If you have a baby boy and you want him to have a traditional Croatian name, I am here to help. I will list below all the traditional Croatian male names, as well as their meanings.
The list below will also help you if you have a Croatian name and you’re wondering what it means – or if you simply want to check out some amazing Croatian names for boys.
I also have an article sharing Croatian Girl names – make sure to check it out also when you’re done with this one. Let’s start!
Croatian Male Names and Their Meanings
- Ante: Derived from Anthony, meaning “priceless one” or “highly praiseworthy.”
- Andrija: Croatian form of Andrew, meaning “manly” or “brave.”
- Alen: Variant of Alan, meaning “rock” or “handsome.”
- Antun: Croatian form of Anthony, meaning “priceless one” or “highly praiseworthy.”
- Aron: Croatian form of Aaron, meaning “high mountain” or “exalted.”
- Adrian: Derived from Hadrianus, meaning “from Hadria” in Latin.
- Aleksandar: Croatian form of Alexander, meaning “defender of men.”
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- Bojan: Means “battle” or “war,” derived from Slavic elements.
- Borna: A name of Croatian origin meaning “fighter,” “warrior.” It’s quite popular in Croatia and signifies strength and courage.
- Branimir: Composed of Slavic elements meaning “protection” and “peace,” implying “a protector of peace.”
- Boris: Derived from a Turkic name, meaning “short” or “wolf” or “snow leopard.”
- Bruno: Means “brown,” originating from Germanic elements.
- Bartol: Croatian form of Bartholomew, meaning “son of the furrow” or “ploughman.”
- Blago: Short form of names beginning with the Slavic element “blag” meaning “sweet, pleasant, blessed.”
- Božidar: Means “divine gift,” derived from the Slavic elements “bozy” (divine) and “dar” (gift).
Croatian names starting with ‘C’ are less common, but here are some that might be found in wider Slavic or similar contexts:
- Cvitan: Derived from the word “cvijet” meaning “flower,” implying “blooming” or “flourishing.”
- Cedomir: Composed of Slavic elements meaning “child” and “peace,” translating to “one who brings peace to the family.”
- Caslav: Derived from Slavic elements meaning “glory” and “fame,” symbolizing someone renowned or famous.
- Damir: Means “giver of peace,” combining Slavic elements for “give” and “peace.”
- Dario: Croatian form of Darius, meaning “to possess good” or “he who holds firm to good.”
- Domagoj: Derived from Slavic elements meaning “home” and “to go, to care for,” implying “one who cares for the home.”
- Dražen: Possibly derived from the Slavic element “draž” meaning “precious, dear.”
- Dalibor: Combining Slavic elements meaning “far” and “battle,” suggesting “one who fights distant battles.”
- Danijel: Croatian form of Daniel, meaning “God is my judge.”
- Davor: Possibly related to the ancient god of war in Slavic mythology, symbolizing a warrior or “beloved.”
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- Emil: From the Roman family name Aemilius, meaning “rival” or “eager.”
- Erik: Croatian form of Eric, meaning “eternal ruler” or “sole ruler.”
- Eduard: Croatian form of Edward, meaning “wealthy guardian.”
- Emanuel: Croatian form of Emmanuel, meaning “God is with us.”
- Evanđelko: Derived from the word “evanđelje,” meaning “gospel” in Croatian, indicating a religious or spiritual significance.
- Filip: Croatian form of Philip, meaning “lover of horses.”
- Franjo: Croatian form of Francis, meaning “Frenchman” or “free one.”
- Fabijan: Derived from the Roman family name Fabius, meaning “bean grower.”
- Ferdinand: Of Germanic origin, meaning “bold voyager” or “adventurous,” used in Croatia as well.
- Frano: A shorter form of Franjo, meaning “Frenchman” or “free one.”
- Goran: Derived from the South Slavic word “gora,” meaning “mountain,” implying someone who comes from the mountains or loves nature.
- Gordan: Derived from the Slavic word meaning “proud,” “dignified,” or “noble.”
