Serbian surnames were most often created by using name of father, there are also many surnames that were related to the person vocation, their personal characteristics, place of origin, or a tribe from which they originate.
Depending on which part of Serbian ethnic territory they originate from, surnames among Serbs have mostly become fixed throughout 18th or 19th century. By that time several phases had passed, since initially there were no fixed surnames, and instead of that it was widespread to add the origin tribe’s name as a surname. Later, they began using the so-called patronymics, derivations from names of their fathers – from Petar become Petrovići, from Nikola Nikolići, from Jovan Jovanovići…
It is little known fact, that prince Miloš Obrenović was actually born as Miloš Teodorović, and that in 1810 he decided to take the name of his mother’s first husband Obren.
At that time, numerous other surnames are being made according to the following principles:
1. From father’s name – most often
2. From tribe’s name – Vasojević, Drobnjak …
3. From title – Popović (from priest), Kapetanović (from captain) …
4. From profession – Kovačević (from blacksmith), Majstorović (from master) …
5. From features – Mudrinić (from wise), Bjeloglav (from white-headed) …
6. From place of origin, homeland – Glamočanin (from Glamoč), Ličanin (from Lika) …
7. From nickname (ger. spitzname) – Surla (proboscis), Zatezalo (one who’s tightening)…
8. From foreign words – Tintor (painter, Roman origin), Bomeštar (builder, German origin) …
