Bulgarian Boy Names
Bulgarian male names come from South Slavic and Orthodox Christian traditions, with many borrowed via Greek church usage. Common masculine forms include short endings like -o and -an/-in, and hypocoristic suffixes -cho and -ko used for boys’ names and nicknames (for example Petko, Doncho). Calendar naming for Orthodox saints remains influential, and both full forms and short forms are often registered as official male given names.
Typical elements include Slavic roots such as Bog-, Mil-, Slav-, and Ogny-. Examples on this page include Asen, Atanas, Dimitar, Ilia, Kalin, Kamen, Khrysto, Petko, Ognyan, and Rosen.
Showing 50
of 58 names
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yani | Yahweh is gracious | Bulgarian, Greek, Hebrew | Boy | 453 #1 | |
| Aleksandar | Defender of men | Bulgarian, Greek, Serbian, Slavic | Boy | 313 #2 | |
| Ilia | Derived from Elijah: "My God is Yahweh" / "Yahweh is God" | Bulgarian, Georgian, Hebrew | Boy | 295 #3 | |
| Kalin | From Slavic 'kalina' meaning 'viburnum' (a flowering shrub) - associated with nature and beauty | Bulgarian, Slavic | Boy | 236 #4 | |
| Orlin | Derived from the Slavic word for 'eagle' - 'eagle' or 'of the eagle'. | Bulgarian, Slavic | Boy | 156 #5 | |
| Kiro | Diminutive of Kiril/Cyril - 'lordly' or 'masterful' (from Greek kyrillos, 'lord') | Bulgarian, Japanese, Slavic | Boy | 148 #6 | |
| Nayden | "Found" - originally used for a foundling/child who was discovered | Bulgarian | Boy | 135 #7 | |
| Valeri | Strong; well | Bulgarian, Georgian, Latin, Russian | Boy | 127 #8 | |
| Kamen | Stone, rock | Bulgarian | Boy | 66 #9 | |
| Kallin | Likely either 'little battle' (from Gaelic Callan) or 'beautiful' (from Greek kallos); also linked to Slavic 'Kalin' (guelder-rose/beauty). | Bulgarian, Gaelic, Greek, Irish, Slavic | Boy | 53 #10 | |
| Illian | Yahweh is my God | Bulgarian, Slavic | Boy | 52 #11 | |
| Milen | Derived from the Slavic root 'mil' meaning 'dear', 'gracious', or 'beloved' | Bulgarian | Boy | 43 #12 | |
| Asen | Healthy, safe, sound | Bulgarian | Boy | 39 #13 | |
| Dimitar | Follower or devotee of Demeter (goddess of agriculture/earth) | Bulgarian, Slavic | Boy | 38 #14 | |
| Stoyan | Standing; steady, one who stays or stands firm | Bulgarian | Boy | 17 #15 | |
| Vasil | Royal, kingly | Bulgarian, Greek, Macedonian, Slavic | Boy | 16 #16 | |
| Malko | Little (from Slavic root 'mal'); in Semitic contexts linked to 'mlk' meaning 'king' or 'ruler'. | Bulgarian, Semitic, Slavic | Boy | 8 #17 | |
| Atanas | Immortal | Bulgarian | Boy | 7 #18 | |
| Rangel | Originally a toponymic surname from a place called Rangel; also used as a masculine given name in Bulgaria. Exact original meaning is uncertain. | Bulgarian, Galician, Portuguese, Spanish | Boy | 5 #19 | |
| Rosen | From the Slavic root "ros-" meaning "dew" (i.e., "dewy") | Bulgarian | Boy | 5 #20 | |
| Serafim | 'Burning ones' or 'fiery ones' (angelic beings); figuratively 'ardent' or 'fiery' | Bulgarian, Hebrew, Romanian, Serbian, Spanish | Boy | 5 #21 | |
| Aleksie | Defender, helper (from Greek 'Alexios') | Bulgarian, Greek | Boy | — | |
| Alipi | Without sorrow | Bulgarian, Greek, Latin | Boy | — | |
