Montenegrin surnames are those carried by Montenegrin people in the country of Montenegro, as well as the diaspora in France, Germany, Argentina, Serbia, Luxembourg and the United States; Anchorage, Alaska is home to almost 25% of all Montenegrin Americans. They have been in Alaska since the early 20th century gold rushes.
History of Montenegrin surnamesHistory of Montenegrin surnames
Like surnames in other cultures, Montenegrin surnames have developed from a variety of sources, mostly occupational, locative (connected to a place of origin), patronymic (derived from a father's name), or nickname-based. Many Montenegrins can trace their ancestry back to the founder of their brotherhood, and their surnames frequently reflect the nation's history of tribes and brotherhoods (bratstva).
Montenegrin surnames naming conventionsMontenegrin surnames naming conventions
Slavic naming conventions are typically followed by Montenegrin surnames, with "-ić," which denotes a patronymic origin and means "son of," being the most common ending. For instance, someone who is "son of Petar" would have a surname like Petrović. The suffix "-ić" is prevalent in Montenegrin surnames, which are comparable to those in Serbia and other South Slavic countries.
Types of Montenegrin surnamesTypes of Montenegrin surnames
Montenegrin surnames of toponymic originMontenegrin surnames of toponymic origin
These Montenegrin surnames often derive from geographic regions, towns, or landscapes associated with an ancestor's origin:
- Njeguš – from the village of Njeguši, ancestral home of the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty
- Podgoričanin – “from Podgorica,” the capital
- Pljevaljac – from Pljevlja
- Kolašinac – from Kolašin region
- Zeta – from the historical region/river
- Crnogorac – literally “Montenegrin”
- Kuči – name of a highland tribe and region
- Vasojević – from the Vasojevići clan territory
- Pivljanin – from the Piva region
- Bjelopoljac – from Bijelo Polje
Montenegrin surnames of patronymic originMontenegrin surnames of patronymic origin
These Montenegrin surnames are among the most common ones, and are formed from the personal names of fathers or clan founders, usually with the suffix -ić or -ević:
- Petrović – “son of Petar,” also the royal family
- Jovanović – “son of Jovan” (John)
- Đukanović – “son of Đukan” (George variant)
- Vuković – “son of Vuk” (wolf)
- Marković – “son of Marko”
- Milatović – from Milat
- Tomić – from Tomo (Thomas)
- Radunović – from Radun
- Bošković – from Boško
- Pavlović – from Pavle (Paul)
Montenegrin surnames of occupational originMontenegrin surnames of occupational origin
Although Montenegrin surnames associated with an occupation or role are less common than in some cultures, a few Montenegrin surnames reflect professions:
- Popović – “son of a priest” (from pop)
- Kaluđerović – “son of a monk” (kaluđer)
- Knežević – “son of a knez” (local prince or chieftain)
- Vojvodić – “descendant of a vojvoda” (duke/military leader)
- Kovačević – “son of a blacksmith” (kovač)
- Tasić – possibly from tasa, related to weighing or measuring
- Trgović – from trg, meaning “market”
Montenegrin surnames of descriptive originMontenegrin surnames of descriptive origin
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There is a significant number of Montenegrin surnames that derive from physical or character traits of a forebear:
- Crnogorac – “Montenegrin” (ethnic identity)
- Bijelić – “white/fair-haired”
- Mrvaljević – from mrva (“crumb” – small/sturdy)
- Debeljak – “the fat one”
- Zelenović – “green,” possibly linked to eyes or clothing
- Čorba – slang nickname for “soup” but possibly descriptive
- Ćosić – “with a tuft” (hair)
- Ćuković – from ćuk, a type of owl (may imply alertness or nocturnal)
Montenegrin surnames of foreign originMontenegrin surnames of foreign origin
Some Montenegrin surnames are borrowed, modified, or exhibit Islamic or combined Slavic-Muslim features as a result of Ottoman influence and border fluidity, especially in the Sandžak :
- Hadžić – “pilgrim,” from Ottoman Turkish
- Alihodžić – from Ali Hodža (Islamic title)
- Bašić – from baša, “chief” (Turkish root)
- Ibrahimović – “son of Ibrahim”
- Zejnelagić – from Zejnel-aga, a title/name
- Mušović – Muslim Slavic name, also found in Sandžak
Montenegrin surnames of noble or clan-based originMontenegrin surnames of noble or clan-based origin
Prominent clans (plemena), which are essential to traditional identity, are the source of many Montenegrin surnames:
- Petrović-Njegoš – the ruling dynasty (18th–20th centuries)
- Vasojević – largest Montenegrin tribe
- Pavićević – tied to multiple clans
- Zlatičanin – from the Zlatica region and tribe
- Martinović – present in multiple tribes
- Lješković – tied to the Lješ region
- Raičević – from the Kuči or Bratonožići tribes
- Popivoda – known in Piperi and Morača regions
- Dapčević – politically prominent 20th-century family
- Bećirović – found among Slavic Muslims (may also overlap with Bosniak names)
Most common Montenegrin surnamesMost common Montenegrin surnames
Celebrities with Montenegrin surnamesCelebrities with Montenegrin surnames
- Veljko Bulajić - Montenegrin-Croat film director and UNESCO Kalinga Prize recipient who is primarily known for directing World War II-themed movies from the Partisan film genre. The top four most viewed Yugoslav films of all time were all directed by Bulajić.
- Aleksandar Ivović - Montenegrin professional water polo player, considered one of the best defenders of all time; gold medal at the 2005 Universiade, 2008 European Championships, FINA World League in 2009, 2018 and 2020 as well as European Junior Championships in 2004
- Jelena Petrović Njegoš, better known as Elena of Montenegro - Queen of Italy from 29 July 1900 until 9 May 1946 as the wife of King Victor Emmanuel III
- Mike Stepovich - merican lawyer and politician who served as the last non-acting Governor of the Territory of Alaska. Stepovich served as Territorial Governor from 1957 to 1958, and Alaska was given U.S. statehood in 1959.
- Danka Kovinić - Montenegrin professional tennis player, gold medal at the Games of the Small States of Europe in 2015
- Jorge Capitanich - Argentine politician, businessman, and accountant who served as Governor of Chaco Province from 2007 to 2013, from February to December 2015, and later from 2019 to 2023.
- Nicholas Delpopolo, born Petar Perović - Montenegrin-born American judoka, gold medal at the 2013 Pan American Championships
- Stevan Jovetić - Montenegrin professional footballer who plays as a striker for Omonia Nicosia and captains the Montenegro national team
See alsoSee also
- Serbian surnames
- Croatian surnames
- Bosnian surnames
- Slavic surnames
- Bulgarian surnames
- Serbian Jewish surnames
- North Macedonian surnames
- Turkish surnames
- Albanian surnames
- Kosovar surnames
- Slovene surnames
- Italian surnames
- Sephardic Jewish surnames
- Macedonian Jewish surnames
- Greek surnames
- Ashkenazi Jewish surnames
- Russian surnames
- Ukrainian surnames
- Indian surnames
- Silesian surnames
- Viking surnames
- Scottish surnames
- Welsh surnames
- Cornish surnames
- Canadian surnames
- New Zealand surnames
- American surnames
- Irish surnames
- French surnames
- Dutch surnames
Explore more about Montenegrin surnamesExplore more about Montenegrin surnames
- Discover the origin of your Montenegrin last name at MyHeritage
- Montenegro - Genealogy, Vital Records at MyHeritage
References
- ↑ Most Common Last Names In Montenegro. Forebears.io