Female given names in Croatian surnames
Formation of Croatian family names based on female first names wasn’t a frequent occurence and is often difficult to discern that a surname is actually motivated by the first name of a woman.
Earlier in history, women would typically not bear a surname, but would use the name of a father, husband, brother or a son instead. A matronymic surname would be typically created using a name of a women who particularly excelled in a community, or was famous because of some fortunate or less fortunate circumstance like becoming a widow early in life or being pregnant out of wedlock.
Oldest Croatian female names
Croatian female given names are recorded in oldest historical records between 9th and 13th century AD. Some of those names are Alba (white, happy), Buna or Bona (kind, good), Demetria (goddess of the Earth), Rosana (a rose), Stella (a star), Viola (violet), all of which are of early Christian origin. There were also widespread old Croatian female names like Bela (white), Dobra (kind, good), Gruba (rough), Ljuba (a kiss), Kazimira (utterance, speak), Mira (peace), Stana…
Many centuries after, we find Croatian surnames which echo those old Croatian female given names: Belić, Bilić, Dobrić, Grubić, Ljubić, Mirić, Stanić etc.
my grandmother Anka Sutej, her brother Tony Sutej (traveled together) and my and grandfather Josef Fabioncek, not sure of his spelling, all came to America around 1900 I believe. I don’t know any relatives of my Grandfather in America. Tony Sutej lived in Chicago and had a son Tony in the 1940’s.
Grandmother Anka lived in Indiana, where she had her 3 children including my father Louis Josef Fabian (name was changed). I hope to find information on family in Europe. Thank you, Nancy (Fabian) Vinson
Dear Nancy, you maybe find help on this site,just register and broach immigration lists and registers of Croatian.
https://familysearch.org/
Mihaljević
Dear Nancy, both surnames are Croatian. Masses of Croats emigrated to USA in few waves (running from wars, poverty (Phylloxera epidemic around 1900. forced nearly half a million Croats to emigrate overseas) and from plain genocide since establishment of Serbia as a state in 1878). My grandfather escaped to USA around 1900 too (but without my female ancestors, so I am still here). I suppose your grandfather was Fabijanich (Fabijanic, Fabiyanic i Fabijanich) or Fabjančić or some other variant; here are some good places for Croatian surnames: http://www.prezime.net/Fabijanić
and https://actacroatica.com/en/surname/Fabijanić/
– they say that at least 34 Fabijanich families moved to USA.
Šutej (Shutej; “Š” read as “sh” in “she”; “U” read as in “you”; “T” as in “take”… we read letters differently, especially vowels) is common Croatian surname, look in links I gave you. Also look for Croatian artist Miroslav Šutej: could he be your relative? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FVA50WzK0o – they describe him as “versatile, self-effacing, taciturn and suspicious of the media” when he won Grand-prix in Paris. I loved his mobiles.
Maybe you look like Croatian famous Conductor Vjekoslav Šutej https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0OL-1lJocc
Croats are amongst few peoples with longest tradition of surnames, some haven’t been changed for millenniums. Surname Fabianich/chich etc. is patronym, and I had quite a work to find out that Shutej comes from old word shut=hornless. Don’t worry, people forgat that word long ago:-)
You should find & contact some association of American Croats, they might know more. You can start here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_Americans
Greetings from Croatia
Origins of first name Zrinka?
My grandmother maiden name was Bradica.