Given Names
As with most Western cultures, a child is given a first name chosen by their parents or is chosen by godparents. The given name comes first, the surname last, e.g. "Željko Popović", where "Željko" is a first name and "Popović" is a family name.
| Serbian | Derivation | Origin | Meaning | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slobodan Слободан |
Serbian | Free man | Eleftherios, Sloba | Slobodanka | |
| Miroslav Мирослав |
Slavic | Peace and Glory | Mirosław, Mirko | Mira, Miroslava | |
| Vladimir Владимир |
Владимѣръ | Slavic |
Rule in Peace | Vlada, Vlado | Vladimira, Vlada |
| Vukašin Вукашин |
Slavic | Son of the wolf, younger wolf | Vuki, Vuk, Vule, Vučko, Vukosav | Vuka, Vukica | |
| Zoran Зоран |
Slavic | Daybreak | Zoki, Zoća | Zora, Zorana, Zorica | |
| Goran Горан |
Slavic | Woodsman, Highlander "The tall one" |
Gorana | ||
| Aleksandar Александар |
Aléxandros Αλέξανδρος |
Greek | Protector of Man | Aleksa, Saša, Sale | Aleksandra, Saša, Saška |
| Jovan Jован |
Ioannis Ιωάννης |
Hebrew |
God is gracious | Ivan Jovo, Jovica, Joca, Jole |
Jovana, Ivana, Ivanka, Iva |
| Marko Марко |
Marcus | Latin | Maki, Mare | ||
| Nikola Никола |
Nikolaos Νικόλαος |
Greek | Victory of the people | Nidža, Niko | Nikoleta, Nikolina |
| Đorđe Ђopђe |
Georgios Γεώργιος |
Greek | Farmer | Đurađ Đuro, Đole, Đoka, Đorđa, Đorđo |
Đorđica, Đurđica, Đurđina |
| Mihailo Михаило |
Mikha'el מִיכָאֵל |
Hebrew |
"He who is like God" | Mika, Miki, Miha |
Serbian first names largely originate from Slavic roots:
- (e.g. Slobodan, Miroslav, Vladimir, Zoran, Ljubomir, Vesna, Leposava, Radmila, Gordana, Dragan, Milan, Goran, Radomir, Miomir, Branimir, Budimir, Slavimir)
For more Slavic names used in Serbia see the article:
- Slavic names
or choose:
- List of given names of Slavic origin (Serbian Wikipedia).
Some may be non-Slavic but chosen to reflect Christian faith. Names of this nature may often originate from Hebrew for Biblical reasons. Christian names include:
- (e.g. Nikola, Ivan, Jovan, Marija, Ana, Đorđe, Petar, Pavle, Mihailo)
Along similar lines of non-Slavic names among Christians, the origins for many such names are Greek:
- (e.g. Aleksandar, Filip, Jelena, Katarina, Todor)
Latin names include:
- (e.g. Marko, Antonije)
Read more about this topic: Serbian Name
Famous quotes containing the word names:
“It is a sad truth, but we have lost the faculty of giving lovely names to things. Names are everything. I never quarrel with actions. My one quarrel is with words.... The man who could call a spade a spade should be compelled to use one. It is the only thing he is fit for.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)
“Row after row with strict impunity
The headstones yield their names to the element,
The wind whirrs without recollection....”
—Allen Tate (1899–1979)