Tracing your Slovene ancestors often begins with understanding how Slovene surnames may have been recorded in official records or changed as Slovenes adapted to their new lives in foreign countries.
For example: Maurič is a typical Slovene surname. But it might end up looking quite different depending on how and where it was recorded or where a Maurič family member eventually settled.
Possible variations include Mavrič, Mauric, Mavric, Mavrik, Mavrich, and Maurich. Even Maurice or Mauri are possibilities. Why?
The Slovene alphabet
First, we need some background on how alphabets evolved. The classical Latin alphabet had only 23 letters. Before the letter U came into use in the Middle Ages, the letter shape V stood for both the vowel U and the consonant V[1].
In Slovene, like many other Romance languages, V was used for both sounds until fairly recently. By the early 20th century two letters, separately representing the consonant and the vowel, were more consistently distinguished in the written form of most Romance languages.
The Slovene alphabet today contains 25 letters. The alphabet does not have the English language letters W, Q, X, or Y, but it does include three non-English letters:
- Č (pronounced as ch in English)
- Š (sh)
- Ž (zh, soft "z" as in azure)[2].
The mark above these letters is called a caron or, in Slovene, strešica (literally “little roof”)[3].
Catholic church records
The Roman Catholic Church has traditionally been a huge force in Slovenia's cultural and social life as well as a bedrock of Slovene Nationalism.
Representing both V and U sounds with the single letter V was further reinforced in Slovenia by the Church’s use of Latin for its “official” business.
For example, a recent Slovene government document or gravestone might show this particular surname as Maurič. But in old Slovenian Church records, it is more likely that this person’s ancestors will be recorded as Mavrič.
Christian (first) names will also typically be written in their Latin form in old church records. For example, a church register will record a Christian name as Antonius, instead of the Slovene name Anton, and Josephus rather than Jožef.
Italy's impact on Slovene surnames
For ancestors who hail from the western (Primorska) region of Slovenia, a further source of name confusion arises from this region’s incorporation into Italy between the first and second World Wars.
From the late 1920s, the Italian fascist government sought to purge all elements of Slovene nationality and culture, using increasingly coercive tactics that today would certainly be described as "ethnic cleansing". This included Italianizing Slovene names.
For example, the surname Maurič in this period will have been recorded in Italian documents as Mauri.
Slovene immigrant names
Some Slovene immigrants, especially in earlier times when there was less tolerance of different ethnicities, modified their surnames in their new country. This might be to make the name easier to pronounce, especially if it contained Slovene alphabet letters not found in English. Or perhaps the name was changed just to make it seem less "strange".
So when our Mr. Maurič migrated, he might have decided to modify his name to one of the variations described above, like Maurich or Mavrik. Sometimes a simple change in the surname can inadvertently suggest a completely different ethnic origin.
For example, on becoming an Australian citizen in 1956, Ivan Maurič changed his surname to Maurice, which sounds French[4].
Slovene emigrants to South America may also have changed their Christian names to their nearest equivalent Spanish forms. For example the Jakin brothers, Stanislav and Karol, migrated from Slovenia to Argentina in 1929. There they went by the names Estanislao and Carlos and are described as such in Argentine official records.
The above examples highlight the need to test a wide range of possible name variations when exploring different databases for your Slovene ancestors.
Slovene surnames and their origins
Over 40,000 different Slovene surnames have been identified. The 10 most common names are[5]:
Slovene surnames have multiple sources. They include surnames derived from a person's occupation such as Šoštar, Šuštar, Šušter (all meaning shoemaker); Zupan (mayor); and žagar (sawer).
Other common surnames are derived from the location or geographic features near where the person was born or lived. Examples include Kastelic (from a castle); Horvat (Croatian); and Hribar (from the hill).
As in many other languages a person's surname may also reflect their parentage, such as Markič (son of Marko); Klemenčič (Klemen) and Mihelič (son of Miha).
Lastly, because literacy in Slovenia was low for centuries, many people did not know the spelling of their own name. So surnames frequently were interpreted differently when written down by others leading to accidental variations. Examples include Šarc / Šarec; Berkopec / Brkopec; and Balkovec / Bolkovac[6].
Notable Slovenians
Slovenians, both current and historical, who have made their mark include[7]:
- Josip Broz Tito: leader of the WW2 Yugoslav partisans, founder of the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia after the war and a leading figure in the Non-Aligned Movement. His mother was Slovenian.
- Slavoj Zizek: philosopher and cultural theorist
- Melania Trump: wife of former U.S. President, Donald Trump
- Luka Dončić and Goran Dragić: leading basketball players
- Samir Handanović: prominent footballer
- Tadej Pogačar: cyclist, twice winner of the Tour de France
- Ivan Cankar: writer, playwright, essayist, poet, and political activist
Explore more about Slovene surnames
MyHeritage has a variety of resources where you can begin your Slovenia research. There are more than 1 million individuals born in Slovenia in tens of thousands of family trees created by MyHeritage members.
Beyond MyHeritage, other Slovene-specific genealogical resources include:
- Behind the Name provides a comprehensive list of Slovene surnames, their meaning, and associations with other countries.
- The Foundation for East European Family History Studies (FEEFS) has a useful resource listing Slovene Given Names (Male and Female) with their English equivalents.
References
- ↑ “When Did the Letter U Enter the Alphabet?” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, 19 Jan. 2021
- ↑ Kazmi, Samaha. “The Slovenian Alphabet: 25 Letters Made Easy! - Ling App.” Ling, 16 Nov. 2022
- ↑ “Strešica.” Wiktionary
- ↑ Maurice, Daniel. “A New Life as ‘New Australians’ - Maurice-Robinson Family.” Maurice, Maurice-Robinson Family, 8 July 2021
- ↑ Most Common Slovenian, Slovene Surnames & Meanings - Forebears
- ↑ "Surnames in Slovenia"
- ↑ “10 Most Famous People from Slovenia.” Discover Walks Blog, 20 Oct. 2022