Tag Archives: Serbo-Croatian Names

Bogoljub, Bogoljuba

Posted on by
Reply
Photo by Boris Hamer on Pexels.com
  • Origin: Serbo-Croatian Богољуб, Slovenian
  • Meaning: “love of God.”

Bogoljub is composed of the South Slavic elements, bog (God) and ljub (love). It was originally a South Slavic vernacular form of Theophilus and Amadeus.

Its designated name-day in Croatia is March 7th and March 30 in Slovenia.

Common diminutive forms include: Bole, Bogo, Bogi, Bojan, Bojica, Bojko, Ljubo and Ljuban.

It is borne by Serbian Statesman, Bogoljub Jevtić (1886–1960), Serbian Businessman, Bogoljub Karić (b. 1954), and Serbian basketball player, Bogoljub Marković (b. 2005).

Its feminine form is Bogoljuba, and affectionate forms include Boba, Bojana, Bojka, Ljubica.

Sources

Lubomir, Lubomira

Posted on by
1
  • Origin: Slavic
  • Gender: masculine
  • Meaning: “love & peace.”

Lubomir is composed of the Slavic elements, lubo (love) & mir (peace).

Its Czech form of Lubomír was one of the most popular male names in the Czech Republic between 1935-2006, it peaked at #16 in 1959.

Other forms include:

  • Ljubomir Љубомир Љубомир (Bosnian, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovene)
  • Lubomir Любомир (Bulgarian, Polish)
  • Lyubomir Лыѹбомир (Old Church Slavonic, Russian)
  • Lubomierz (Polish)
  • Ľubomír (Slovakian)
  • Lyubomyr (Ukrainian)

Diminutives & Short Forms

  • Ljubiša, Ljubo (Bosnian, Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovene)
  • Luboš (Czech)
  • Ljube, Ljupcho, Ljupčo (Macedonian)
  • Ľuboš (Slovakian)

Feminine forms are

  • Ljubomira (Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovene)
  • Lubomíra (Czech)
  • Lubomira (Medieval Slavic, Polish)
  • L’ubomíra (Slovak)
  • Lyubomyra (Ukrainian)

Sources

Nadezhda

Posted on by
Reply

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Russian/Bulgarian
Meaning: “hope.”
(nah-DYEZH-dah)
Надежда

The name come directly from the Russian, meaning “hope.” Other forms include:

  • Nada (Croatian/Serbian/Slovene)
  • Naděžda (Czech)
  • Nadège (French: nah-DEZH)
  • Nagyezsda (Hungarian)
  • Nadzieja (Polish: nah-JAY-ah)
  • Nadežda (Slovakian)

In modern Russian history, the name was most notably borne by the wife of Josef Stalin, Nadezhda Alliluyeva (1901-1932).

Russian diminutive forms are: Nada and Nadya. Czech diminutive forms is Naďa. Name-days are September 17 (Czech Republic/Russia), September 30 (Bulgaria), December 23 (Slovakia).

Snezhana

Posted on by
1

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Croatian/Bulgarian/Serbian/Macedonian/Russian
Meaning: “snow.”
(snyeh-ZHAH-nah)

The name is derived from the Slavonic element sneg, meaning “snow.” Other sources contend that the later part is derived from the word žena meaning woman, however, there seems to be a masculine form that pre-dates the feminine form, Snežan, and in that case, it would be rather unlikely that the suffix is related to žena. Snow White is often transliterated as Snezhana in Bulgarian, Russian and other South Slavic languages. In 2005, it was the 5th most popular female name in Macedonia.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Snezhala (Bulgarian: snyeh-ZHAH-lah)
  • Sniježana/Snježana (Croatian/Slovene: snee-yeh-ZHAH-nah; snyeh-ZHAH-nah)
  • Snježna (Croatian: SNYEHZH-nah)
  • Śnieżka (Polish: very obscure, also a direct translation of Snow White in Polish. SHNYESH-kah)
  • Snezhana Снежана (Russian/Bulgarian/Macedonian/Ukrainian: snyeh-ZHAH-mah)
  • Snežana Снежана (Serbian)
  • Sneža/Snežka/Snežna (Slovene: Sneh-zhah, Snesh-kah, Snezh-nah)
  • Snežanka/Snežica (Slovene: sneh-ZHAHN-kah, sneh-ZHEET-sah)

Southern Slavic masculine forms are: Snežan, Snježko and Snježan.

The designated name-day in Bulgaria is December 14, in other countries, it is August 5.

Svatoslav

Posted on by
Reply

Gender: masculine
Origin: Old Slavonic
Meaning: “blessed glory.”

The name is composed of the Old Slavonic elements svyanto meaning “blessed, holy, bright” and slav meaning “glory.” In the Czech Republic, its designated name-day is December 3rd. A common Czech diminutive form is Svatoš.

Other forms of the name are:

  • Světoslav (Czech)
  • Svyatoslav Святослав (Bulgarian/Russian/Ukrainian)
  • Swietosław (Polish)
  • Svätoslav/Svetislav (Slovakian)
  • Svetislav/Svetoslav (Serbo-Croatian)

Sanja

Posted on by
Reply

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Bosnian, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovene
Meaning: “dream”
(SAHN-yah)

The name is derived from the South Slavic word sanjati meaning “to dream.” Thanks to Capucine for suggesting this name.

The name also has a history of being used as a diminutive form of Alexandra, in recent years, however, the name has exclusively been used as an independent given name due to the fact that it means dream. It currently ranks as the 86th most popular female name in Slovenia. The name is borne by Croatian singer and television host, Sanja Doležal (b.1963), Montengrin Serb singer, Sanja Djordjevic, Croatian-American actress and star of Holes Sanya Mateyash (nee Sanja Matejaš) and Serbian singer, Sanja Maletić (b. 1973).

A masculine form is Sanjin.

Liběna

Posted on by
Reply

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Czech
Meaning: “love”
(lee-BYEH-nah).

The name is derived from the Slavic element ljub meaning “love.” Its designated name-day in the Czech Republic is November 6th. Other forms of the name include the Bulgarian Lyubina and the Serbo-Croat Ljubina. Czech diminutive forms are Líba, Libuška and Libby.

Pribislav, Pribislava

Posted on by
2

Origin: Bulgarian/Czech/Serbo-Croatian/Slovakian/Slovenian
Meaning “broken glory.”

The name is composed of the Old Slavonic elements pribi meaning “pierced, broken” and slav “glory.” It was borne by several medieval Slavic princes. There is another Serbian male form which is Prvoslav. There are the obscure Polish forms, Przybysław and Przybysława (thanks to Magdalena for providing the info for the Polish forms).