Bosnian Last Names

These Bosnian last names come from Bosniak, Croat and Serb families across Bosnia and Herzegovina, listed A to Z with meanings. Many place an Arabic or Turkish given name or an Ottoman title inside the Slavic -ić ending.

253 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Ademović

Son of Adem (Adam)
Ahmetović

Son of Ahmet (Ahmad), highly praised
Alić

Son of Alija (Ali), exalted
Alihodžić

Son of Ali the hodja, religious teacher
Andrić

Son of Andrija (Andrew); Croat and Serb
Anić

Son of Ana (Anne); Bosnian Croat
Avdić

Son of Avdo, short form of Abdullah

B

Babić

From baba, grandmother or old woman; used by all communities
Bajrić

Son of Bajro, short form of Bajram, festival
Barišić

Son of Bariša, short form of Bartol (Bartholomew)
Bašić

From baša, head or chief (Turkish baş)
Bećirović

Son of Bećir (Bekir), from Arabic Bakr
Beganović

Son of Began, from beg, bey
Begić

Son of a bey, Ottoman nobleman
Bekrić

Son of Bekir (Bakr), young camel (Arabic)
Beširević

Son of Beširo (Bashir), bringer of good news
Bešlagić

From bešlija, an Ottoman light cavalryman
Bevanda

Herzegovinian Croat, possibly from a Romance nickname
Bilić

From bil, white; Croat
Bošnjak

A Bosnian; also common among Croats
Brkić

From brk, moustache; used by all communities
Bubalo

Possibly a nickname for a stout person or a drummer; Herzegovinian Croat
Buljubašić

