In Bulgaria, there are many names that often carry a special meaning. By doing this, parents try to show the character traits of the child or endow him with some features. Bulgarian names are often a peculiar wish of a born person to prosperity, success or health. Today we will try to consider not only their meanings, but also to understand which names in this state are the most popular, how they are formed and what Bulgarian traditions are observed when naming children.
Origin of Bulgarian names
The most common and popular Bulgarian names are of Slavic origin. They firmly entered into everyday life after the adoption of Christianity as the basic faith. The Greek, Latin and Old Hebrew proper names gained considerable popularity. Oddly enough, Turkish rule in Bulgaria had little effect on the variety of names, since the indigenous people of the state rarely called their children Muslim. For a long time, parents named their sons in honor of the Slavic princes Alexander and Vladimir.
Since the mid-20th century, names of West European and American origin have gained popularity. Bulgarian names (female and male) in this period were enriched with new forms due to popular movie heroes, singers and actors.
Be that as it may, Bulgarian men and women are called in a special way, even if the names are derived from words often used in other countries. Agree, rarely in what country in Europe, America or Asia can you hear how a girl's name is Milyana or Luchesara, and men are called Tsvetan or Yasen.
Traditions: how they give a name in Bulgaria
Bulgarian names, especially male ones, have remained unchanged due to the designation of descendants in honor of their grandfathers or great-grandfathers. A special system, which consists in the sequence of inheritance, did not exist. The oldest child could be called as grandparents, regardless of the gender of the baby. Bulgarian names are unique in this regard: boys and girls are often referred to identically. An example of this is the male name Zhivko and the female Zhivka, Spaska and Spas, Kalin and Kalina.
In addition, the Bulgarian names of girls and boys are selected in accordance with the church calendar. In this case, the children are named after the saints on whose day they were born. Also in Bulgaria, they still believe in the power of the word as such, so often the names for young Bulgarians are the names of plants or properties of a human character.
Female names in Bulgaria and their meaning
So, we already found out in general terms what the Bulgarian names are. Female and male, as mentioned above, are often consonant with or have the same meaning. But there are those whose sound is unique not only for a particular country, but for the whole world. These include names such as Gisela ("beauty"), Smaragda ("jewel"), Salvina (healthy), Babylon ("God's gate") and so on.
Many women's names in Bulgaria are given to girls as a talisman. For example, Blessed, according to the Bulgarians, should give the girl happiness, and the Spark - sincerity. The radiant girl is called if they want to give her strength, Demira - when the girl needs strength of mind. Several names for little grinders originate in myths and legends. So, the Veda means "mermaid" or "forest fairy", Xantha - "golden-haired", Luchesara - "heavenly star".
Men's Bulgarian Names
The meaning of Bulgarian names for boys is as diverse as for girls. There is a whole list. At the same time, some of the names are capable of endowing the boy with certain qualities: Blagomir (“bringing peace to the world”), Boyan (“strong-willed fighter”), Branimir (“protecting the world”), Nikolaa (“conquering the nations”), Peter or Penko (“ rock-solid ").
Bulgarian names (male) are often associated with the character of a person or the main occupation in the family. For example, Georgie and Dimitar are the two most popular names among peasants working on the earth. They translate as "farmer." The name Philip (“horse-loving”) was more often given to children in the families of grooms, riders or horse breeders.
Love for children, a desire to give them beauty in appearance and character also reflected on male names in Bulgaria. For example, Luben (love), Lyudmil (dear to people) and Tsvetan (flower) are still often found in this country. Also in Bulgaria they believe that those named Slav ("bird"), Sokol, Zvezdelin ("star") or Ian ("worshiping God") will have good luck and respect in the future.
Popular names in Bulgaria for boys and girls
Over the past decade, the most popular names among Bulgarian girls have become Elijah, Rositsa, Rada (Radka) and Mariyka. They are called about 20% of all newborn girls. The parking lot, Cornflower, Stefka and Yordanka are a little less popular. Bulgarian names for boys, which have gained popularity in recent years, are not very exotic sounding. Most often, boys are called Petra, Rumen, Todor and Ivan. Nicola, Atanas, Marin and Angel deserved a little less popularity.
