Valery is a Bulgarian name. Natural simplicity of Bulgarian surnames. Female names in Bulgaria and their meaning

Bulgaria is a generous country. There's a lot here. Lots of sun and sea, smiles and Have a good mood, greens, fruits and vegetables.

What else turned out to be a lot were the names involved in Bulgarian passports. There are probably no such numbers in any other country, certainly not in Europe. I won’t even try to do a complete review of Bulgarian names. To do this, it seems, you need to graduate from the philological department of the university.

First of all, in Bulgaria there are all the famous Slavic names and various diminutive derivatives formed from them, which are also used as independent names. Ivan - Ivanka, Dimitar - Dimitrinka, Todor - Todorka, Stoyan - Stoyanka, Zdravko - Zdravka, Tsvetan - Tsvetanka, Milen - Milena, etc. and so on.

Bulgarian female names are full of variety: Shchilyanka, Zhivka, Siyana, Tsvetka, Khristinka, Ivanka, Petya (precisely Petya, in Bulgaria there is also a female name Vanya), Petka, Penka, Yordanka, Mariyka (the name Maria is present in itself and is one one of the most common). Belotsveta, Bisera, Berislava, Desislava, Bozhana, Chrysanta, Gisela, Jasmine, Rusana, Svetlena, Svetla, Zornitsa, Zaryana, Svetozar, Tsvetomir - an incredible number of beautiful and, most importantly, rare names. The Bulgarian princess's name is Kalina. In Russia, Lyubka is not the most respectful nickname, or even the nickname of a goat. And in Bulgaria it may be written in the passport of the owner of this name.

In male names in Bulgaria there are all conceivable Slavas (Zlatoslav, Miroslav, Radoslav, Vladislav, Svetoslav, Berislav, Borislav, Dezislav) as well as Miras (Radomir, Lyubomir, Zlatomir, Stanimir, Krasimir, Vladimir). Popular are Mitko, Mirko, Tudko, Venko, Nedko, Zhivko, Radko, Zlatko, Batko. And then there are such names as Galin, Lyudmil, Dobrin, Ognyan and Svetlin.

Turkish times left the names Demir and Demir in Bulgarian passports, but they are not so popular today, although some Muslim names present - Mehmed, Mustafa, Emine. Names left over from nomadic Turkic tribes, such as Asparukh and Krum, are practically no longer found.

Bulgaria is the country of Angels. There are about 50,000 men bearing this name. Surely, in no other country in the world are there so many Angels, and even with passports where this is written. Well, exactly, Bulgaria is a paradise country.

There are many Apostles in Bulgaria. And the most unusual male name is perhaps Mister. When I first heard such a name, I thought that the man who introduced himself was joking.

In Bulgaria, as in neighboring Romania, there are many gypsies. Therefore, among the Bulgarians there are many people with gypsy names - Shukar, Evsenia, Gozho, Godyavir, Bakhtalo. Of the pan-European names, the first place in Bulgaria is firmly held by the names Alexander and Victoria. There are many names in Bulgaria “according to mood”: Veselin and Veselina, Radostin, Zdravka, Svetlina.

Even at the border, I noticed that the name in Bulgaria is much more important than the surname. Border guards identify people primarily by name and date of birth. Later, when buying a TV, only my name was also written down in the warranty card in the “buyer (purchaser)” column. Officially, Bulgarians also have a middle name, but in real life not used at all.

With so many names in Bulgaria, they have long been confused about who should celebrate their name day when, and they introduced a wonderful holiday - the Day of All Bulgarian Saints.

In January 2010, the Bulgarian National Institute of Statistics published the latest official data on the statistics of proper names in Bulgaria.

According to these data, the number of names is more than 67 thousand (29 thousand for men and 38 thousand for women). Most common male names in Bulgaria Georgiy and Ivan. Almost 1,372,000 men in Bulgaria (38%) are bearers of these names. The Ivans celebrate their holiday Ivanovden on January 7th.

The variety of names among women is much greater. The most common name is Mary - more than 125 thousand women have this name, and if we take into account its derivative Mariyka (35 thousand women), then the leadership is obvious.