Son of a buljubaša, Ottoman company commander
Burić

Possibly from bura, north wind, or a nickname

C

Ćatić

Son of a ćata, clerk or scribe (Turkish kâtip)
Čaušević

Son of a čauš, Ottoman sergeant or herald
Ćavar

Herzegovinian Croat, possibly from Turkish çavuş, sergeant
Ćehajić

Son of a ćehaja, steward (Turkish kâhya)
Čengić

Noted Herzegovinian beg family, possibly from Turkish çenk, battle
Čolić

From čolo, one-handed; used by Bosniaks and Serbs
Ćorić

From ćoro, one-eyed (Turkish kör); Herzegovinian Croat
Čović

Possibly from čovjek, man, or a nickname; Herzegovinian Croat
Cvijanović

Son of Cvijan, from cvijet, flower

D

Dedić

From dedo, grandfather
Delalić

Son of a dellal, town crier or auctioneer
Delić

Son of a deli, Ottoman border cavalryman
Demirović

Son of Demir, iron (Turkish)
Dizdarević

Son of a dizdar, fortress commander
Đokić

Son of Đoko, short form of Đorđe (George)
Đukić

Son of Đuka, short form of Đurađ (George)
Đurić

Son of Đuro (George)
Durmić

Son of Durmo, short form of Durmiš, may he stay
Džaferović

Son of Džafer (Jafar), stream
Džafić

Son of Džafo, short form of Džafer (Jafar)
Džeko

Possibly a nickname of Turkish or Slavic origin

E

Efendić

Son of an efendi, educated gentleman

F

Fazlić

Son of Fazlo, from Arabic fadl, grace
Ferhatović

Son of Ferhat, a Persian hero's name
Filipović

Son of Filip (Philip); Croat and Serb

G

Gajić

Son of Gajo, a short personal name
Galić

From galo, black or dark; Croat and Serb
Ganić

Son of Gano, a short personal name
Gavrić

Son of Gavro, short form of Gavrilo (Gabriel)
Golić

From gol, naked or bare
Gradaščević

One from Gradačac; noted Bosnian captain's family
Grgić

Son of Grgo (Gregory); Bosnian Croat

H

Hadžiahmetović

Son of Ahmet the hajji, pilgrim
Hadžibegović

Son of a bey who was a hajji
Hadžić

Son of a hajji, one who made the pilgrimage
Hadžimehmedović

Son of Mehmed the hajji, pilgrim
Hadžiomerović

Son of Omer the hajji, pilgrim
Hadžiselimović

Son of Selim the hajji, pilgrim
Hajdarević

Son of Hajdar, lion (Arabic haydar)
Halilhodžić

Son of Halil the hodja, religious teacher
Halilović

Son of Halil, friend (Arabic khalil)
Hamidović

Son of Hamid, praiseworthy (Arabic)
Hamzić

Son of Hamza, strong (Arabic)
Hasanović

Son of Hasan, handsome or good (Arabic)
Hasić

Son of Haso, short form of Hasan
Hodžić

Son of a hodja, religious teacher
Hrustić

Son of Hrusto, a folk form of Husein
Hukić

Son of Huko, short form of Husein
Husejnović

Son of Husejn (Husayn), little handsome one
Husić

Son of Huso, short form of Husein
Husković

Son of Husko, diminutive of Husein

I

Ibrahimović

Son of Ibrahim (Abraham)
Ilić

Son of Ilija (Elijah)
Imamović

Son of an imam, prayer leader
Imširović

Son of Imšir, a Bosnian Muslim personal name
Isaković

Son of Isak (Isaac)
Ismić

Son of Ismo, short form of Ismet or Ismail
Ivanković

Son of Ivanko, diminutive of Ivan; Bosnian Croat
Ivić

Son of Ivo (John); Bosnian Croat
Izetbegović

Son of Izet-beg, from izzet, honour

J

Jahić

Son of Jaho, short form of Jahja (John)
Janjić

Son of Janja or Janjo, a pet form of Jovan (John)
Jašarević

Son of Jašar, may he live (Turkish yaşar)
Jelić

Son of Jela, from jelen, deer, or Jelena
Jokić

Son of Joka, short form of Jovan
Jovanović

Son of Jovan (John); Bosnian Serb
Jovičić

Son of Jovica, diminutive of Jovan; Bosnian Serb
Jukić

Son of Juko, short form of Juraj (George)
Jurić

Son of Jure (George); Bosnian Croat
Jusić

Son of Juso, short form of Jusuf
Jusufović

Son of Jusuf (Joseph)

K

Kadić

Son of a kadija, Islamic judge
Kadrić

Son of Kadro, short form of Kadrija, power
Kahrimanović

Son of Kahriman, hero (Persian qahraman)
Kalajdžić

Son of a kalajdžija, tinsmith (Turkish kalaycı)
Kamberović

Son of Kamber, a Muslim hero's name
Kapetanović

Son of a kapetan, Ottoman frontier captain
Kapidžić

Son of a kapidžija, gatekeeper (Turkish kapıcı)
Karahasan

Dark Hasan, from Turkish kara, black
Karić

Possibly from Turkish kara, black or dark
Kazazović

Son of a kazaz, silk worker (Turkish kazaz)
Kecman

Possibly from Hungarian or German, a Bosnian Serb name
Keranović

Possibly from Turkish kiran, lord or conqueror
Knežević

Son of a knez, prince or village headman
Kolak

Possibly from kolo, wheel, or kolač, cake; Bosnian Croat
Kostić

Son of Kosta (Constantine); Bosnian Serb
Kovač

Smith; used by Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs
Kovačević

Son of a smith (kovač); used across all communities
Kožul

Herzegovinian Croat, possibly from koža, skin or leather
Kraljević

Son of the king (kralj)
Kreso

Possibly from Kreso, a short form of Krešimir
Kujundžić

Son of a kujundžija, goldsmith (Turkish kuyumcu)
Kukić

Possibly from kuka, hook, or a nickname
Kulenović

From kula, tower; noted Bosnian bey family
Kurić

Possibly from Kuro, a short personal name
Kurspahić

From Kurt, wolf, plus spahija, cavalryman
Kurtagić

From Kurt-aga, wolf plus aga, lord
Kurtović

Son of Kurt, wolf (Turkish)
Kuzmanović

Son of Kuzman (Cosmas)

