Most Popular Names in Croatia: Meet Ivan, Ana, and More!

Croatian people love traditional names, and many of them have been used for hundreds of years. One of the most common names you will hear in Croatia is Ivan. It’s a boy’s name and is the Croatian version of John in English.

What’s interesting is that there are many variations of the name Ivan. For boys, these include:

• Ivo
• Ivano
• Ivica

And for girls, the variations are:

• Ivana
• Iva
• Ivona

In Croatian, the letter “I” is pronounced like the “ee” in the word “week”, not like the “i” in “ice”. So Ivana sounds like “ee-vah-nah”.

Some other popular names for boys in Croatia are:

• Luka (like Luke)
• Marko (Mark)
• Filip (Phillip)
• Josip (Joseph)
• Antonio (Anthony)
• Karlo (Carl)
• Petar (Peter)

And here are some common girl names in Croatia:

• Ana (Anne)
• Marija (Mary)
• Lucija (Lucy)
• Mia
• Lana
• Nika
• Dora
• Sara
• Katarina
• Martina
• Marina

Sometimes, in a classroom of only 20 children, there might be three or four girls named Marija, or several boys named Ivan! These names are not just popular—they are also full of meaning and history.

If you ever visit Croatia or meet Croatian friends, you’ll recognize these names quickly. You might even learn how to say your own name in Croatian!

And if you’re curious about how Croatian names are pronounced or want to learn how to introduce yourself, Dinolingo makes it easy and fun with interactive lessons for kids.