According to the institute, significant changes are currently taking place in the structure of Bulgarian names. Newborn boys today are most often called Georgies, and girls Victoria. IN last years There is a noticeable trend in Bulgaria to name girls double names. Today, Anne-Marie, Mary-Magdalena, and Marie-Antoinette are growing up in the country. The trend of double names has not yet spread to boys.

Source of statistics:
//www.omda.bg/engl/narod/BULG_IME_en.htm

You will soon have a son or daughter, are you expecting a child and don’t know what to name him?

Is everyday life and community very important to you?

Have you decided to give your child a special or real Bulgarian name?

Or maybe you yourself want to change your first and last name to a more original, beautiful and consonant one famous personalities Bulgarian history?

We really hope that our top 50 most popular names and surnames in Bulgaria will help you solve your pressing problem

To select the most popular names and surnames in Bulgaria, telephone book data was used to understand the use main point- statistics. The data itself is quite suitable for this kind of statistics, because it contains a large number of names and surnames and from different regions Bulgaria. The book contains more than 1 million people from all municipalities and regions of Bulgaria.

The top contains results and complete statistics separately for women and male surnames and names, which is reflected in the 50 best (or most popular) Bulgarian names and surnames.

Number of analyzed entries from telephone directories: 1089948

Number of unique names: 15791

Number of unique surnames: 55055

Here are all the statistics compiled from several TOPs.

Top 50 most popular Bulgarian names and surnames

This top 50 contains all the most popular first and last names, regardless of gender.

1. IVANOV Ivan
2. GEORGIEV Georgi
3. DIMITROV Dimitar (Dimitrov Dimitar)
4. PETROV Petar (Petrov Petr)
5. CHRIST Christ
6. TODOROV Todor
7. STOYANOV Stoyan
8. YORDAN Jordan
9. NIKOLOV Nikola
10. ATANASOV Atanas
11. VASILEV Vasil
12. NIKOLOV Nikolay
13. PETKOV Petko
14. ILIEV Ilia
15. STEFANOV Stefan
16. ANGELS Angel
17. IVANOV Georgi
18. MARINOV Marin
19. GEORGIEV Ivan
20. DIMITROV Georgi
21. IVANOV Dimitar (Ivanov Dimitar)
22. DIMITROV Ivan
23. GEORGIEV Dimitar (Georgiev Dimitar)
24. IVANOVA Maria
25. PETROV Ivan
26. MIKHAILOV Mikhail
27. ALEXANDROV Alexander (Alexandrov Aleksandir)
28. KOLEV Kolyo
29. NIKOLOV Georgi
30. IVANOV Petar (Ivanov Petar)
31. NIKOLOV Ivan
32. KOSTADINOV Kostadin
33. PETROV Georgi
34. DIMOV Dimo
35. IVANOVA Ivanka
36. SIMEONOV Simeon
37. STOYANOV Ivan
38. KHRISTOV Ivan
39. TODOROV Ivan
40. CHRISTOV Georgi
41. GEORGEVA Maria
42. STOYANOV Georgi
43. DIMITROVA Maria
44. GEORGIEV Petar (Georgiev Petar)
45. KOLEV Nikolay
46. ​​NIKOLOV Dimitar (Nikolov Dimitar)
47. IVANOV Hristo
48. PAVLOV Pavel
49. PETROV Dimitar (Petrov Dimitar)
50. TODOROV Georgi

Top 50 most popular Bulgarian names

The most popular Bulgarian names, regardless of gender.

