TURKISH CENSUS OF 1455 REVEALED THE NAMES SERBS ONCE HAD

The Turkish census from 1455 reveals that Serbs once had very different names compared to today.

We present some names that Serbs used in the past, many of which are either no longer in use or are very rarely heard, and some have disappeared entirely. These names have been discovered thanks to the Turkish census in the Branković region from 1455, as published by the Facebook page "Serbian National Awareness."

Interestingly, beside each name, something identifying the person was recorded, usually the father's name, and less frequently the mother's name. Other identifiers were also used, such as “Dobrislav, the poor man” or “Reljiša, the widow.”

The list also gives us insight into some completely forgotten names like Rahče, Brajan, Radonja, Radohna, Herak, Dabiživ, and more.

The Historical Entertainment blog highlighted some of the most beautiful forgotten Serbian male names. Here are some of them:

ARSENIJE – manly

Famous Serb – Arsenije Čarnojević, the Patriarch of Peć and leader of the Great Migration of Serbs, later Metropolitan and Patriarch of Serbs in Austria.

BOGDAN – given by God

Famous Serb – Bogdan Bogdanović, basketball player, as well as architect and philosopher with the same name; Bogdan Diklić (actor).

VELIZAR – arrow, spear

Famous Serb – Velizar Kosanović, physician and participant in the National Liberation Struggle.

GAVRILO – strong, powerful man

Famous Serb – Gavrilo Princip, member of the “Young Bosnia” organization who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sofia.

DOSITEJ – one who loves God

Famous Serb – Dositej Obradović, educator, reformer, and the first Serbian Minister of Education.

ĐURAĐ – farmer

Famous Serb – Đurađ Branković, Serbian despot and the second son of Vuk Branković.

EVGENIJE – noble, kind-hearted

Famous Serb – Evgenije Jurišić Šturm, later Pavle, Serbian general during the Liberation Wars (1912-1918) and veteran of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871).

ŽELIMIR – one who desires peace

Famous Serb – Želimir Žilnik, renowned film director.

ZAVIDA – a protective name, a child others can only envy

Famous Serb – Zavida, one of the Serbian noblemen from the Vukanović dynasty, father of Župan Stefan Nemanja.

IVANIŠ – derived from the name Ivan, also a variant of the name Jovan

Famous Serb – Despot Ivaniš, a Serbian nobleman from the time of Emperor Dušan, who had estates in Toplica.

JOAKIM – God has established

Famous Serb – Joakim Vujić, Serbian writer and author of over forty different works, according to the Historical Entertainment blog.

KAMENKO – strong, steadfast like a rock.