Tomislav (, ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, that is widespread amongst the

South Slavs South Slavs are Slavic peoples who speak South Slavic languages and inhabit a contiguous region of Southeast Europe comprising the eastern Alps and the Balkan Peninsula. Geographically separated from the West Slavs and East Slavs by Austria, Hu ...

. The meaning of the name ''Tomislav'' is thought to have derived from the

Old Slavonic Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic () was the first Slavic literary language. Historians credit the 9th-century Byzantine missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius with standardizing the language and using it in translating the Bible and other ...

verb "'' tomiti''" or "'' tomit'''" meaning to "''languish''", "''torture''" or "''struggle''", combined with "''slava"'' meaning glory. Other origin theories suggest the name is a variant derived from the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

Apostle Thomas Thomas the Apostle ( arc, 𐡀𐡌𐡅𐡕𐡌, hbo, תוֹמא הקדוש or תוֹמָא שליחא (''Toma HaKadosh'' "Thomas the Holy" or ''Toma Shlikha'' "Thomas the Messenger/Apostle" in Hebrew-Aramaic), syc, ܬܐܘܡܐ, , meaning "twi ...

, whilst another theory postulates that it is a Slavicised corruption of the (Dog) Latin "''Dominus Slavus''". The first recorded bearer of the name was the 10th-century King

Tomislav of Croatia Tomislav (, la, Tamisclaus) was the first king of Croatia. He became Duke of Croatia and was crowned king in 925, reigning until 928. During Tomislav's rule, Croatia forged an alliance with the Byzantine Empire against Bulgaria. Croatia's strug ...

, for this reason it has become popular amongst

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, G ...

. In

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, the name Tomislav was among the top ten most common masculine given name in the decades between 1970 and 1999. The name is also widespread amongst

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

, reaching popularity during the 1930s and 40s. King

Alexander I of Yugoslavia Alexander I ( sr-Cyrl, Александар I Карађорђевић, Aleksandar I Karađorđević, ) ( – 9 October 1934), also known as Alexander the Unifier, was the prince regent of the Kingdom of Serbia from 1914 and later the King of Yug ...

gave his second child the name as a symbolic gesture of unity for his subjects. The name is also carried within the nations of

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

, and Bulgaria. Amongst

West Slavs The West Slavs are Slavic peoples who speak the West Slavic languages. They separated from the common Slavic group around the 7th century, and established independent polities in Central Europe by the 8th to 9th centuries. The West Slavic langu ...

, the cognate is Tomisław, and among

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...

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 The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, whilst the derivative

Name day In Christianity, a name day is a tradition in many countries of Europe and the Americas, among other parts of Christendom. It consists of celebrating a day of the year that is associated with one's baptismal name, which is normatively that of a ...

(''Tomindan'') is celebrated on October 6 according to the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...

, and October 19 in the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...

People with the name

Arts and entertainment

Tomislav Dretar Tomislav Dretar (born 2 March 1945) is a Croatian, Bosnian, French and Belgian poet, writer, critic, and translator, as well as an academic, journalist, editor, political leader and president of Bihać's HVO. He is also known by the French ali ...

, Croatian novelist * Tomislav Ivčić, Croatian singer *

Tomislav Ladan Tomislav Ladan (25 June 1932 – 12 September 2008) was a Croatian essayist, critic, translator and novelist. Ladan was born in Ivanjica, Serbia, and spent his formative years in his native Bosnia and Herzegovina (Travnik, Bugojno), where he g ...

, Croatian novelist *

Tomislav Miličević Tomislav (, ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, 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 ...

, American musician *

Tomislav Mužek Tomislav Mužek is a Croatian tenor and opera singer. He studied in Vienna at the University of Music and Performing Arts and made his professional debut at the Vienna State Opera in 1999. Was an ensemblemember of the Bremen Stadttheater from 20 ...

, Croatian tenor *

Tomislav Osmanli Tomislav Osmanli ( Macedonian Cyrillic: Томислав Османли, Macedonian pronunciation: ǒmislaʋ osˈmanɫɯ born 25 October 1956) is a Macedonian author, screenwriter, playwright, and journalist. Biography Os ...