- Grgur: Croatian form of Gregory, meaning “watchful” or “alert.”
- Gradimir: Combines Slavic elements for “town, city” and “peace, prestige,” meaning “one who brings peace to the town.”
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- Hrvoje: A unique Croatian name, possibly derived from the medieval term “Hrvatin,” meaning “Croat.”
- Henrik: Croatian form of Henry, meaning “home ruler.”
- Ivan: Croatian form of John, meaning “God is gracious.”
- Igor: Of Old Norse origin, used in Croatia, meaning “warrior.”
- Ilija: Croatian form of Elijah, meaning “Yahweh is my God.”
- Ivica: Diminutive form of Ivan, meaning “little Ivan” or “God is gracious.”
- Isak: Croatian form of Isaac, meaning “he will laugh” or “he will rejoice.”
- Ive: A variant of Ivan, meaning “God is gracious.”
- Ivano: Another variant of Ivan, emphasizing a slightly different naming tradition but with the same meaning, “God is gracious.”
- Josip: Croatian form of Joseph, meaning “He will add” or “God shall add.”
- Juraj: Croatian version of George, meaning “farmer” or “earth-worker.”
- Jakov: Croatian form of Jacob or James, meaning “supplanter” or “holder of the heel.”
- Janko: Diminutive form of Jan, a Croatian form of John, meaning “God is gracious.”
- Karlo: Croatian form of Charles, meaning “man” or “free man.”
- Krešimir: A name derived from Slavic elements, meaning “cross” and “peace,” suggesting “one who brings peace with a cross.”
- Kazimir: Derived from Slavic elements meaning “to destroy peace,” referring to someone who commands peace through strength.
- Kristijan: Croatian form of Christian, meaning “follower of Christ.”
- Kruno: Short for names beginning with “Krun-“, related to “kruna” meaning “crown,” symbolizing “noble” or “royal.”
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- Lovro: Croatian form of Lawrence, meaning “from Laurentum” or “crowned with laurel.”
- Luka: Croatian form of Luke, meaning “from Lucania” or “light.”
- Leon: Meaning “lion,” it is used in Croatia and reflects strength and courage.
- Ljubomir: Derived from Slavic elements meaning “love” and “peace,” translating to “one who loves peace.”
- Ladislav: A name of Slavic origin meaning “one who rules with glory,” denoting nobility and leadership.
- Marko: Croatian form of Mark, meaning “warlike” or “dedicated to Mars.”
- Matej: Croatian form of Matthew, meaning “gift of the Lord.”
- Matija: Croatian variant of Matthias, meaning “gift of God.”
- Milan: Derived from Slavic root “milu,” meaning “gracious, dear.”
- Mirko: Means “peaceful” or “worldly,” derived from the Slavic element “mir” meaning “peace” or “world.”
- Miroslav: Combines Slavic elements “mir” (peace) and “slava” (glory), meaning “glorious peace.”
- Miro: Short for Miroslav, meaning “peaceful glory.” It’s a popular name for its positive connotation of peace.
- Nikola: Croatian form of Nicholas, meaning “victory of the people.”
- Nino: Often a diminutive of names ending in -nino, but also used independently with the same meaning as Nikola.
- Noa: Croatian form of Noah, meaning “rest” or “comfort.”
- Niksa: Derived from Nikola or Nicholas, meaning “victory of the people,” offering a unique variant.
- Natko: A diminutive or affectionate form, possibly related to names starting with “Nat-” but also stands independently in Croatian naming traditions.
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- Oliver: Widely used in Croatia, meaning “olive tree,” symbolizing peace.
- Ozren: Derived from the word “ozariti,” meaning “to illuminate” or “to brighten.”
- Ognjen: Means “fiery” or “born of fire,” from the Slavic word “ogonj” meaning “fire.”
- Osmo: A unique name possibly derived from the word “osmi,” meaning “eighth” in Croatian.
