Macedonian Names - Behind the Name

Angel Ангел m & f English, Bulgarian, Macedonian
From the medieval Latin masculine name Angelus, which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived from the Greek word ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger"). It has never been very common in the English-speaking world, where it is sometimes used as a feminine name in modern times.

Bisera Бисера f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Derived from the South Slavic word бисер (biser) meaning "pearl" (ultimately of Arabic origin).

Blagica Благица f Macedonian
Derived from Macedonian благ (blag) meaning "sweet, pleasant, good" combined with a diminutive suffix.

Blagun Благун m Macedonian
Derived from Macedonian благ (blag) meaning "sweet, pleasant, good".

Blaže Блаже m Macedonian
Derived from Macedonian блажен (blažen) meaning "blissful, blessed", ultimately from Old Slavic bolgŭ "good, pleasant".

Bojan Бојан m Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian
Derived from Old Slavic bojĭ meaning "battle". This was the name of a 9th-century Bulgarian saint and martyr, also called Enravota, a son of the Bulgarian khan Omurtag.

Boris Борис m Bulgarian, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Czech, Slovak, Georgian, German, French
From a Bulgar Turkic name, also recorded as Bogoris, perhaps meaning "short" or "wolf" or "snow leopard". It was borne by the 9th-century Boris I of Bulgaria, who converted his realm to Christianity and is thus regarded as a saint in the Orthodox Church. To the north in Kievan Rus it was the name of another saint, a son of Vladimir the Great who was murdered with his brother Gleb in the 11th century. His mother may have been Bulgarian.... [more]

Danica Даница f Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Slovak, Macedonian, English
From a Slavic word meaning "morning star, Venus". This name occurs in Slavic folklore as a personification of the morning star. It has sometimes been used in the English-speaking world since the 1970s.

Goran Горан m Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Bulgarian
Derived from South Slavic gora meaning "mountain". It was popularized by the Croatian poet Ivan Goran Kovačić (1913-1943), who got his middle name because of the mountain town where he was born.

Grigor Григор m Armenian, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Armenian, Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Gregory. This is the name of the patron saint of Armenia (known as Saint Gregory the Illuminator in English).

Igor Игор m Russian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Slovak, Czech, Italian, Portuguese, Basque
Russian form of the Old Norse name Yngvarr (see Ingvar). The Varangians brought it with them when they began settling in Eastern Europe in the 9th century. It was borne by two grand princes of Kyiv, notably Igor I the son of Rurik and the husband of Saint Olga. Other famous bearers include Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), a Russian composer known for The Rite of Spring, and Igor Sikorsky (1889-1972), the Russian-American designer of the first successful helicopter.

Ivan Иван m Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, English, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Estonian
Newer form of the Old Church Slavic name Іѡаннъ (Ioannŭ), which was derived from Greek Ioannes (see John). This was the name of six Russian rulers, including the 15th-century Ivan III the Great and 16th-century Ivan IV the Terrible, the first tsar of Russia. It was also borne by nine emperors of Bulgaria. Other notable bearers include the Russian author Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883), who wrote Fathers and Sons, and the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), who is best known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.

Jordan Јордан m & f English, French, Macedonian, Serbian
From the name of the river that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is יַרְדֵן (Yarḏen), and it is derived from יָרַד (yaraḏ) meaning "descend, flow down". In the New Testament John the Baptist baptizes Jesus Christ in its waters, and it was adopted as a personal name in Europe after crusaders brought water back from the river to baptize their children. There may have been some influence from the Latin name Jordanes, notably borne by a 6th-century Gothic historian.... [more]

Katina Катина f Greek, Macedonian, Bulgarian
Greek contracted form of Katerina. This name had a spike in popularity in America in 1972 when it was used for a newborn baby on the soap opera Where the Heart Is.

Lazar Лазар m Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian
Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian and Macedonian form of Lazarus. This name was borne by a 14th-century Serbian ruler who was killed at the Battle of Kosovo.

Ljuba Љуба m & f Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian, Czech
From the Slavic element ľuby meaning "love", or a short form of names beginning with that element. It is typically masculine in Serbia and feminine elsewhere.

Ljubica Љубица f Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene
From 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)".

Martin Мартин m English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Finnish
From the Roman name Martinus, which was derived from Martis, the genitive case of the name of the Roman god Mars. Saint Martin of Tours was a 4th-century bishop who is the patron saint of France. According to legend, he came across a cold beggar in the middle of winter so he ripped his cloak in two and gave half of it to the beggar. He was a favourite saint during the Middle Ages, and his name has become common throughout the Christian world.... [more]

Matej Матеј m Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian
Slovak form of Matthias, used to refer to the apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. Also the Slovene, Croatian and Macedonian form of Matthew, used to refer to the evangelist and apostle also known as Levi.

Milica Милица f Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian
From the Slavic element milŭ meaning "gracious, dear" combined with a diminutive suffix. This name was borne by the wife of the 14th-century Serbian ruler Lazar.

Miloš Милош m Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian
Originally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element milŭ meaning "gracious, dear". This was the name of a 14th-century Serbian hero who apparently killed the Ottoman sultan Murad I at the Battle of Kosovo.

Mirče Мирче m Macedonian
Derived from the Slavic element mirŭ meaning "peace, world".

Oliver Оливер m English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Catalan, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Czech, Slovak, Carolingian Cycle
From Old French Olivier, which was possibly derived from Latin oliva "olive tree". Alternatively there could be an underlying Germanic name, such as Old Norse Áleifr (see Olaf) or Frankish Alawar (see Álvaro), with the spelling altered by association with the Latin word. In the Middle Ages the name became well-known in Western Europe because of the French epic La Chanson de Roland, in which Olivier is a friend and advisor to the hero Roland.... [more]

Ruža Ружа f Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian
Means "rose" in Croatian, Serbian and Macedonian, a cognate of Rosa 1. In Macedonian, ружа is an alternate form of the word роза (roza).

Ruzha Ружа f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "hollyhock" in Bulgarian (referring to flowering plants from the genera Alcea and Althaea). This is also an alternate transcription of Macedonian Ружа (see Ruža).

Slavica Славица f Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian
From the Slavic element slava meaning "glory" combined with a diminutive suffix. It was originally a diminutive of names containing that element.

Toše Тоше m Macedonian
Diminutive of Todor. This name was borne by the Macedonian pop star Toše Proeski (1981-2007).

Trajan 2 Трајан m Macedonian, Serbian
Means "enduring, permanent" in South Slavic. This also coincides with the Macedonian and Serbian form of the Roman emperor's name Trajan 1, which may also factor into the name's usage.