Bozhidar as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Bozhidar

What is the meaning of the name Bozhidar ?

The baby name Bozhidar is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /boˈʒidar/ (BOH-ZHEE-dahr).

Bozhidar is Slavic in Origin.

Bozhidar is the Bulgarian transliteration of the South Slavic name Božidar, formed from bož/bog “God” + dar “gift,” hence “God’s gift.” A long-standing Christian theophoric name, it functions as a Slavic calque of Greek Theodoros (Theodore) and parallels Latin Deodatus/Adeodatus and French Dieudonné. In Bulgarian it is pronounced BOH-zhi-dar. The meaning aligns with related Slavic names like Bogdan (“given by God”).

Documented across the Balkans since the Middle Ages, it appears in charters and parish records and remained popular through modern times; bearers include the 16th‑century printer Božidar Vuković and contemporary Bulgarians such as historian Bozhidar Dimitrov. Regional forms and spellings include Božidar (Serbian, Croatian, Slovene), Bozhidar (Bulgarian Latinization), and Bozidar (diacritic‑free). Hypocoristics include Božo (SR/HR/SI) and Bozhko/Bozho (BG). Feminine counterparts are Božidarka (SR/HR/SI) and Bozhidara (BG). It remains favored in Orthodox communities and is often chosen in thanksgiving for a long‑awaited child.