Petko as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Petko

What is the meaning of the name Petko ?

The baby name Petko is a Male name and is pronounced /ˈpɛtko/ (pronounced "PET-koh").

Petko is Bulgarian in Origin.

A South Slavic masculine name, Petko is most common in Bulgaria and derives from Bulgarian петък (“Friday”), ultimately from the Slavic root for “five.” The given name signals a boy born on Friday or one dedicated to “Saint Friday,” the Balkans’ revered Saint Paraskeva (Sveta Petka), whose cult anchored the name’s meaning and use.

Medieval and early modern church calendars helped spread Petko across Bulgarian-influenced communities, with sustained popularity during the 19th‑century National Revival; noted bearers include Petko R. Slaveykov and the revolutionary Petko Voyvoda. Variants and related forms include the feminine Petka, Greek Paraskevas/Paraskevi (semantic equivalents), and patronymic surnames Petkov and Petković. In some regions Petko also appears in North Macedonia and Serbia. Note that Slovak Peťko is chiefly a hypocoristic of Peter and etymologically distinct, despite similar spelling.