1. Ivan
2. Georgi
3. Dimitar (Dimitar)
4. Petar (Petar)
5. Maria
6. Christo
7. Todor
8. Nikolay
9. Vasil
10. Stefan
11. Jordan
12. Stoyan
13. Nikola
14. Ivanka
15. Atanas
16. Elena
17. Kiril
18. Angel
19. Aleksandar (Alexander)
20. Elijah
21. Jordanka
22. Boris
23. Krasimir
24. Foam
25. Margarita
26. Petko
27. Plamen
28. Valentine
29. Violeta
30. Rumen
31. Emil
32. Lubomir
33. Vladimir
34. Lilyana
35. Tsvetanka
36. Mikhail
37. Marin
38. Radka
39. Kostadin
40. Tsvetan
41. Hope
42. Veselin
43. Mariyka
44. Blush
45. Todorka
46. ​​Stefka
47. Parking lot
48. Asen
49. Cornflower
50. Simeon

Top 50 most popular Bulgarian surnames

Bulgarian surnames are represented regardless of gender. With a small gap from each other, women with the same surnames lead our top.
1. IVANOV
2. GEORGIEV
3. DIMITROV
4. IVANOVA
5. PETROV
6. GEORGIEV
7. NIKOLOV
8. DIMITROVA
9. CHRIST
10. STOYANOV
11. TODOROV
12. PETROVA
13. NIKOLOVA
14. STOYANOVA
15. ILIEV
16. CHRIST
17. VASILEV
18. ATANASOV
19. TODOROVA
20. PETKOV
21. ANGELS
22. KOLEV
23. YORDANOV
24. MARINOV
25. ILIEVA
26. VASILEVA
27. ATANASOVA
28. PETKOVA
29. STEFANOV
30. POPOV
31. ANGELOVA
32. KOLEVA
33. YORDANOVA
34. MIKHAILOV
35. KRYSTEV (Krystev)
36. KOSTOV
37. MARINOVA
38. DIMOV
39. STEFANOVA
40. KOSTADINOV
41. POPOVA
42. MIKHAILOVA
43. PAVLOV
44. MITEV
45. SIMEONOV
46. ​​FLOWERS
47. KRISTEVA (Krysteva)
48. ALEXANDROV
49. MARKOV
50. KOSTOVA

Top 50 most popular Bulgarian male names

1. Ivan
2. Georgi
3. Dimitar (Dimitar)
4. Petar (Petar)
5. Christo
6. Todor
7. Nikolay
8. Vasil
9. Stefan
10. Jordan
11. Stoyan
12. Nikola
13. Atanas
14. Kiril
15. Angel
16. Aleksandar (Alexander)
17. Elijah
18. Boris
19. Krasimir
20. Petko
21. Plamen
22. Valentine
23. Rumen
24. Emil
25. Lubomir
26. Vladimir
27. Mikhail
28. Marin
29. Kostadin
30. Tsvetan
31. Veselin
32. Asen
33. Simeon
34. Lyuben
35. Borislav
36. Mitko
37. Pavel
38. Anton
39. Slavcho
40. Ventsislav
41. Valerie
42. Methodi
43. Bozhidar
44. Zdravko
45. Necklace
46. ​​Dimo
47. Konstantin
48. Boyan
49. Ognyan
50. Zhivko

Top 50 most popular Bulgarian male surnames

1. IVANOV
2. GEORGIEV
3. DIMITROV
4. PETROV
5. NIKOLOV
6. CHRIST
7. STOYANOV
8. TODOROV
9. ILIEV
10. VASILEV
11. ATANASOV
12. PETKOV
13. ANGELS
14. KOLEV
15. YORDANOV
16. MARINOV
17. STEFANOV
18. POPOV
19. MIKHAILOV
20. KRISTEV
21. KOSTOV
22. DIMOV
23. KOSTADINOV
24. PAVLOV
25. MITEV
26. SIMEONOV
27. FLOWERS
28. ALEXANDROV
29. MARKOV
30. SAVES
31. LAZAROV
32. DOBREV
33. ANDREEV
34. MLADENOV
35. RUSEV
36. VOLCHEV
37. RADEV
38. YANEV
39. FOUND
40. PENEV
41. YANKOV
42. STANCHEV
43. STOYCHEV
44. SLAVOV
45. GRIGOROV
46. ​​KIROV
47. ALEXIEV
48. STANEV
49. STANDS
50. BORISOV