- Petar: Croatian form of Peter, meaning “rock” or “stone,” symbolizing stability and steadfastness.
- Pavle: Croatian form of Paul, meaning “small” or “humble.”
- Pavao: Another variation of Paul in Croatian, with the same meaning as Pavle.
- Predrag: Derived from Slavic elements meaning “very dear,” “precious.”
- Pero: A diminutive of Petar, meaning “rock” or “stone.”
- Radoslav: Combines Slavic elements “rad” (care, joy) and “slav” (glory), meaning “glorious joy” or “one who seeks joy in glory.”
- Roko: Croatian form of Roch, meaning “rest” or from the Germanic element “hrok” meaning “rest.”
- Ratko: Derived from the Slavic word “rat” meaning “war,” implying “warrior” or “one who enjoys war.”
- Robert: While of Germanic origin, used in Croatia, meaning “bright fame.”
- Renato: Croatian form of Renatus, meaning “born again” or “reborn.”
- Ranko: Derived from Slavic “ran” meaning “early” or “morning,” suggesting “early riser” or “dawn.”
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- Stjepan: Croatian form of Stephen, meaning “crown” or “wreath.”
- Sven: Though of Nordic origin, used in Croatia, meaning “young warrior” or “youth.”
- Slavko: Derived from the Slavic word “slava,” meaning “glory.”
- Sandro: Croatian diminutive of Alexander, meaning “defender of men.”
- Sinisa: Means “he who is from the Sinj region” or can imply “blue,” from the word “sinji.”
- Slobodan: Meaning “free” or “liberated,” reflecting a value of freedom and independence in Croatian culture.
- Sebastijan: Croatian form of Sebastian, meaning “venerable” or “revered.”
- Silvio: Derived from Latin “silva,” meaning “forest,” suggesting someone connected with the woods or nature.
- Simeon: Croatian form of Simon, meaning “he has heard” or “God has heard.”
- Tomislav: Combines “toma” (thought) and “slav” (glory), meaning “one who glorifies through his thoughts or deeds.”
- Tihomir: Derived from Slavic elements meaning “quiet” and “peace,” suggesting “quiet and peaceful.”
- Teo: Short for Teodor, meaning “gift of God.”
- Toni: Croatian diminutive of Antonio or Anthony, meaning “priceless one” or “highly praiseworthy.”
- Tvrtko: A historic name of old Slavic origin, meaning “hard,” “firm,” or “solid,” often associated with medieval Bosnian kings but used in Croatia as well.
- Uroš: While more commonly found in Serbian, it is also used in Croatian, originating from the Hungarian word “ur” meaning “lord” or “master.”
- Urban: From the Latin name Urbanus, meaning “city dweller” or “from the city,” used in Croatian as well.
- Vedran: Means “cheerful” or “merry,” derived from the South Slavic word “vedar.”
- Viktor: Croatian form of Victor, meaning “conqueror” or “victor.”
- Vladimir: Combines Slavic elements meaning “rule” and “peace,” translating to “one who rules with peace.”
- Vinko: Derived from Vincent, meaning “to conquer” or “winning.”
- Vanja: A diminutive form of Ivan, meaning “God is gracious,” used for both boys and girls.
- Valentino: A variant of Valentine, meaning “strong, healthy.”
- Zvonimir: A historic name meaning “sound of peace” or “the one who brings the message of peace,” from “zvoni” (sound, bell) and “mir” (peace).
What are the most common Croatian girl names?
While trends are changing and every few years new names become more popular than others, some of the most popular names from in Croatia, when it comes to boys, are:
Ivan, Marko, Petar, Matej, Ana, Marija, Lucija, Katarina, Josip, Luka.
Wrapping up
These would be all the traditional Croatian names that I could think of. Plenty of great names to choose from – I am sure you will find at least a new favorite for your baby boy.
If you know other Croatian names for boys and their meanings, please share them in the comments section below.
If not, I recommend reading next about Croatian Women or what to expect from Croatian Men.