L

Lagumdžija

A lagumdžija, sapper or tunnel digger (Turkish lağımcı)
Lazić

Son of Lazo, short form of Lazar
Ljubić

Son of Ljubo, from ljubav, love
Ljubijankić

One from Ljubija, a place near Prijedor
Lovrić

Son of Lovro (Lawrence); Bosnian Croat
Lukić

Son of Luka (Luke); Serb and Croat

M

Mahmutbegović

Son of Mahmut-beg
Mahmutović

Son of Mahmut (Mahmud), praised
Malkić

Son of Malko, possibly from Arabic malik, king, or Slavic mali, small
Mandić

Son of Mando or Manda, short forms of names like Manojlo or Mandalina
Marić

Son of Mara or Marija; Bosnian Croat
Marijanović

Son of Marijan; Bosnian Croat
Marjanović

Son of Marjan, from Marija; Serb and Croat
Marković

Son of Marko (Mark); Serb and Croat
Martinović

Son of Martin; Croat and Serb
Matić

Son of Mate (Matthew); Croat and Serb
Mehić

Son of Meho, short form of Mehmed
Mehmedbašić

Son of Mehmed the baša, chief
Mehmedović

Son of Mehmed (Muhammad)
Memić

Son of Memo, short form of Mehmed
Mešić

Son of Meša, short form of Mehmed or Mustafa
Mićić

Son of Mića, short form of Milan or Mihailo
Mijatović

Son of Mijat, a form of Mihajlo (Michael)
Mikulić

Son of Mikula (Nicholas); Bosnian Croat
Milić

Son of Mile, from mio, dear
Mitrović

Son of Mitar (Demetrius); Bosnian Serb
Muhić

Son of Muho, short form of Muhamed
Mujanović

Son of Mujan, from Mujo (Mustafa)
Mujezinović

Son of a mujezin, muezzin who calls to prayer
Mujić

Son of Mujo, short form of Mustafa
Mujkić

Son of Mujko, diminutive of Mujo (Mustafa)
Mulalić

Son of a mula, mullah or learned man
Mulaosmanović

Son of Osman the mullah
Muminović

Son of Mumin, believer (Arabic mu'min)
Muratović

Son of Murat, wish or desire (Arabic)
Musa

From Musa (Moses); Herzegovinian Croat and Bosniak
Musić

Son of Muso, short form of Musa (Moses)
Mustafić

Son of Mustafa, the chosen one

N

Nezirović

Son of Nezir, warner (Arabic nadhir)
Nikolić

Son of Nikola (Nicholas)
Nuhanović

Son of Nuhan, from Nuh (Noah)
Numanović

Son of Numan, blood or blessing (Arabic)
Nurkić

Son of Nurko, from Arabic nur, light

O

Obradović

Son of Obrad, gladdened one
Okić

Possibly from Turkish ok, arrow
Omanović

Son of Oman, possibly a form of Osman
Omerbašić

Son of Omer the baša, chief
Omerović

Son of Omer (Umar), long-lived
Osmanović

Son of Osman (Uthman)