Top 50 most popular local Bulgarian female names

1. Maria
2. Ivanka
3. Elena
4. Jordanka
5. Foam
6. Margarita
7. Violeta
8. Liljana
9. Tsvetanka
10. Radka
11. Hope
12. Mariyka
13. Blush
14. Todorka
15. Stefka
16. Parking
17. Cornflower
18. Rositsa
19. Stanka
20. Emilia
21. Donka
22. Milka
23. Wieliczka
24. Raina
25. Anka
26. Krasimira
27. Snezhana
28. Mariana
29. Valentina
30. Yanka
31. Christina
32. Katya
33. Nikolina
34. Daniela
35. Tatyana
36. Svetla
37. Galina
38. Zlatka
39. Lily
40. Ekaterina
41. Tsvetana
42. Nedyalka
43. Diana
44. Antoaneta
45. Peacock
46. ​​Anna
47. Veselina
48. Warbler
49. Marijana
50. Julia

Top 50 most popular native Bulgarian female surnames

1. IVANOVA
2. GEORGIEV
3. DIMITROV
4. PETROVA
5. NIKOLOVA
6. STOYANOVA
7. CHRIST
8. TODOROVA
9. ILIEVA
10. VASILEVA
11. ATANASOVA
12. PETKOVA
13. ANGELOVA
14. KOLEVA
15. YORDANOVA
16. MARINOVA
17. STEFANOVA
18. POPOVA
19. MIKHAILOVA
20. KRISTEVA
21. KOSTOVA
22. DIMOVA
23. PAVLOVA
24. KOSTADINOVA
25. MITEVA
26. SIMEONOVA
27. TSVETKOVA
28. ALEXANDROV
29. MARKOVA
30. SPASOVA
31. LAZAROVA
32. DOBREV
33. MLADENOVA
34. ANDREEVA
35. YANEVA
36. RADEVA
37. RUSEVA
38. YANKOVA
39. PENEVA
40. VULCHEVA
41. GRIGOROVA
42. KIROVA
43. NAIDENOVA
44. STANCHEVA
45. ALEXIEVA
46. ​​STOYCHEVA
47. BORISOVA
48. SLAVOVA
49. STANEVA
50. PANAYOTOVA

**** HOLY TRINITY CHURCH - We believe that our joint desire and concern will help restore the “Holy Trinity” church and the ringing of its bells will become a symbol of faith, hope and love for all descendants of Bulgarian settlers in Tavria. - Ukraine. The village of Radolovka, Primorsky district, Zaporozhye region.- Historical reference. - ... “Holy Trinity” church was built in 1907 at the expense of the founders of the village - Bulgarian settlers who refused to convert to Islam from the Turks in Bulgaria and remained faithful to Orthodoxy. Construction of the church lasted about five years using local building materials. The church was one of the most beautiful examples of Bulgarian church architecture on the territory of the Bulgarian colonies in the Azov region (Tavria). After the October Revolution of 1917 and the end civil war A rural library was opened. From September 17, 1943 to March 1944, a military field hospital was located in the church building; in the fall of 1943, the church building was bombed by the Nazis, as a result of which the central dome and bell tower were destroyed, and some of the wounded RKK soldiers who were in it at that time died. From 1944 to 2000, the church building was used as a granary and a warehouse for building materials. In 1977, taking into account the architectural value of the church building, the leadership of the Leningrad workshop for the restoration of architectural monuments proposed to the local collective farm to free the church from grain for its restoration, but this proposal was rejected. In 1994, a community of parishioners was formed in the village, which held several clean-up days to clear the church building of garbage. Since 2000, the church has been on the balance sheet of the Gyunovsky village council. In the same year, with the support of Father Dmitry from the city of Primorsk, the church was examined by specialists who drew up a design plan estimate documentation

for the restoration of the church. During the entire existence of the “Holy Trinity” Church, it, like its creators and their descendants, had to endure a lot: the greatness and prosperity of the Bulgarian colonies in Tavria, revolutionary oblivion and the fire of intolerance, death and destruction of war, economic difficulties and instability of our time. **** The centuries-old traditions of any country are largely reflected in the names that parents give to their children at birth. For example, many Bulgarian names have a special meaning and show certain characteristics of the child. In addition, they may contain a wish for success, health or wealth for a person. Some of them have Slavic roots

, others are Muslim. As in other countries, children nowadays are called by international names.

