Finding the perfect name for your story’s characters is not always easy.
You have to ensure that the surname adds meaning and purpose to your character’s background. The name should also suit your character’s demeanor.
There are several Slavic surnames that belong to different countries in the region. Each surname carries its own unique meaning and indicates which land the person belongs to. Common Slavic last names often include patronymics (names developed using your father's name), familial names, and even pet names. These last names are formed by adding suffixes to given names and other words.
For more naming ideas, take a look at these Slavic baby names and these Bulgarian names.
Soroka (Ukrainian and Jewish origin) – meaning "magpie"
Fiala (Czech origin) – meaning "violet flower", derived from the name given to someone who lived near violet gardens
Bosko(Polish and Slovak origin) – derived from the Slavic word "bosu", which means "barefoot"
Polák (Czech origin) – meaning "Pole", as in "Person from Poland" in Czech
Kudrna (Czech origin) – meaning "curl". It is derived from a common nickname given to someone with curly hair
Podsedník (Czech origin) - meaning "one who sits behind"
Bogdanić(Croatian origin) – meaning "son of Bogdan"
Petrić(Croatian origin) – meaning "son of Petar"
Adamić (Croatian origin) – meaning "son of Adam"
Řezník(Czech and Slovak origin) – meaning "butcher" in both languages. The surname is given to someone who works as a butcher
Skála (Czech origin) – meaning "rock"
Dubanowski (Polish origin) – a surname used to indicate a person belonging to the town of Dubinowo
Tomić(Croatian and Serbian origin) – meaning "son of Toma"
Ganus (Russian and Ukrainian origin) – the surname is derived from the Russian word for the anise plant, or the Turkish name for "spring" or "source".
Grbić (Croatian, Serbian and Slovene origin) – meaning ‘hunchback’
Pokorný(Czech and Slovak origin) – meaning "humble" in both languages
Poroshenko (Ukrainian origin) – translating to ‘gunpowder’ or ‘dust’, this occupational name was given to someone who sold gunpowder
Vengerov (Ukrainian and Russian origin) – meaning "Hungarian"
Julisa, Meaning: youthful or sky father Origin: Spanish variation of Julia ~ View Detail
Beneš (Czech origin) – from the given name Benedikt
Molchan (Russian and Ukrainian origin) – meaning "silent". The surname originated from a common nickname given to people who are soft-spoken
Antić (Croatian and Serbian origin) – meaning "son of Anto" or "son of Ante"
Shianne, Origin: Hebrew ~ View Detail
Dragović (Croatian origin) – meaning "son of Drago"
Novak (Croatian, Slovene, and Serbian origin) – name given to someone new to the village
Janković(Croatian and Serbian origin) – meaning "son of Janko"
Broz (Croatian origin) – a diminutive of Ambrozije
Filipović(Croatian and Serbian origin) – meaning "son of Filip"
Kocur (Ukrainian origin) – translating to "tom cat" or "male cat"
Kazan (Ukrainian and Belarusian origin) – derived from the Turkish word meaning "kettle, boiler, or furnace"
Gogol (Ukrainian and Polish origin) – means "common goldeneye", which is a type of duck.
Ivanović(Croatian and Serbian origin) – meaning "son of Ivan"
Franjić(Croatian origin) – this is one of the old Slavic names meaning "son of Franjo"
Perko (Croatian and Slovene origin) – ancient last name derived from "Peter"
Bilyk (Ukrainian origin) – meaning "white" in Ukrainian
Kyselý(Czech origin) – meaning "sour"
Cherneski (Ukrainian origin) – derived from "cherno" or "charno".
Bomba (Ukrainian, Czech, Slovak, and Spanish origin) – this surname is often used to describe people with a short temperament. It can also be used as an occupational surname for an artilleryman.
Beran(Czech origin) – meaning "ram"
Hruška (Czech origin) – meaning "pear". It’s a common surname given to people who reared or grew pear fruits
Bartosz (Polish origin) – derived from the name "Bartosz"
Adamík (Czech Republic origin) – derived from the name Adam
Doubek (Czech origin) – meaning "small oak" or "oak"
Hrubý (Czech origin) – A Czech word meaning "coarse" or "crude"
Yulisa, Meaning: youthful or sky father Origin: Spanish variation of Julisa or Julia
Chvátal (Czech origin) – a derivate of the word "chvátat", which means "to hurry"
Cherkasskiy (Ukrainian origin) – meaning "Circassian"
Ivanova (Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian origin) – meaning "daughter of Ivan". It is a feminine surname often given to girls.
Jedlička (Czech origin) – derived from the Czech word "jedle", meaning "fir tree"
Tyquan,
Zorić (Croatian and Serbian origin) – meaning "son of Zora"
Lomachenko (Ukrainian origin) – derived from the word ‘lam’, which means "scrap" in the Ukrainian language
Ryba (Czech and Polish origin) – meaning "fish" in both languages. It is a surname given to someone who works as a fisher
Chalupník (Czech origin) – derived from the Czech word "chalupa", meaning "cottage". The name was given to peasant farmers who owned very little land.
