Croatian names and alternatives

When Josip becomes Giuseppe

Territory that is now under jurisdiction of the Republic of Croatia was in the past divided into several different dominions: Italian, Austrian (German), Hungarian… Those dominions had often changed, thus Catholic church records were kept in different languages.

So, it is not uncommon that the same person was recorded in Croatian or Latin language at one time, but in Italian or Hungarian in other times. A genealogist should carefully discern that, for example, name Giuseppe recorded at birth may turn out as Josip in marriage records.

Here are some examples of a few common Croatian first names and it’s counterparts in other languages.

Croatian: Ivan
Greek: Ioannes / Latin: Johannes
German: Johannes     Italian: Giovanni     Hungarian: János

Croatian: Josip
Greek: Iosephos / Latin: Iosephus
German: Josef, Joseph     Italian: Giuseppe     Hungarian: József

Croatian: Stjepan
Greek: Stephanos / Latin: Stephanus
German: Stefan     Italian: Stefano     Hungarian: István

Croatian: Božidar
Greek: Theodorus / Latin: Theodorus
German: Theodore     Italian: Teodoro     Hungarian: Tódor

Croatian: Jakob, Jakov     
Greek: Iakobos / Latin: Iacobus, Iacomus
German: Jakob     Italian: Giacomo     Hungarian: Jakab

Croatian: Ilija
Greek: Elias / Latin: Elias
German: Elias     Italian: Elia     Hungarian: Illés

 

Image: William Hoiles, Wikimedia Commons