Tomislav
Tomislav
Topics referred to by the same term
Tomislav (pronounced [tǒmislaʋ], Cyrillic: Томислав) is a Slavic masculine given name, that is widespread amongst the South Slavs.
The meaning of the name Tomislav is thought to have derived from the Old Slavonic verb "tomiti" or "tomit'" meaning to "languish", "torture" or "struggle", combined with "slava" meaning glory.[1][2] Other origin theories suggest the name is a variant derived from the New Testament Apostle Thomas, whilst another theory postulates that it is a Slavicised corruption of the (Dog) Latin "Dominus Slavus".[3][4][5]
The first recorded bearer of the name was the 10th-century King Tomislav of Croatia, for this reason it has become popular amongst Croats.[6] In Croatia, the name Tomislav was among the top ten most common masculine given name in the decades between 1970 and 1999.[7] The name is also widespread amongst Serbs, reaching popularity during the 1930s and 40s.[8][9] King Alexander I of Yugoslavia gave his second child the name as a symbolic gesture of unity for his subjects.[10] The name is also carried within the nations of Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria.
Amongst West Slavs, the cognate is Tomisław, and among Hungarians it is Tomiszláv.
Tomislav can also be found with alternative spelling in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Toma is a popular diminutive for Tomislav in the Balkans, whilst the derivative Name day (Tomindan) is celebrated on October 6 according to the Julian calendar, and October 19 in the Gregorian calendar.
