South Slavic Surnames

These names are used in regions that use South Slavic languages.
usage
Abadjiev Bulgarian
Patronymic name derived from the Turkish word aba "coat". It may have originally denoted the children of a tailor.
Adamić Croatian
Means "son of Adam".
Andonov Bulgarian
Means "son of Andon".
Antić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Anto" or "son of Ante 1".
Antov Bulgarian
Means "son of Anton".
Antunović Croatian
Means "son of Antun".
Apostolov Bulgarian
Means "son of Apostol".
Asenov Bulgarian
Means "son of Asen".
Ateljević Serbian
Probably from Hatelji, the name of a town in Serbia, which is of unknown meaning.
Babić Serbian, Croatian
Matronymic surname derived from Slavic baba "old woman".
Babič Slovene
Slovene form of Babić.
Bachvarov Bulgarian
Patronymic from Bulgarian бъчвар (bachvar) meaning "cooper, barrel maker".
Bakalov Bulgarian
Patronymic derived from Bulgarian bakalin meaning "grocer".
Bašić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of the chief", derived from Serbo-Croatian baša meaning "chief, boss" (of Turkish origin).
Blažević Croatian
Means "son of Blaž".
Bogdanić Croatian
Means "son of Bogdan".
Boyadjiev Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Бояджиев (see Boyadzhiev).
Boyadzhiev Bulgarian
Patronymic from Bulgarian бояджия (boyadzhiya) meaning "dyer".
Boyanov Bulgarian
Means "son of Boyan".
Božić Croatian
Means "Christmas" in Croatian, a diminutive of bog meaning "god".
Brankovič Slovene
Slovene form of Branković.
Brankovich Serbian
Alternate transcription of Serbian Бранковић (see Branković).
Brkić Croatian, Serbian
Derived from Serbo-Croatian brk meaning "moustache, whisker".
Broz Croatian
Derived from Broz, a diminutive of Ambrozije. This was the birth surname of the Yugoslavian dictator Josip Broz Tito (1892-1980).
Buchvarov Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Бъчваров (see Bachvarov).
Chavdarov Bulgarian
Means "son of Chavdar".
Chilikov Bulgarian
Patronymic derived from Bulgarian челик (chelik) meaning "steel" (of Turkish origin).
Ćosić Croatian, Serbian
From Croatian and Serbian ćosav "beardless", ultimately from Persian کوسه (koseh) meaning "shark".
Crnčević Serbian, Croatian
Derived from Serbian and Croatian црн (crn) meaning "black".
Cvetkov Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Цветков (see Tsvetkov).
Damyanov Bulgarian
Means "son of Damyan".
Danailov Bulgarian
Means "son of Danail".
Danchev Bulgarian
Means "son of Dancho".
Daskalov Bulgarian
Patronymic derived from даскал (daskal) meaning "teacher".
Davidović Serbian
Means "son of David".
Demirović Bosnian
Means "son of Demir".
Dimov Bulgarian
Means "son of Dimo".
Dobrev Bulgarian
Means "son of Dobri".
Đorđević Serbian
Means "son of Đorđe".
Draganov Bulgarian
Means "son of Dragan".
Dragić Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Patronymic from any of the Slavic given names starting with Drag (see Drago).
Dragov Bulgarian
Means "son of Drago".
Đurić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Đuro".
Franjić Croatian
Means "son of Franjo".
Furlan Italian, Slovene
From the name of the Italian region of Friuli, in the northeast of Italy, which is derived from the name of the Roman town of Forum Iulii meaning "forum of Julius".
Furnadjiev Bulgarian
Occupational name for a baker, derived from Bulgarian фурна (furna) meaning "oven".
Gašper Slovene
Derived from the given name Gašper.
Gavrilović Serbian
Means "son of Gavrilo".
Genadiev Bulgarian
Means "son of Genadi".
Genkov Bulgarian
Means "son of Genko".
Genov Bulgarian
Means "son of Geno".
Georgiev Bulgarian
Means "son of Georgi".
Gjorgiev Macedonian
Means "son of Gjorgji".
Golob Slovene
Means "pigeon" in Slovene.
Golub Croatian
Means "pigeon" in Croatian.
Goranov Bulgarian
Means "son of Goran".
Grbić Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Means "hunchback", derived from Serbian, Croatian and Slovene grba "hump".
Grgić Croatian
Means "son of Grgur".
Grigorov Bulgarian
Means "son of Grigor".
Gujić Bosnian
Means "son of a snake" from the Bosnian word guja meaning "snake".
Hadjiev Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Хаджиев (see Hadzhiev).
Hadzhiev Bulgarian
Means "son of the pilgrim" from Bulgarian хаджия (hadzhiya) meaning "pilgrim", ultimately derived from Arabic حَجّ (hajj).
Hadžić Bosnian
From Bosnian hadž meaning "hajj, pilgrimage", ultimately derived from Arabic حَجّ (hajj). It originally denoted a person who had completed the hajj.