P

Pantić

Son of Panta, short form of Pantelija
Pašalić

From pašalija, pasha's man or pasha's domain
Pašić

Son of a pasha, Ottoman high official
Pavlović

Son of Pavle (Paul)
Pehar

From pehar, goblet or cup; Herzegovinian Croat
Pehlivanović

Son of a pehlivan, wrestler or hero
Perić

Son of Pero, short form of Petar; Serb and Croat
Petrović

Son of Petar (Peter); Serb and Croat
Pjanić

From pijan, drunk, an old nickname
Planinić

From planina, mountain; Bosnian Croat
Popović

Son of a priest (pop); Bosnian Serb
Pranjić

Son of Pranjo (Francis); Bosnian Croat
Primorac

One from the coast (primorje); Bosnian Croat

R

Radić

Son of Rade, from rad, glad; Serb and Croat
Radulović

Son of Radul, from rad, glad
Raguž

Herzegovinian Croat, possibly from Ragusa (Dubrovnik)
Rakić

Son of Rako, possibly a short form of Radoslav or similar names
Ramić

Son of Ramo, short form of Ramadan or Rahman
Ramljak

Herzegovinian Croat, possibly from Rama region
Redžić

Son of Redžo, short form of Redžep (Rajab)
Rizvanović

Son of Rizvan, contentment (Arabic ridwan)
Rozić

Son of Roza, rose; Herzegovinian Croat

S

Šabanović

Son of Šaban (Sha'ban), eighth Islamic month
Šabić

Son of Šabo, short form of Šaban
Sadiković

Son of Sadik, truthful (Arabic sadiq)
Šahinović

Son of Šahin, falcon (Persian shahin)
Salihović

Son of Salih, righteous (Arabic)
Salkić

Son of Salko, diminutive of Salih
Sarač

Saddler (Turkish saraç)
Šarac

From šarac, dappled horse; Serb
Saračević

Son of a sarač, saddler
Sarajlić

One from Sarajevo
Šarić

From šaren, spotted or colourful; used by all communities
Savić

Son of Sava; Bosnian Serb
Šehić

Son of a šejh, Sufi sheikh
Šehović

Son of a šejh, sheikh
Sejdić

Son of Sejdo, from sayyid, lord
Selimović

Son of Selim, safe or sound (Arabic)
Sesar

Herzegovinian Croat, possibly from Caesar
Silajdžić

Son of a silahdar, weapons bearer
Simić

Son of Sima, short form of Simeon
Šimić

Son of Šime (Simon); Bosnian Croat
Sinanović

Son of Sinan, spearhead (Arabic)
Smajić

Son of Smajo, short form of Ismail
Smajlović

Son of Smajl (Ismail)
Softić

Son of a softa, madrasa student
Soldo

From soldo, coin or soldier's pay (Italian); Herzegovinian Croat
Spahić

Son of a spahija, Ottoman cavalryman holding land
Stanivuković

Son of Stanivuk, from stati, to stand, plus vuk, wolf
Stevandić

Son of Stevan (Stephen), a regional form
Stojanović

Son of Stojan, one who stands firm
Sulejmanović

Son of Sulejman (Solomon)
Suljić

Son of Sulja, short form of Sulejman

T

Tabaković

Son of a tabak, tanner (Turkish)
Tadić

Son of Tade, short form of Tadija (Thaddeus)
Tahirović

Son of Tahir, pure (Arabic)
Tanović

Son of Tano, a short personal name
Telalović

Son of a telal, town crier or broker
Terzić

Son of a terzija, tailor (Turkish terzi)
Tešanović

Son of Tešan, a Serbian personal name
Todorović

Son of Todor (Theodore); Bosnian Serb
Tomić

Son of Toma (Thomas); Serb and Croat
Topić

Possibly from top, cannon or ball (Turkish); Bosniak and Croat
Trifković

Son of Trifko, from Trifun (Tryphon)
Tufekčić

Son of a tufekčija, gunsmith (Turkish tüfekçi)
Turković

From Turčin, a Turk or a Muslim

V

Vasić

Son of Vaso, short form of Vasilije (Basil)
Vego

Herzegovinian Croat, origin uncertain
Velić

Son of Veli, saint or guardian (Arabic wali)
Vidović

Son of Vid (Saint Vitus)
Vuković

Son of Vuk, wolf; Serb and Croat
Vulić

Son of Vule, from vuk, wolf

Z

Zadro

Herzegovinian Croat, origin uncertain
Zahirović

Son of Zahir, helper or manifest (Arabic)
Zečević

From zec, hare; used by all communities
Zejnilović

Son of Zejnil, from Zayn al-Abidin
Zelenika

From zelenika, holly or evergreen shrub; Herzegovinian Croat
Zovko

Herzegovinian Croat, possibly from zov, call
Zukanović

Son of Zukan, from Zulfikar
Zukić

Son of Zuko, short form of Zulfikar
Zulić

Son of Zulo, short form of Zulfikar

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Results (6)