Origin and traditions The most common names in Bulgaria are Slavic origin . They became most popular when the Orthodox faith strengthened in these territories. Except them,

• Names of other origins have also become widespread:
• Turkish;
• Greek;
• Latin;

Jewish. Around the middle of the 20th century, Western European and American names , often children began to be named after famous performers

However, compared to many other countries, many, especially Bulgarian male names, have remained unchanged. This is because in Bulgaria there is still a tradition of naming children in honor of their ancestors, and often a child could be named after his grandmother or grandfather, regardless of his gender. Names in the country are unique in that many of them have both male forms, and women's. Among them:

• Zhivka-Zhivko;
• Kalin-Kalina;
• Todor-Todorka;
• Spas-Spaska.

Often names are chosen according to church calendar. Then the child is named after the saint on whose day he was born. A name can also mean one or another property. This is explained by the Bulgarians' belief in the power of words. The influence of other cultures, in particular Turkish, is felt in the names. These names are of Turkish origin, How:

• Demir and Demir;
• Emine;
• Mustafa and other Muslim names.

In addition, there are a lot of gypsies in the country. For this reason, there are people here whose names are Gozho, Evsenia, Bakhtalo and others. Some of them really have Romani origin, in other cases, parents named their children that way due to influence.

Features of female and male names

The country is unique in that people are named following centuries-old traditions, and there are also a large number of original traditional names. The variety of Bulgarian names for girls is amazing. Many of them have special meaning, for example:

There are women's traditional names of this country, which in Russia are considered masculine, and in short form. For example, Petya or Vanya. In Bulgaria you can often meet girls whose names are Tsvetans, Ivankas, Tsvetskas, Jordankas, Zornitsyas and more.

Men's names also have their own characteristics. In particular, there are a large number of them that end in “slav” or “peace”:

• Zlatoslav;
• Radimir;
• Lubomir;
• Zlatoslav.

No less popular are the names more familiar to Russians - Vladimir or Yaroslav. Original Bulgarian names can be called short forms, which are often considered official. For example, Tosho (from the full Todor), Gogo (George), as well as Zhivko, Zlatko and more.

Like women's names, Bulgarian boys' names have their own meaning. In addition, it was often possible to determine by the boy’s name what his family was doing.

For example, Dimitars or Georgi most often called the children of peasant farmers. But Philippas most often appeared in the families of riders or horse breeders. This name translates to “horse lover.” It is quite possible that the ancestors of the singer Kirkorov were involved in horses.

Other meanings of male names include:

In addition, common male names in Bulgaria are Angel or Apostle. It is worth noting that there are more men in Bulgaria who have “Angel” written in their passport than in the world. For this reason, many call Bulgaria “the country of Angels”.

Modern tendencies

If you believe the statistics of the Bulgarian National Institute, the number of names in the country is more than 67 thousand names. Moreover, if there are 29 thousand male names, there are much more female names - 38 thousand, respectively.

Boys are most often called Ivan and Georgiy. 38 percent of the male population is called this way. And the most common female name in the country is Maria, if we also count its form as Mariyka.

Other common names in the country include:

Today, one of the most popular names for newborn girls is Victoria, which can be called a trend towards globalization. But boys are still mostly called Georgies. And in recent years, girls have often begun to be called with double names in a foreign style, such as Anna-Maria, Maria-Margarita and others.

Last names and patronymics

The concept of a surname as a family hereditary sign in Bulgaria appeared relatively recently compared to other European countries. Their history of formation began only end of the 19th century century.

In spelling, they do not differ from traditional Russian surnames, but, unlike them, they have a “floating” accent that can change. Like Russians, many Bulgarian surnames for women or men end in -ev (Botev or Tashev) or -ov (Todorov, Vazov). A smaller number were formed using the suffixes -shki, -ski or -chki, reminiscent of Polish. Their origins are ancient, associated with the cities or villages of human origin. For example, Lesicherski (a native of the village of Lesicharska) or Ohridski (from the city of Ohrid).