Herceg Croatian
Croatian form of Herzog.
Hodžić Bosnian
From Bosnian hodža meaning "master, teacher, imam", a word of Persian origin.
Horvat Croatian, Slovene
From Croatian and Slovene Hrvat meaning "Croat, person from Croatia".
Horvatinčić Croatian
Patronymic derived from Horvat.
Hristov Bulgarian
Means "son of Hristo".
Ignatov Bulgarian, Russian
Means "son of Ignat".
Ilić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Ilija".
Iliev Bulgarian
Means "son of Iliya".
Ivankov Bulgarian
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Ivan.
Ivanković Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Ivan.
Ivanov Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Macedonian
Means "son of Ivan". It is among the most common surnames in Bulgaria and Russia.
Ivanović Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Ivan".
Ivanovski Macedonian
Means "son of Ivan".
Ivov Bulgarian
Means "son of Ivo 2".
Jankovič Slovene
Means "son of Janko".
Jež Slovene, Czech
Cognate of Jeż.
Jovanović Serbian
Means "son of Jovan".
Jovanovski Macedonian
Means "son of Jovan".
Jugovac Croatian
From Croatian jug meaning "south".
Jukić Croatian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Juraj.
Jurić Croatian
Means "son of Jure".
Juriša Croatian
Derived from a diminutive form of Jure.
Jusić Bosnian
Perhaps means "son of Josip".
Kaloyanov Bulgarian
Means "son of Kaloyan".
Kaluža Slovene, Czech
Czech and Slovene form of Kałuża.
Kasun Croatian
Possibly derived from the old Slavic word kazati meaning "to order, to command".
Knežević Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic of Serbo-Croatian knez meaning "prince" (ultimately of Germanic origin).
Kokot Slovene, Croatian
Slovene and Croatian cognate of Kohut.
Kolar Croatian, Slovene
Croatian and Slovene cognate of Kolář.
Kolarić Croatian
Patronymic form of Kolar.
Kopitar Slovene
From Slovene kopito meaning "hoof", an occupational name for a shoer.
Korošec Slovene
Originally indicated a person from Koroška (Carinthia), a medieval Slovene state, now divided between Slovenia and Austria.
Kos Slovene
Means "blackbird" in Slovene.
Košar Croatian
From Croatian koš meaning "basket", originally indicating a person who made or sold baskets.
Kovac Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Czech
Simplified spelling of Kováč or Kovač.
Kovač Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Slovene
Means "blacksmith", a derivative of Slavic kovati meaning "to forge".
Kovachev Bulgarian
Patronymic derived from Bulgarian ковач (kovach) meaning "blacksmith".
Kovačić Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian
Patronymic derived from South Slavic kovač meaning "blacksmith".
Kovačič Slovene
Slovene form of Kovačić.
Krajnc Slovene
Originally denoted a person from Carniola (Slovene Kranjska), a region that makes up a large part of central Slovenia.
Kralj Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
Slovene, Croatian and Serbian form of Król.
Krastev Bulgarian
Means "son of Krastyo".
Križman Slovene
From Slovene križ meaning "cross".
Krstevski Macedonian
Means "son of Krste".
Lazarov Bulgarian
Means "son of Lazar".
Lončar Croatian, Serbian, Slovene
Means "potter", from Serbo-Croatian lonac, Slovene lonec meaning "pot".
Lovrić Croatian
Means "son of Lovro".
Lučić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Luka".
Lukić Serbian
Means "son of Luka".
Mandić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Manda".
Marić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Marija".
Marinov Bulgarian
Means "son of Marin".
Markov Bulgarian, Russian
Means "son of Marko or Mark".
Martinov Bulgarian
Means "son of Martin".
Marušić Croatian
Matronymic name meaning "son of Marija".
Mateev Bulgarian
Means "son of Matey".
Matić Croatian
Means "son of Matija".
Medved Slovene, Croatian, Russian, Ukrainian
Means "bear" in several Slavic languages.
Mehmedović Bosnian
Means "son of Mehmed".
Mihailović Serbian
Means "son of Mihailo".
Mihajlović Serbian
Means "son of Mihajlo".
Mihaljević Croatian
Means "son of Mihael".
Mihaylov Bulgarian
Means "son of Mihail".
Mihov Bulgarian
Means "son of Miho", the given name Miho being a diminutive of Mihail.
Milić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Mile".
Milojević Serbian
Means "son of Miloje".
Milošević Serbian
Means "son of Miloš".
Minkov Bulgarian
Means "son of Minko", a Bulgarian diminutive of Mihail.
Mlakar Slovene, Croatian
Referred to someone who lived near a pool, derived from South Slavic mlaka meaning "pool, puddle".
Muratović Bosnian
Means "son of Murat".
Naoumov Russian, Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Russian/Bulgarian Наумов (see Naumov).
Naumov Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Naum".
Nikolov Bulgarian
Means "son of Nikolay".
Novak Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
Derived from Slavic novy "new", originally a name for someone who was new to a village.