Gajić

Son of Gajo, a short personal name
Malkić

Son of Malko, possibly from Arabic malik, king, or Slavic mali, small
Tanović

Son of Tano, a short personal name
Imširović

Son of Imšir, a Bosnian Muslim personal name
Beširević

Son of Beširo (Bashir), bringer of good news
Martinović

Son of Martin; Croat and Serb

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What the meanings in Bosnian last names reveal

Read the meaning column and a pattern appears quickly. A large share of Bosniak names are built on a personal name that arrived with Islam, such as Hasan, Omer, Mehmed, Sulejman or Halil, followed by the Slavic ending -ović or -ić. Hasanović is the son of Hasan, Omerović the son of Omer and Halilović the son of Halil. Short pet forms produced names too, so Huso gave Husić, Mujo gave Mujić and Suljo gave Suljić.

Another group grew from trades named with Turkish words during the Ottoman period. Terzić comes from terzija, a tailor, Tufekčić from a gunsmith, Kazazović from a silk worker and Kalajdžić from a tinsmith. Some names stack several elements, which is how Alihodžić, Hadžimehmedović and Mahmutbegović formed. Hadži marked someone who had made the pilgrimage to Mecca, and a later ancestor might add his own name on top. Split these long compounds into their parts and they read like a short family history.

Names shared by Bosniak, Croat and Serb families

Bosnia and Herzegovina is home to three main communities, and the list reflects all of them. Names built on Muslim given names are usually Bosniak. Names like Jurić, Marić, Zovko, Bevanda and Raguž are typical of Croat families, especially in western Herzegovina around Mostar and Široki Brijeg. Names like Jovanović, Savić, Todorović and Stanivuković are common among Serb families, particularly in the Republika Srpska entity around Banja Luka and in the east of the country.

Plenty of names cross these lines. Kovačević, the son of a smith, is found in all three communities, and so are nature names like Vuković, from vuk, the wolf. Given names and religion usually say more about a family than the surname alone. The Slavic grammar is the same across the country, so an -ić name tells you a family is South Slavic but not which faith or community it belongs to. Treat any single name as a hint rather than a label.

Diacritics, spelling and the Bosnian diaspora

Bosnian uses the Latin letters č, ć, dž, đ, š and ž, and the list keeps them because they change the sound. Ć is a soft ch, č a harder ch, š is sh, ž sounds like the s in pleasure and dž like the j in jam. The search box ignores the marks, so typing hodzic finds Hodžić and causevic finds Čaušević. In the letter bar, names starting with Č or Ć sit under C and names starting with Š sit under S.

Families who left during and after the war of the 1990s settled in Germany, Austria, Sweden, the United States and Australia, and spellings shifted with them. St. Louis in Missouri has one of the largest Bosnian communities in the United States, where Begić is usually written Begic and Hadžić Hadzic. Older emigrant records sometimes show -ich instead of -ić. When you research a family, check every spelling, and use the generator below the list if you want fresh combinations for a story.

Frequently asked questions

What are some well known Bosnian last names?

Hodžić, Hadžić, Begić, Delić, Hasanović, Kovačević and Mehmedović appear throughout the country. Well known bearers include footballer Edin Džeko, basketball player Jusuf Nurkić, film director Danis Tanović and Alija Izetbegović, who led the country through independence and the war of the 1990s.

Why do so many Bosnian names end in -ović or -ević?

Both are longer forms of the South Slavic ending -ić, meaning son of or descendant of. The choice depends on the sound of the root, so Omer gives Omerović and Kovač gives Kovačević, while shorter forms like Alić add -ić directly. The meaning is the same in each case.

Does a Bosnian family name change for women?

No. A woman carries exactly the same form as her father or husband, so a daughter in the Hodžić family is also Hodžić. This differs from Bulgarian or Russian, where a feminine ending is added. Married women may take the husband's name, keep their own or join the two with a hyphen.

Can a name show whether a family is Bosniak, Croat or Serb?

It can hint, but it cannot prove anything. Names built on Arabic or Turkish given names are usually Bosniak, and names like Jurić or Jovanović lean Croat or Serb. Yet trade names such as Kovačević are shared by all three, and families have converted and married across communities over the centuries.