, Macedonian screenwriter * Tomislav "Toma" Zdravković, Serbian singer *

Tomislav Zografski Tomislav Zografski (29 March 193414 January 2000) was a Macedonian composer and music pedagogue who also wrote music for film and television. His progressive neoclassical language played a key part in the journey of Macedonian music toward th ...

, Macedonian composer

Business

Tomislav Damnjanovic Tomislav Damnjanovic is a Serbian businessman and arms smuggling, arms smuggler. A former employee of Yugoslavia's national airline, Damnjanovic founded his own company transporting supplies aboard an Ilyushin Il-76 freight carrier. With increasing ...

, Serbian businessman & arms smuggler * Tomislav Momirović, Serbian businessman and politician *

Tomislav Karadžić Tomislav "Tole" Karadžić ( sr-cyr, Томислав Толе Караџић; born 10 February 1939) is a Serbian businessman and football administrator. From 2008 to 2016, he served in his second stint as the president of the Football Associat ...

, Montenegrin-Serb businessman & football administrator

Media

Tomislav Jakić Tomislav Jakić (born 23 March 1943, Zagreb) is a Croatian journalist, TV reporter and former advisor to the 2nd Croatian president Stjepan Mesić. Early years Tomislav Jakić was born on 23 March 1943 in Zagreb, Independent State of Croatia d ...

, Croatian journalist *

Tomislav Kezarovski Tomislav Kezarovski ( mk, Томислав Kежаровски, born 1965) is a Macedonian journalist. He was jailed for allegedly revealing the identity of a protected witness in an article published in 2008 in the magazine ''Reporter 92''. He w ...

, Macedonian journalist

Military

* Tomislav Sertić, Croatian General *

Tomislav Simović Tomislav Simović (Serbian Cyrillic: Томислав Симовић; born 1933) is a retired Lieutenant colonel general of the Yugoslav People's Army and independent politician. He served as the Serbian Minister of Defence from 31 July 1991 to 2 ...

, Serbian Lieutenant General (JNA)

Politics

Tomislav Donchev Tomislav Peykov Donchev (Bulgarian: Томислав Пейков Дончев) (born 6 August 1973 in Gabrovo, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian GERB politician. Between 2007 and 2010 Donchev was mayor of Gabrovo, from March 2010 to March 2013 he was M ...

, Bulgarian politician *

Tomislav Karamarko Tomislav Karamarko (; born 25 May 1959) is a Croatian politician who served as First Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia from January to June 2016. He served in the Cabinet of Jadranka Kosor as Minister of the Interior from 2008 to 2011. Career K ...

, Croatian politician *

Tomislav Lampel Yosef "Tommy" Lapid ( he, יוסף "טומי" לפיד, born as Tomislav Lampel, sr-cyr, Томислав Лампел; 27 December 1931 – 1 June 2008) was a Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav-born Israeli radio and television presenter, playwrig ...

, birth name of the Serbian-Israeli politician Yosef "Tommy" Lapid * Tomislav Ljubenović, Serbian politician *

Tomislav Merčep Tomislav Merčep (28 September 1952 – 16 November 2020) was a Croatian politician and paramilitary leader during the Croatian War of Independence who was later convicted of war crimes. Early life and the Croatian War of Independence A native o ...

, Croatian politician *

Tomislav Nikolić Tomislav Nikolić ( sr-Cyrl, Томислав Николић, ; born 15 February 1952) is a Serbian retired politician who served as the president of Serbia from 2012 to 2017. A former member of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS), he d ...

, former President of Serbia *

Tomislav Petrak Tomislav (, ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, 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 ...

, Croatian politician *

Tomislav Žigmanov Tomislav Žigmanov ( sr-Cyrl, Томислав Жигманов; born 12 April 1967) is a Serbian politician serving as Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue (Serbia), minister of human and minority rights and social dialogue ...

, Croat-Serbian politician

Royalty

Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia ( sr-cyr, Томислав Карађорђевић, Tomislav Karađorđević; 19 January 1928 – 12 July 2000) was a member of the House of Karađorđević, the second son of King Alexander I and Queen Maria of Yug ...

Tomislav II Prince Aimone, 4th Duke of Aosta (''Aimone Roberto Margherita Maria Giuseppe Torino''; 9 March 1900 – 29 January 1948) was a prince of Italy's reigning House of Savoy and an officer of the Royal Italian Navy. The second son of Prince Emanuel ...