Ognianov Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Огнянов (see Ognyanov).
Ognyanov Bulgarian
Means "son of Ognyan".
Pandev Macedonian
Means "son of Pande", Pande being a diminutive of Petar.
Pavić Croatian
Means "son of Pavle".
Pavičić Croatian
Means "son of Pavao".
Pavletić Croatian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Pavle.
Pavlov Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Pavel". A famous bearer of this surname was the Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.
Pavlovski Macedonian
Means "son of Pavle".
Perić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Pero".
Perko Slovene, Croatian
Derived from an archaic diminutive of Peter.
Perković Croatian
Patronymic derived from an archaic diminutive of Petar.
Petrić Croatian
Means "son of Petar".
Petrov Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Peter" in Russian and Bulgarian.
Petrovski Macedonian
Means "son of Petar".
Pleško Slovene
Nickname for a bald person, from Slovene pleša meaning "bald patch".
Popov Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of the priest", derived from Russian and Bulgarian поп (pop).
Popović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of the priest", derived from Serbo-Croatian pop meaning "priest".
Popovski Macedonian
Means "son of the priest" in Macedonian.
Potočnik Slovene
From Slovene potok meaning "stream, brook".
Radev Bulgarian
Means "son of Rade", a diminutive of Radoslav, Radomir, or other names beginning with рад (rad).
Radić Serbian, Croatian
Patronymic derived from the given name Rade.
Radkov Bulgarian
Means "son of Radko".
Resnik Slovene
Possibly from Slovene resa meaning "heather".
Salihović Bosnian
Means "son of Salih".
Šarić Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic of (possibly) Serbo-Croatian šaren meaning "colourful, patterned".
Simeonov Bulgarian
Means "son of Simeon".
Šimić Croatian
Means "son of Šime".
Šimunović Croatian
Means "son of Šimun".
Slavkov Bulgarian
Means "son of Slavko".
Stanev Bulgarian
Means "son of Stane", Stane being a diminutive of Stanislav.
Stanković Serbian
Means "son of Stanko".
Stefanov Bulgarian
Means "son of Stefan".
Stefanović Serbian
Means "son of Stefan".
Stjepanić Croatian
Means "son of Stjepan".
Stojanov Macedonian
Means "son of Stojan".
Stoyanov Bulgarian
Means "son of Stoyan".
Strnad Czech, Slovene
Means "bunting" in Czech and Slovene.
Struna Slovene, Czech
From Slavic struna meaning "string, cord", possibly denoting a maker of rope.
Tadić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Tadija".
Tahirović Bosnian
Means "son of Tahir".
Terzić Bosnian
From Bosnian terzija meaning "tailor", ultimately of Persian origin.
Todorov Bulgarian
Means "son of Todor".
Tomčić Serbian, Croatian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Toma 2.
Tomić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Toma 2".
Tomov Bulgarian
Means "son of Toma 2".
Trifonov Bulgarian
Means "son of Trifon".
Tsvetanov Bulgarian
Means "son of Tsvetan".
Tsvetkov Bulgarian
Means "son of Tsvetko".
Valeriev Bulgarian
Means "son of Valeri".
Vanchev Bulgarian
Means "son of Vancho" in Bulgarian.
Vanev Bulgarian
Means "son of Ivan" in Bulgarian.
Vankov Bulgarian
Means "son of Ivan" in Bulgarian.
Vantchev Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Ванчев (see Vanchev).
Vasilev Bulgarian, Russian
Means "son of Vasil".
Velitchkov Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Величков (see Velichkov).
Vidović Croatian
Means "son of Vid".
Vinković Croatian
Means "son of Vinko".
Vlahović Serbian, Croatian
Patronymic from Serbo-Croatian Vlah meaning "Romanian".
Vlašić Croatian
Patronymic from the nickname Vlah meaning "Romanian".
Vlašič Slovene
Patronymic from the nickname Vlah meaning "Romanian".
Vodenicharov Bulgarian
Patronymic derived from Bulgarian воденичар (vodenichar) meaning "miller".
Vukoja Croatian
Derived from the given name Vuk.
Vuković Serbian, Croatian
Derived from the given name Vuk.
Yanev Bulgarian
Means "son of Yane", a diminutive of Yoan 2.
Yankov Bulgarian
Means "son of Yanko".
Yordanov Bulgarian
Means "son of Yordan".
Zahariev Bulgarian
Means "son of Zahari".
Zdravkov Bulgarian
Means "son of Zdravko".
Zhivkov Bulgarian
Means "son of Zhivko".
Žitnik Slovene, Czech
From the Slavic root žito meaning "rye". This was an occupational name for a dealer in rye or a baker.
Zlatkov Bulgarian
Means "son of Zlatko".
Zorić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Zora".
Župan Croatian
Croatian cognate of Zupan.
Zupan Slovene
From Slavic župan meaning "head of the district, community leader".
Zupančič Slovene
Patronymic form of Zupan.