Bulgarian Last Name Generator

How -ov and -ev patronymics became surnames

Most Bulgarian surnames are built from a man's first name plus -ov or -ev, meaning belonging to. Ivanov is Ivan's, Petrov is Petar's, Dimitrov is Dimitar's. The -ev form follows soft sounds, so Georgi gives Georgiev and Nikolay gives Nikolaev. For centuries many Bulgarians simply used a first name with a father's name that changed every generation. Fixed family names spread after Bulgaria's liberation in 1878, and many families only settled on one in the early twentieth century.

Bulgarian naming still reflects that history. A full name has three parts: a first name, a father's name built with -ov or -ev, and the family surname. Ivan Georgiev Petrov is Ivan, son of Georgi, of the Petrov family. Other surnames come from trades and nicknames: Kovachev from kovach (smith), Popov from pop (priest), Kasabov from kasap (butcher, a Turkish loan), and Grozev from Grozyo, a name based on a word for ugly that was probably given to ward off harm.

Feminine forms and Cyrillic spelling

Women use a feminine form that adds -a. Ivanov becomes Ivanova, Georgiev becomes Georgieva, and the father's name follows the same rule, so Ivan Georgiev Petrov's sister might be Maria Georgieva Petrova. Surnames ending in -ski, such as Rakovski, become -ska for women. A married woman usually takes her husband's surname in its feminine form, though keeping her own or joining both is legal. Always match the ending to the character, since a woman called Ivanov would look like a mistake.

Bulgarian is written in Cyrillic, and the generator shows each surname in its original script, such as Иванов for Ivanov. The official Latin transliteration uses zh for ж, ts for ц, ch for ч, sh for ш and sht for щ, so Жеков becomes Zhekov and Цветанов becomes Tsvetanov. Older passports and emigrant families may use other spellings like Jekov or Zhekoff. Seeing the Cyrillic lets you check the name before you pick a Latin spelling.

Making names with the Bulgarian last name generator

The ends with filter gives you quick control. Try -ev for names like Georgiev, Nikolaev and Stoev, or -ov for Ivanov, Popov and Todorov. Starts with works well if you want a surname built on a particular first name, such as Hristo for Hristov or Stoyan for Stoyanov. The rare setting skips the handful of names that fill every Sofia phone book and brings up trade and nickname surnames that feel more personal to a family.

Put the full name together in the preview box. Popular Bulgarian first names include Georgi, Dimitar, Ivan and Nikolay for men, and Maria, Elena, Desislava and Tsvetelina for women. If you want the full three-part name, choose a father's first name as well and add -ov or -ev, or -ova and -eva for a daughter. Save your favourites, share a link, or download a TXT file with the Cyrillic and meanings included.