(honorary title), Prince Aimone, 4th Duke of Aosta

Science and academia

Tomislav Maretić Tomislav Maretić (13 October 1854 – 15 January 1938) was a Croatian linguist and lexicographer. He was born in Virovitica, where he attended primary school and the gymnasium in Varaždin, Požega and Zagreb. After graduating simultaneousl ...

, Croatian linguist & lexicographer *

Tomislav Šola Tomislav Sladojević Šola (born 1948) is a Croatian museologist. Biography Sladojević Šola was born in Zagreb, Croatia in 1948. He gained his diploma in Art History and English language (University of Zagreb, 1969-1974), he then pursued the p ...

, Croatian museologist *

Tomislav Trifić Tomislav Trifić ( sr-cyr, Томислав Трифић; born 4 March 1949) is a Serbian graphic artist and dean of the University of Pristina Faculty of Arts, in North Kosovo, Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), o ...

, Serbian academic & graphic artist *

Tomislav Volek Tomislav Volek, is a Czech musicologist who is best known for his research on the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Biography Spending much of his career in Prague, Volek made a virtue of necessity by exploring the musical life of eighteenth-c ...

, Czech musicologist

Sports

* Tomislav Ašković, Serbian long-distance runner *

Tomislav Brkić Tomislav Brkić (; born 9 March 1990) is a Bosnian professional tennis player. He has won one ATP doubles title with Serbian partner Nikola Ćaćić. Brkić achieved a career-high in doubles of World No. 37 on 23 May 2022. He is currently the cap ...

, Bosnian tennis player *

Tomislav Butina Tomislav Butina (; born 30 March 1974) is a Croatian former footballer who played as goalkeeper for Dinamo Zagreb, Club Brugge and Olympiacos. He was also capped 28 times for the Croatia national team in the period from 2001 to 2006, and was me ...

, Croatian footballer * Tomislav Ćiraković, Montenegrin footballer * Tomislav Colić, Serbian footballer * Tomislav Crnković, Croatian footballer * Tomislav Dokić, Serbian volleyball player *

Tomislav Draganja Tomislav Draganja (; born 10 August 1994) is a Croatian tennis player. Draganja usually competes on the ATP Challenger Tour Draganja primarily focuses on doubles, where he has a career high ATP doubles ranking of 115 achieved on 26 February 2018 ...

, Croatian tennis player *

Tomislav Ivić Tomislav Ivić (; 30 June 1933 – 24 June 2011) was a Croatian professional football player and manager. Often described as a brilliant strategist, Ivić is credited with helping develop the modern style of the game. In April 2007, Italian spo ...

, Croatian football manager * Tomislav Ivković, Croatian footballer *

Tomislav Jagurinovski Tomislav Jagurinovski ( mk, Томислав Јагуриновски) (born 19 August 1998) is a Macedonian handball player for RK Vardar 1961 and the Macedonian national team. He participated at the 2017 Men's Junior World Handball Championsh ...

, Macedonian handball player *

Tomislav Jotovski Tomislav Jotovski ( mk, Томислав Јотовски; born 27 October 1990) is a Republic of Macedonia, Macedonian tennis player. Jotovski has a career high Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP singles ranking of 510 achieved on 15 June ...

, Macedonian tennis player * Tomislav Jurić, Croatian footballer *

Tomislav Kaloperović Tomislav Kaloperović (; 31 January 1932 – 15 January 2002) was a Yugoslav and Serbian footballer and coach. External links * Tomislav Kaloperovićat the Serbia national football team The Serbia national football team ( sr, Фудба� ...

, Serbian footballer & manager *

Tomislav Karlo Tomislav Karlo (born 21 December 1970 in Split, Croatia) is an Olympic backstroke swimmer from Croatia. He swam for Croatia at the 1996 Olympics. In the early 1990s, he attended and swam for the USA's Brigham Young University. During th ...

, Croatian swimmer *

Tomislav Kelava Tomislav Kelava (born 10 August 1933) is a Serbian boxer. He competed in the men's welterweight event at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Oly ...

, Serbian boxer *

Tomislav Knez Tomislav Knez (born 9 June 1938 in Banja Luka) is a former footballer from Yugoslavia. He was part of the Yugoslav squad that won gold at the 1960 Summer Olympics. During his club career he played for Borac Banja Luka, NK Dinamo Zagreb, SV Schw ...

