Macedonian Surnames

[Constellation]

Hmmm, let's see how common Slavic first names were before 1900s.... let's ask ourselves.... how many Macedonian revolutionaries had first names like that?

Dame - Damjan Gruev
Nikola Karev
Goce - Georgi Delchev
Jane Sandanski
Jordan Piperkata
Todor Alexandrov
Vasil Chakalarov
Pandil -Panteleimon Klashev
Pere - Petar Toshev
Anastas Lozanchev
Anton Dimitrov
Hristo Tatarchev
Apostol Petkov

As you can see majority had Christian first names, not Slavic names or names with the word "Slav".

Thank you Niko.

So you are arguing against the soldier's post about Macedonian names having "Slav" in them from the Middle Ages? Would you agree with his assertion that names with "Slav" in them became more pronounced in the Yugoslav era, or would you disagree?

[Niko777]

Hmmm, let's see how common Slavic first names were before 1900s.... let's ask ourselves.... how many Macedonian revolutionaries had first names like that?

Dame - Damjan Gruev
Nikola Karev
Goce - Georgi Delchev
Jane Sandanski
Jordan Piperkata
Todor Alexandrov
Vasil Chakalarov
Pandil -Panteleimon Klashev
Pere - Petar Toshev
Anastas Lozanchev
Anton Dimitrov
Hristo Tatarchev
Apostol Petkov

As you can see majority had Christian first names, not Slavic names or names with the word "Slav".

[Gocka]

ive come across many Macedonians with the names slav prefix at the end of their names, but in everyday use its not used i have a relative named Tome but hes birth name is Tomislav,

I've come across them to but they are very rare in western Macedonia. Like I said all the people I have encountered are actually Christened Tome, not Tomislav. There birth names don't include the Slav.

[Phoenix]

...Names with such endings have existed from the middle ages, but they don't seem to be common in Macedonia, where (traditionally eastern Orthodox) Christian and native names have dominated. Having said that, names with such endings have appeared more frequently since Yugoslav times, along with other non-traditional Macedonian names like Robert, Tony, etc.
...

Good point SoM, in the modern context it's difficult to disregard the practice of trends in the naming of children...we constantly see pop cultural influences in given names.

I think it's been no different with names containing "Slav" in previous generations, it would be interesting to see at what stage in history such names were most frequently given to children.

[Soldier of Macedon]

Are there records of Macedonian names with "Slav" in them in the 1800s or pre Yugoslav in general?

Names with such endings have existed from the middle ages, but they don't seem to be common in Macedonia, where (traditionally eastern Orthodox) Christian and native names have dominated. Having said that, names with such endings have appeared more frequently since Yugoslav times, along with other non-traditional Macedonian names like Robert, Tony, etc.

What can explain the use of phrases such as Slavic Orthodox (and its linguistic equivalent in Macedonian)..........

Orthodox churches that use variants of what is commonly known as Slavonic liturgy originally developed by Cyril and Methodius who based it on their own Macedonian dialect. The phrase can be misleading because it seems to suggest a single and concise entity, which it most certainly doesn't.

Please remember I am not born in Macedonia.

Honestly, at this point, who cares? You won't even reveal which part of Macedonia you're supposedly from, which, aside from being stupid (given that you're on a Macedonian forum and among your apparent 'kinsmen') is also deceptive.

[VMRO]

Does anyone know some unique Macedonian first names that are not used by anyone else? I havent heard of any other nations using names like Orce, Vojo, Vojdan e.t.c

Perhaps we can compile a list like the unique Macedonian words in the Macedonian Language thread.

I have heard of the name Lastun which i found pretty unique.

[Toska]

How can you be sure that a name like Vojo/Vojdan is shortened from Vojoslav? Many of the names like Spase/Spasislav, Branko/Branislav, Tome/Tomislav, from my experience the majority of Macedonians don't use the version with slav in it, not only in speaking but they are not Christened that way either.

ive come across many Macedonians with the names slav prefix at the end of their names, but in everyday use its not used i have a relative named Tome but hes birth name is Tomislav,

[Constellation]

Thank you for everyone who has contributed to this thread. For me, the larger purpose of this thread is not so much Macedonian or Slavic names, but understanding the context of names with "Slav" in them.

Could an argument be made that the usage of "Slav" in first names is a deep seated linguistic and cultural phenomenon of all Slavic speaking people? If so, how did this come about?

Put differently, could this be the result of a natural expression of Slavic languages and cultures or is this the result of an artificial expression superimposed by Yugoslav propaganda?

Are there records of Macedonian names with "Slav" in them in the 1800s or pre Yugoslav in general?

I find this all very puzzling.

Although no nation on earth calls itself Slavic and there is no language called Slavic, there are expressions of "Slavic" in Slavic speaking peoples, even with Macedonians who identify as Macedonian and not Slavic.