Many surnames of people in Bulgaria are derived from given names - both directly Bulgarian and Christian in general. For example, Pavlov, Isaev, Ivanov and others, some are in no way different from Russians.

There are also special surnames, which are also considered traditional Bulgarian, however, it may seem that they are of Muslim origin. These include the surnames Hadzhipopov, Hadzhigeorgiev and others with a similar prefix. The word “Hajj” in the Muslim world is interpreted as a pilgrimage to Mecca. In Bulgaria, the owners of such surnames may not be hereditary Muslims, but their ancestors during the time of Turkish oppression were called this way when they traveled to Jerusalem or visited other holy places, and not necessarily Muslim ones.

There are surnames that indicate nicknames or activities. For example, the surname Kovachev comes from the word “blacksmith” and is an analogue of the Russian surname Kuznetsov or the Ukrainian surname Kovalev (or Koval).

Currently, newborns in Bulgaria are given a choice of the surname of their father or mother, either assigned a new one after the name of their grandfather, or the surnames of their parents are combined. Previously, in most cases, women after marriage took their husbands' surnames, but now they mostly switch to a double one.

There are also Bulgarian patronymics. They differ from Russians by the absence of the characteristic ending “vich” or “vna” and are more reminiscent of surnames. For example, if a woman's name is Ivanka Stoyanova, and her father's name is Todor, then her full name will sound like Ivanka Todorova Stoyanova. If a person’s surname is Ivanov, and his father’s name is Ivan, then the surname and patronymic will look the same in writing, but will differ in emphasis. In the patronymic it will be on the first syllable, and in the surname it will be on the second, respectively.

Unlike other Slavic countries, Bulgaria has preserved a large number of Old Church Slavonic names forgotten in Russia, which are distinguished by their euphony and have their own meaning. The traditions that continue to be honored in the country contributed greatly. Although, despite this, the fashion for international names still growing. It’s too early to say whether they will be able to displace traditional ones.

Attention, TODAY only!

The ancient slogan “Know thyself” can also be applied to a personal name. Our ancestors considered the name to be an important energetic factor in the fate of a person, who is able to control the fate of its owner. In ancient times, choosing a name was considered a ritual act that could provide a person with an additional source of strength. After all, almost every name has its own history, meaning and properties.

For example, in Bulgaria even now they take personal and family names. Thus, in Sofia, at the State Academy of Sciences, there is a unit that studies Bulgarian names. In this institution, everyone has the opportunity to receive a certificate, which will indicate historical data about his name and surname.

A little history

Bulgarians have many unique names that reflect their rich cultural heritage various peoples. The Thracians, Greeks, Romans, Slavs, Smolyans, Bulgars, Timochans and Strumians who lived on the Bulgarian lands left their mark on the history of the country. They shaped her ancient traditions and influenced the ethnic characteristics of the state. Today, the concept of “original Bulgarian names” implies a mixture of traditional Bulgarian and Slavic names for people.

Proto-Bulgarian names

Unfortunately, most of Bulgarian names sank into oblivion because they were unpronounceable. In addition, mainly monarchs, princes, boyars and their descendants had the right to wear them. Their striking examples are the Bulgarian names that have survived to this day: Kotrag, Batbayan, Asen, Asparukh, Altsek, Valch, Vokil and Sandok. Some of the names that are still popular today, such as Jordan, Piyo and Shoal, probably originally hide a Bulgarian, Cumman or Pecan root. During the long Greek and Turkish protectorate, almost all ancient names disappeared from folk tradition of this state. And only in Lately some of them were literally restored. Another part of the Proto-Bulgarian names mixed with Slavic ones, and now it is quite difficult to determine their most likely origin.