Veselý (Czech origin) – meaning "cheerful"
Barno (Ukrainian, Russian, French, Aramaic, and Italian origin) – a surname that is often associated with people from Tuscany, Italy.
Franić(Croatian origin) – another variation of Franjić
Máselník (Czech origin) – derived from the Czech word "máslo" meaning butter. A common last name for someone who sold butter or buttermilk
Baylie, Origin: English
Malaya (Russian and Ukrainian origin) – in both Russian and Ukrainian languages, this word means "small" or "little"
Babić (Croatian and Serbian origin) – meaning "of old woman"
Lončar (Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian origin) – meaning "potter" or "pot"
Kovačić(Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian origin) – patronymic Slavic name from South Slavic which means "blacksmith"
Rosya (Ukrainian and Russian origin) – a shortened variant of ‘Rossiya’, which is the namesake word for Russia in the language. Alternatively, it can mean "rose".
Horvat (Croatian and Slovene origin) – meaning "person from Croatia"
Jelen(Czech origin) – derived from a nickname, meaning "stag" in Czech
Růžička(Czech origin) – meaning "little rose"
Chmela (Czech origin) – meaning "hops", derived from the name given to the person who grew beer hops
Žitnik (Czech, Slovene origin) – derived from Slavic word "žito", meaning "rye". It is a common surname for a person who deals in rye or bakes bread.
Vinković (Croatian origin) – meaning "son of Vinko"
Tesař(Czech origin) – meaning "carpenter" in Czech. The surname was derived from the Slavic work "tesla", meaning "adze".
Crnčević (Croatian and Serbian origin) – meaning "the color black"
Micayla, Origin: Hebrew
Ciarra, Origin: Irish
Jehlička (Czech origin) – derived from the Czech word "jehla", meaning "needle". It is a common surname given to tailors
Andrysiak(Polish origin) – meaning "son of Andrzej"
Vlahović (Croatian and Serbian origin) – patronymic derivative of Vlah, meaning "Romanian"
Nikolić(Croatian and Serbian origin) – meaning "son of Nikola"
Archaki(Polish and Ukrainian origin) – meaning "lord" or "ruler". The name is derived from Greek.
Nedbálek (Czech origin) – derived from the word "nedbalý", meaning "careless"
Stojanović (Croatian and Serbian origin) – meaning "son of Stojan"
Bryana, Origin: Variations of Briana
Marković(Croatian and Serbian origin) – meaning "son of Marko"
Holub (Czech and Ukrainian origin) – meaning "dove" or "pigeon" in both languages
Dziedzic(Polish origin) – meaning "land owner"
Čech (Czech origin) – translates to "Czech"
Zbirak (Ukrainian and Polish origin) – derived from the Polish word ‘zbierac’, which means to collect or gather
Ilić (Croatian and Serbian origin) – meaning "son of Ilija"
Ślusarski (Polish origin) – an occupational name given to a locksmith, derived from the word "ślusarz", which has Germanic origins
Stankić(Croatian and Serbian origin) – meaning "son of Stanko"
Kaylan, Origin: American
Mlynář (Czech origin) – meaning "miller"
Bárta (Czech origin) – derived from the name Bartoloměj
Stjepanić (Croatian origin) – meaning "son of Stjepan"
Kamiński (Polish origin) – meaning "stone". It is a surname given to someone who works as a stonecutter
Gomółka (Polish origin) – derived from the Polish word "gomółka", which is a type of round cheese
Chernenko (Ukrainian and Russian origin) – In both Russian and Ukrainian languages, this name means the color "black"
Navrátil (Czech origin) – meaning "returned", derived from "navrátit", which means "to return"
Datsyuk (Ukrainian and Russian origin) – meaning "to offer or provide a service"
Aksamit(Polish, Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Czech origin) – meaning "velvet"
Kalashnik (Ukrainian origin) – means "maker of kalaches", which is a type of bread found in the Slavic regions
Coleton, Origin: English
Panchenko (Ukrainian origin) – common surname meaning "fisher"
Horáček (Czech origin) – derived from the Czech word "hora", meaning "mountain"
Slavík (Czech origin) – meaning "nightingale"
Černý(Czech origin) - a last name meaning "black"
Yulissa, Origin: English
Doležal (Czech origin) – a surname that originated from a common nickname given to a lazy person, meaning "to lie down"
Čermák (Czech origin) – meaning "redstart", which is a type of bird
Grgić (Croatian origin) – meaning "son of Grgur"
Gutnik (Ukrainian, Russian, and Yiddish) – This name is derived from Yiddish to mean "glassworker"
