Mesić is a Croatian surname.
Notable people with the surname include:
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Jasen Mesić (born 1972), Croatian politician
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Marko Mesić (priest)
Marko Mesić (1640? in Brinje – 2 February 1713 in Karlobag) was a Croatian priest and war hero from the Ottoman wars in Europe, Ottoman wars. Under his command, Croats and Serbs liberated the region of Lika in the 17th century.
Biography
I ...
(1640–1713), Croatian priest and soldier
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Marko Mesić (soldier)
Marko Mesić (30 September 1901 – 9 February 1982) was a decorated Artillery, gunnery officer who served in the armies of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Independent State of Croatia, and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugos ...
(1901–1982), Croatian soldier
*
Matija Mesić
Matija Mesić (Brod na Savi, February 19, 1826 – Zagreb, December 5, 1878) was a Croatian historian, university professor, the first rector of the University of Zagreb.
He graduated philosophy at the Royal Academy of Science in 1844, and theo ...
(1826–1878), Croatian historian, the first rector of the University of Zagreb
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Milka Mesić
Milka Mesić (; born September 1939) is the wife of Stjepan Mesić, the former President of Croatia (2000–10), Speaker of the Croatian Parliament (1992–94), President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia (1991), President of the Executive Council ...
(born 1939), Croatian public person
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Stjepan Mesić (born 1934), 2nd President of the Republic of Croatia
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Zlatko Mesić
Zlatko Mesić (13 April 1946 – 21 January 2020) was a Croatian footballer who had a notable tenure with Dinamo Zagreb in the Yugoslav First League.
Career
Mesić played at the youth level with Dinamo Zagreb, and began his professional career ...
(1946–2020), Croatian footballer
Possible origins
The surname Mesić, although relatively common amongst Christian people in Croatia,
may have Islamic origins from the time of Turkish (Ottoman) occupation of the Balkans.
Mesić is a patronymic from the Bosniak (Muslim Bosnian) personal name Meso, pet form of Mehmed (Muhammad) which is of Turkish and ultimately Arabic origin.
Mesić is also known to be a nickname of someone who eats a lot of meat, deriving from the word "meso" (Croatian for "meat').
It has also been theorized that the surname Mesić possibly originates from the Albanian surname Meksi, and the members of the family which migrated towards Croatia.
Usage
Spelled as Mesić, it is most commonly found in Croatia with roughly 1,046 people bearing the last name.
The name Mesić is often Anglicized/Americanized amongst those in North America as Mesic, Mesick, or Mesich,
due to the
ć having an accent that is not used in the English language. The
-ić
Surname conventions and laws vary around the world. This article gives an overview of surnames around the world.
English-speaking countries
Gaelic Surnames
Spanish-speaking countries
Argentina
In Argentina, normally only one family nam ...
patrynomic being changed simply to ic, often has to do with American English speakers reading the name and not knowing how to pronounce the ć sounds.
For early generations of the Balkan diaspora, the "-ić" patrynomic being changed to "ich" had to do with the fact that "many if not most
eople of the Balkansthat had emigrated to the US during the latter part of the 19th century came to that country without any knowledge of English language. As they arrived, they would often give their surnames to the authorities verbally, transcription of which were immediately Americanized".
The contemporary generations of the Diaspora who arrive in the 21st century may sometimes change their patrynomic to "-ich" to avoid the common mispronunciation of the surname amongst English speakers, in which the "-ić" is pronounced as an English "-ic".
See also
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Mešić Mešić is a Bosnian surname, a patronymic derived from the masculine given name '' Meša'', itself a diminutive of '' Mehmed''. It may refer to:
* Ademaga Mešić (1868—1945), Bosnian politician and military officer
* Elvis Mešić (born 1981) ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mesic
Surnames of Croatian origin