What can explain the use of phrases such as Slavic Orthodox (and its linguistic equivalent in Macedonian) and names with "Slav" in them?

Please remember I am not born in Macedonia.

Anyone have answers?

[Gocka]

orce is just jordan or ordan nagelno, like nikola and nikolce, Vojo is vojoslav shortened, its etymology would be a vojnik or a warrior, vojdan would derive from the same name.

How can you be sure that a name like Vojo/Vojdan is shortened from Vojoslav? Many of the names like Spase/Spasislav, Branko/Branislav, Tome/Tomislav, from my experience the majority of Macedonians don't use the version with slav in it, not only in speaking but they are not Christened that way either.

[Gocka]

orce is just jordan or ordan nagelno, like nikola and nikolce, Vojo is vojoslav shortened, its etymology would be a vojnik or a warrior, vojdan would derive from the same name.

How can you be sure that a name like Vojo/Vojdan is shortened from Vojoslav? Many of the names like Spase/Spasislav, Branko/Branislav, Tome/Tomislav, from my experience the majority of Macedonians don't use the version with slav in it, not only in speaking but they are not Christened that way either.

[Momce Makedonce]

orce is just jordan or ordan nagelno, like nikola and nikolce, Vojo is vojoslav shortened, its etymology would be a vojnik or a warrior, vojdan would derive from the same name.

I didnt know that about Orce thanks for the info. Popped into my head because of the singer Orce Stefkovski.

[Toska]

Does anyone know some unique Macedonian first names that are not used by anyone else? I havent heard of any other nations using names like Orce, Vojo, Vojdan e.t.c

Perhaps we can compile a list like the unique Macedonian words in the Macedonian Language thread.

orce is just jordan or ordan nagelno, like nikola and nikolce, Vojo is vojoslav shortened, its etymology would be a vojnik or a warrior, vojdan would derive from the same name.

[DedoAleko]

Just as an example, I have 410 friends on fb and 4 have "slav" in their names: Slavko, Slave x2 and Slavica.

And the etymology is debatable.



Slav
Late 14c., Sclave, from Medieval Latin Sclavus (c.800), from Byzantine Greek Sklabos (c.580), from Old Church Slavonic Sloveninu "a Slav," probably related to slovo "word, speech," which suggests the name originally identified a member of a speech community (compare Old Church Slavonic Nemici "Germans," related to nemu "dumb;" and Old English žeode, which meant both "race" and "language").

Identical with the -slav in personal names (such as Russian Miroslav, literally "peaceful fame;" Mstislav "vengeful fame;" Jaroslav "famed for fury;" Czech Bohuslav "God's glory;" and see Wenceslas). Spelled Slave c.1788-1866, influenced by French and German Slave. As an adjective from 1876.

izvor: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Slav

But, also Slav(a) Слав(а) means Glory, Slaven (Славен)- Glorious/Famous, Slav(i) Слав(и)-Celebrate etc.

[Momce Makedonce]

Does anyone know some unique Macedonian first names that are not used by anyone else? I havent heard of any other nations using names like Orce, Vojo, Vojdan e.t.c

Perhaps we can compile a list like the unique Macedonian words in the Macedonian Language thread.

[Gocka]

This is an educational thread (for me at least). I know some of you will not like this thread and conspiracy accusations will fly...

I have always been curious why in Slavic speaking nations, whether east or west, north or south, that some first names have the world "Slav" in it?

Like Tomislav, for example; or Miroslav; or Voijslav; etc.

I see these types of names in all Slavic speaking nations, including Macedonia.

Is this because of the old communist Yugoslav propaganda of a common Slavic pedigree?

Am I wrong? If not, what is the reason for this? I have never seen any other nation on earth incorporate such a practice.

Any serious theories...?

All the old people I knew in my village in ROM, had very different names, I didn't really know any with the kind of names you mention.

Atanas, Anastas, Vojdan, Zdravko, Branko, Milcho, Zaro, Najdenko, Mihajl, Kliment, Naum, Risto, Ilija, Zivko, Spase, Petar, Nikola, Todor.

These are the names I was accustomed to as a kid in the village.

Then if you look at women s names I can only think of two like you mention, Slavica, and Slavjanka. Women's names were even more unique. Snezana, Ratka, Cvetanka, Trendafila, Zorica, Jasna, Elena, Krstana, Vesna, Todorka, Ljupka, Trena, Paraskeva.

Older Macedonian names are much more connected to the land, god, and peace.

I think the Slav ending really came to be from Serbian influence, because many of the names ending in Slav have a Macedonian version without it like Vojoslav and Vojdan, Branislav and Branko, Miroslav, Mirko etc