Names of Slavic origin

System forming different names from one or more bases, is characteristic of all Slavic tribes. For example, in the names Darin, Darko, Darinka, Daria, a common root word is used - “gift”, which is actually the meaning for these names. And such Bulgarian male names of Slavic origin as Miroslav, Dobromir, Spasimir, Berislav, Berimir, Zhivoslav, Rodislav, have two bases. Their meaning is dedicated to protection and achieving the desired goal. In general, the number of names in the Bulgarian language containing the words “good”, “glory”, “peace” is quite large.

The meaning of Bulgarian names with a common Slavic element - Vladimir, Vladislav, Dragomir or their shortened forms Drago, Miro, Slavs - also shows the desire to achieve peace and glory. Names that are defensive in nature are no less common. It is believed that the names Strazhimir, Tihomir and Stanimir will protect their bearers from the evil forces.

Christian names

The adoption of Christianity in Bulgarian lands was reflected in the traditions and culture of the population. Orthodox faith also brought new Bulgarian names. A striking example Prince Boris appears to him, who, having converted to Christianity, became Michael at baptism. The names we call Christian generally correspond to three linguistic systems - Hebrew, Greek and Latin.

The Jewish system is represented mainly by biblical heroes from the Old Testament. These are names such as Mary, Joseph, Simeon, Abraham, David, Daniel and so on. The Greek system is represented by the names given in the calendar. For example: Anastasia, Ekaterina, Zoya, Mina, Peter, George, Nikolai, Alexander, Christo, Anastas, Gerasim. Thanks to the spread Greek culture In Bulgaria, the names of such mythological characters as Galatea, Cassandra, Hercules, Dionysius also began to appear. Latin names in this country they are no less popular. Quite often you can find the options Victor, Victoria, Valentin, Valentina, Vera, Ignat.

Turkish influence

Despite centuries of slavery, Turkish personal names did not particularly take root among Bulgarians, probably due to differences in religion. They are found mainly among the population of Pomaki. Of these names, however, a small number have been found containing a Turkish root. But they were formed on Bulgarian soil from well-known Turkish words. These are: Demir, Demira, Demirka, Kurti, Sevda, Sultana, Sirma, Fatme, Ayse.

Political influence

During the national revival in Bulgaria, more and more names appear reflecting political, literary and other influences. For example, at the end of Turkish slavery, the personal name Venelin appeared, which is actually the surname of the Russian writer, historian Yuri Venelin. A little later, after liberation, the names Alexander and Vladimir became more popular because of the Russian Emperor Alexander II and his son Vladimir. And then October revolution such personal names as Lenin, Budyon, and later Stalin and Stalinka appeared.

Based on semantics, old names that are again becoming popular among young parents can be divided into two groups. They do not always have clear boundaries, but are divided into protective and those that include best wishes parents to their child.

Male names

• Life and health: Zhivko, Zdravko.
• Well-being in the family: Bro, Baino, Vezenko, Tatun, Novko, Zabarin.
• Success in life: Parvan, Vidu, Velcho, Great, Sreten.
• Strength and courage: Warrior, Boyko, Strakhil, Silyan, Grudy.
• Positive characteristics: Veselin, Radi, Drago, Dobri, Iskren.
• Physical beauty: Mleden, Kudra, Khuden.

Female names

Popular Bulgarian female names, in addition to wishes for physical beauty, in themselves mean good and pleasant things:

• Beauty: Vida, Mila, Lepa.
• Flowers: Iglika, Nevena, Ruya, Temenuika, Rose, Tsvetanka, Albena.
• Herbs and trees: Billa, Detlina, Rositsa.
• Trees and fruits: Elitsa, Viburnum.
• Birds: Pauna, Slavia.
• Heavenly lights: Star, Denitsa, Desislava, Zornitsa, Zorka, Zorina, Zorana, Zoritsa.

Despite the growing interest in ancient names, according to sociological research, in Bulgaria still remain the most popular: Ivan, Ivanka, Georgi, Georgana, Ayordan, Ayordanka, Bogdan, Bogdana, Anastas, Anastasia, Maria, Marin, Margarita, Alexandra, Elena, Daria, Todor, Dimitar, Vasil, Kaloyan, Yvelin, Stefan.