Tomislav

The first name Tomislav is a masculine name that was adopted from Slavic in the 20th century. Its direct translation is 'the tormented glory' or 'the painful honor.'

What does the name Tomislav mean?

Tomislav, a masculine first name, originates from Slavic and is often interpreted in connection with the first Croatian king Tomislav, giving it the meanings 'the ruler' or 'the strong man.' Its roots lie in Old Slavic and consist of the terms tomiti (томити), meaning 'to torment,' 'to plague,' or 'to torture,' and sláva (сла́ва), which stands for 'fame,' 'honor,' or 'reputation.' Additionally, Tomislav is also considered a Croatian variant of Thomas, which means 'the twin.' A Polish variant of the name is Tomislaw. The name gained recognition through Tomislav, the first king of Croatia in the 10th century, who reigned from around 910 to 928 and initially served as the duke of the Duchy of Croatia. In 925, he was crowned the first king of the Croatian kingdom. During his reign, he formed an alliance with the Byzantines in the fight against the Bulgarian Empire. The name could also represent a South Slavic short form of Potomislav, meaning 'the rich in descendants,' derived from 'potomislav, tomislav' (Old South Slavic) for 'the potent.' Furthermore, it should not be confused with Toma, a biblical South Slavic form of Thomas, which is occasionally interpreted as 'nevjerni Toma' (the doubting Thomas).

Where does the name Tomislav come from?

The first name Tomislav has Old Slavic roots and means 'the strong man.'

How do you pronounce Tomislav?

The pronunciation of the name Tomislav is three syllables and sounds powerful. It is pronounced as 'To-mi-slav' [ˈtɔmislaːv], starting with an open O sound. The middle syllable has a gentle emphasis, while the ending '-slav' concludes with a clear, hard V sound, giving the name a traditional and strong presence.

When is the name day of Tomislav?

The name day of Tomislav is celebrated on July 3 and December 21.

Popularity

In Germany, Tomislav is a relatively common first name. Currently, it ranks 3,183rd in the list of the most common male first names. Its best placement was in 1984 when it reached rank 195. In the last ten years, Tomislav has been given as a first name about 90 times, securing 2,623rd place in the ten-year statistics. From 2010 to 2024, it is ranked 2,747th.

Nicknames & pet names

Slavi / Tom / Toma / Tome / Tomek / Tomi / Tomica / Tomo

Famous people

• Tomislav Barbaric (Yugoslav footballer)
• Tomislav Basic (football player from Yugoslavia)
• Tomislav Bralic (famous singer from Dalmatia (Croatia))
• Tomislav Butina (footballer from Croatia)
• Tomislav Crnkovic (biathlete from Croatia)
• Tomislav Dretar (Croatian writer)
• Tomislav Gotovac (Croatian director and artist)
• Tomislav Grcic (footballer from Yugoslavia)
• Tomislav Gruic (Croatian footballer)
• Tomislav I. (first Croatian king (925 AD))
• Tomislav Ivcic (Croatian singer)
• Tomislav Ivkovic (Yugoslav football player)
• Tomislav Juric (handball player from Austria)
• Tomislav Kaloperovic (Yugoslav football player)
• Tomislav Karlo (swimmer from Croatia)
• Tomislav Kis (Croatian footballer)
• Tomislav Krizman (painter from Croatia)
• Tomislav Maretic (Croatian linguist)
• Tomislav Mikulic (footballer from Croatia)
• Tomislav Milicevic (guitarist of the band 30 Seconds To Mars)