| Blagoy | From the Slavic root 'blag' meaning 'good, kind, gentle' | Bulgarian | Boy | — | |
| Bogumil | Beloved by God | Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Polish, Serbian, Slavic | Boy | — | |
| Boril | Fighter | Bulgarian, Slavic | Boy | — | |
| Boyko | Battle | Bulgarian, Slavic | Boy | — | |
| Dalibor | Fighter from afar / far-off warrior | Bulgarian, Croatian, Polish, Serbian, Slavic, Slovak | Boy | — | |
| Dimitey | Follower or devotee of Demeter; associated with earth/agriculture | Bulgarian | Boy | — | |
| Dimo | Diminutive of Dimitar, from Greek Demetrios meaning "devoted to Demeter" (goddess of agriculture/earth). | Bulgarian, Slavic | Boy | — | |
| Dimochka | Little Dimo - from Dimitar/Dmitri, meaning 'devoted to Demeter' or 'follower of Demeter'. | Bulgarian, Slavic | Boy | — | |
| Doncho | Diminutive of Anton/Andon (Anthony) - associated with 'priceless' (from Antonius); alternatively related to Donatus meaning 'given, gifted'. | Bulgarian | Boy | — | |
| Emiliyan | From Aemilius, generally interpreted as 'rival' or 'eager/industrious' | Bulgarian, Latin | Boy | — | |
| Enyu | Varies by origin - Bulgarian: a personal/diminutive form with no single agreed meaning; Chinese: '恩' (grace/kindness) + a second character such as '宇' (universe), '玉' (jade) or '雨' (rain). | Bulgarian, Chinese | Boy | — | |
| Galin | Calm; peaceful; serene | Bulgarian, Slavic | Boy | — | |
| Grigorov | Son of Grigor - Grigor (from Greek Gregorios) meaning "watchful, alert" | Bulgarian, Slavic | Boy | — | |
| Gruev | Son/descendant of Gruyo (diminutive of Grigor/Gregory); connected to the meaning of Gregory: 'watchful, vigilant' | Bulgarian | Boy | — | |
| Khrysto | Derived from 'Christós' meaning 'anointed' - often interpreted as 'follower of Christ'. | Bulgarian, Slavic | Boy | — | |
| Kolyo | Victory of the people | Bulgarian | Boy | — | |
| Kubrat | Etymology uncertain; often associated with 'great' or 'famous' and borne by Kubrat, 7th-century founder of Old Great Bulgaria. | Bulgarian | Boy | — | |
| Markov | Son of Mark / descendant of Mark | Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slavic | Boy | — | |
| Milcho | From the Slavic root 'mil' meaning 'dear, kind' - roughly 'little dear' or 'pleasant one'. | Bulgarian | Boy | — | |
| Ognyan | Fire; fiery | Bulgarian | Boy | — | |
| Pasko | Often a diminutive of Pavel/Paul or derived from Latin Paschalis meaning 'relating to Easter' ('born at Easter'); in Tagalog 'Pasko' means 'Christmas'. | Bulgarian, Latin, Tagalog, Ukrainian | Boy | — | |
| Petko | Diminutive of Petar (Peter), meaning "rock" or "stone". | Bulgarian | Boy | — | |
| Rachev | Literally 'son of Racho' (Racho is a diminutive of Slavic names such as Radko or Radoslav; root rad meaning 'glad/willing') | Bulgarian | Boy | — | |
| Rossen | Dew | Bulgarian | Boy | — | |
| Rumen | Ruddy, rosy | Bulgarian, Old Church Slavonic, Slavic | Boy | — | |
| Slavcho | Diminutive of Slav/Slava, meaning 'little glory' or 'glorious' | Bulgarian | Boy | — | |
| Svetlin | Light, shining | Bulgarian | Boy | — |
Bulgarian Boys name popularity over time
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Bulgarian-origin name in our dataset.
58
Names in this origin
11
With data in 2024
187
Births 2024
1,897
Peak year 0