m Slovak, Slovene, Serbian, German, English, Late RomanFrom a Latin name meaning
"wooded, wild", derived from
silva "wood, forest". This was the name of three popes, including Saint Silvester I who supposedly baptized the first Christian Roman emperor,
Constantine the Great. As an English name,
Silvester (or
Sylvester) has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it became less common after the Protestant Reformation.
Slaven Славен m Croatian, SerbianMeans
"a Slav" in Croatian and Serbian, referring to the European people who speak one of the Slavic languages (which include Croatian and Serbian). The word is derived from Old Slavic *
slověninŭ.
Smiljana Смиљана f Croatian, SerbianFrom the Serbo-Croatian word
smilje, a type of plant, known as everlasting or immortelle in English (genus Helichrysum).
Sonja Соња f German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, MacedonianForm of
Sonya in various languages.
Stefani Стефани f English, BulgarianEnglish variant and Bulgarian form of
Stephanie. A notable bearer is Stefani Germanotta (1986-), an American singer better known as Lady Gaga.
Suad f & m Arabic, Bosnian, AlbanianMeans
"happiness, luck" in Arabic, from the root
سعد (saʿida) meaning "to be happy, to be lucky". In Arabic it is typically feminine, while in Bosnia and Albania it is typically masculine.
Svetlana Светлана f Russian, Slovak, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Armenian, GeorgianDerived from Russian
свет (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.
Tadej m SloveneSlovene form of
Thaddeus. A notable bearer is the Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogačar (1998-).
Tatiana Татяна f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, French, Slovak, Polish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Greek, Georgian, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Ancient RomanFeminine 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.
Teodor Теодор m Romanian, Bulgarian, Slovak, Czech, Polish, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian, Swedish, NorwegianForm of
Theodore used in various languages.
Uroš Урош m Serbian, SloveneSerbian 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.
Valentin Валентин m French, Romanian, German, Czech, Russian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Croatian, Swedish, Danish, FinnishForm of
Valentinus (see
Valentine 1) in several languages.
Valentina Валентина f Italian, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Albanian, Romanian, Spanish, Greek, Ancient RomanFeminine 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.
Vida 2 f SloveneSlovene feminine form of
Vid. Lepa Vida ("beautiful Vida") is a character in Slovene tradition and later romantic poetry (notably by France Prešeren).
Vladan Владан m Serbian, CzechFrom the Slavic element
volděti meaning
"to rule, to control", originally a diminutive of names containing that element.
Vlasta Власта f & m Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, SloveneOriginally a short form of names beginning with the Slavic element
volstĭ meaning
"power, rule, sovereignty". Descendants of this word include Czech
vlast "homeland" and Serbo-Croatian
vlast "power". It is sometimes masculine in Czech and Serbian.
Vlastimir Властимир m SerbianDerived from the Slavic element
volstĭ (Serbian
vlast) meaning "power, rule, sovereignty" combined with
mirŭ meaning "peace, world". This was the name of a 9th-century prince of Serbia.
Vukašin Вукашин m SerbianDerived from Serbian
vuk meaning
"wolf". This was the name of a 14th-century Serbian ruler.
Yasen Ясен m BulgarianMeans both
"ash tree" and
"clear, serene" in Bulgarian.