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:
“A knowledge that people live close by is,
I think, enough. And even if only first names are ever exchanged
The people who own them seem rock-true and marvelously self-sufficient.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“At present our only true names are nicknames.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)