, Bosnian footballer *

Tomi Kostadinov Tomi Kostadinov ( bg, Томи Костадинов; born 15 March 1991) is a Bulgarian Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for FC Vitosha Bistritsa, Vitosha Bistritsa. Career In July 2014, Kostadinov moved to Azerbaijan P ...

, Bulgarian footballer *

Tomislav Marić Tomislav Marić (born January 28, 1973) is a German-born Croatian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Club career Marić was born to Bosnian Croat parents in Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg and started his first-team caree ...

, Croatian footballer * Tomislav Mikulić, Croatian footballer *

Tomislav Milićević Tomislav Milićević (; born 29 September 1940) is a former Yugoslav and Serbian Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender. Playing career Milićević started out at FK Napredak Kruševac, Napredak ...

, Serbian footballer *

Tomislav Mišura Tomislav Mišura (born 13 May 1981 in Novo Mesto) is a Slovenian retired footballer. Career His previous club was Interblock. In November 2010 Tomislav trialled with the A-League club Newcastle Jets. The Jets then signed Mišura on an injury r ...

, Slovenian footballer * Tomislav Mrčela, Australian footballer *

Tomislav Papazov Tomislav Papazov ( bg, Томислав Папазов; born 24 August 2001) is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as a centre-back for Spanish club Badalona Futur on loan from the Italian club Foggia. Career In January 2018, Papazov traveled wi ...

, Bulgarian footballer * Tomislav Pavlov, Bulgarian footballer * Tomislav Pajović, Serbian footballer *

Tomislav Pondeljak Tomislav "Tom" Pondeljak (born 8 January 1976 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) is a retired Australian football (soccer) player who last played for Victorian Premier League side St Albans Saints SC. Club career Pondeljak started his caree ...

, Australian footballer *

Tomislav Prosen Tomislav Prosen (born 24 December 1943 in Sisak) is a retired Yugoslav Association football, football player and manager. He is considered one of the greatest players who played for Slovenian club NK Maribor, where he spent much of his career. Pr ...

, Croatian footballer *

Tomislav Pucar Tomislav Pucar (born 26 January 1996) is a Croatian table tennis player. In February 2017 he won the men's singles title at the inaugural European Under-21 Championships in Sochi. As of 2018, Pucar is playing for TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberze ...

, Croatian table tennis player *

Tomislav Sivić Tomislav Sivić (; born 29 August 1966) is a Serbian football manager and former player. Playing career Between 1988 and 1990, Sivić spent two seasons with Bačka Subotica in the Vojvodina League, the fourth tier of Yugoslav football. He would ...

, Serbian footballer *

Tomislav Smoljanović Tomislav Smoljanović (born 15 July 1977) is a Croatian medical scientist, physician, and a retired rower. Smoljanović won bronze at the 2000 Summer Olympics and silver at the 2001 World Championships as a member of the national eights team. ...

, Croatian rower * Tomislav Šokota, Croatian footballer *

Tomislav Ternar Tomislav Ternar (born 16 September 1990 in Murska Sobota) is a Slovenian tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each pla ...

, Slovenian tennis player *

Tomislav Tomić Tomislav Tomić (; born 16 November 1990) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina side Široki Brijeg. Tomić made his senior debut for Široki Brijeg in 2008, and later played ...

, Bosnian footballer *

Tomislav Višević Tomislav Višević (born December 9, 1980 in Karlsruhe, West Germany) is a Bosnian Croat retired footballer defender. Club career During his career he played for clubs from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Poland Po ...

, Bosnian-Croat footballer

Geographical place names

Tomislavci Tomislavci ( sr-cyr, Томиславци) is a village located in the Bačka Topola municipality, in the North Bačka District of Serbia. It is situated in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its popul ...

, Serbia *

Tomislavgrad Tomislavgrad (), also known by its former name Duvno (), is a town and municipality located in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It mainly covers an area of the historical and geographica ...

, Bosnia and Herzegovina * Tomislavovac, Croatia

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomislav Masculine given names Slavic masculine given names Bosnian masculine given names Croatian masculine given names Serbian masculine given names Bulgarian masculine given names hr:Tomislav (razdvojba)

People with the name

Arts and entertainment

Business

Media

Military

Politics

Royalty

Science and academia

Sports

Geographical place names

See also

References