Surname Petkovic - Meaning and Origin

Petkovic: What does the surname Petkovic mean?

The last name Petkovic is of Southern Slavic origin and is mainly found in Serbia and Montenegro. The name is derived from an ancient Slavic personal name, often ending in "k" or "ko", and meaning "son of Pet" or “descendant of Pet”. The root of the name Pet originates from the ancient Slavic word “peti” which means ‘woodland’.

The prefix ‘pet’ and the suffix ‘ovic/ov’ together suggest the name has a strong family history and would have been originally used to distinguish one family group from another in a given region. Generally, the Petkovic name is associated with one or a few families in any given locality, which could denote that the people belonging to this name have descended from a common ancestor.

In Serbia, the name has become popular in recent times as more people take on the last name in recognition of their ancestors’ legacy. Today, the Petkovic surname is spread across the world, particularly in cities with large Croatian populations like Toronto, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago.

It is likely that anyone with the Petkovic last name has a connection to an ancient tradition and a strong sense of identity, as it is a name steeped in history and culture.

Petkovic: Where does the name Petkovic come from?

The last name Petkovic is of Slavic origin and is most commonly found in countries of the former Yugoslavia, such as Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, and Kosovo. The surname is extremely popular in Croatia, and according to a 2015 analysis of the data, the most popular of the total 19 surnames in the country is Petkovic.

The surname Petkovic can also be found in large numbers in Australia and the United States (mostly among the Croat immigrants). The immigrants generally settled in the Midwest region, particularly Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois. Some of them also moved to the cities of New York and California.

In terms of the rest of Europe, the name Petkovic is most popular in the Slavic countries, especially in Slovenia, Czech Republic and Slovakia. In Germany and the Netherlands, the surname is known but not very common.

This is quite understandable since many of the Petkovic immigrants left their homeland only recently as a reaction to the political and cultural changes in Yugoslavia during and after WWII, or during the Bosnian War. Therefore, it is no surprise to see Petkovic’s in the aforementioned countries or territories.

The Petkovic surname can also be found all around the globe, due to the fact that some people of the Petkovic scattered to distant lands on different occasions. For example, some of the Petkovic people have moved to Brazil, Canada, United Kingdom, and many more countries.

In conclusion, the Petkovic last name is most common in Croatia and in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, but can be found elsewhere – especially in countries of Slavic origin, or among the countries that have had Croat immigrants.

Variations of the surname Petkovic

Petkovic is a common Slavic surname, originating from the region of Serbia. Its spelling and surname variants include: Petković, Petkovic, Petkovich, Petrović, Petrovich, Petrovič, Petrušević, Petruševici, Petrushevich, and Petrushevici.

The most common spelling, Petkovic, is a patronymic derived from a male ancestor with the Slavic personal name Petro/Petar or Petur/Petros - meaning "rock" in Greek. The suffix -ovic is typical of many Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian surnames, conferring a meaning of "son of".

The variant spelling Petrović is similar to Petkovic, except it replaces the suffix -ovic with -ović, which is of Serbo-Croatian origin. It is one of the most frequent surnames in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The variant Petrušević is also of Serbian origin and is associated with the name Petrus and the suffix -ević, which also indicates descent from a male ancestor of the same name.

The variant Petrovič is of Slovenian origin, and is a less commonly found version of Petkovic - using the suffix -ovič instead of -ovic.

The variant Petrushevich refers to the Belarusian form of the surname Petkovic and is derived from the Belarusian surname Petrusevich. Its variant spelling Petrushevici is slightly changed.

Overall, Petkovic is a Slavic surname with several spelling variations and descent indicators - often associated with the personal name Petro/Petar/Petur/Petros and the suffix -ovic, -ović, -ević, -ovič or -evici. Examples of its historical influence can be found in many Eastern European countries.

Famous people with the name Petkovic

• Jelena Petković: Yugoslavian singer of Serbian origin.
• Igor Petković: Bosnian footballer and manager.
• Steve Petković: Canadian-Croatian professional ice hockey player.
• Siniša Petković: Serbian professional basketball player.
• Momčilo Petković: Former Serbian professional basketball player.
• Viktorija Petković: Montenegrin-Australian dance instructor and choreographer.
• Nataša Petković: Serbian volleyball player.
• Kristina Petković: Professional volleyball player from Serbia.
• Nemanja Petković: Serbian professional basketball player.
• Milovan Petković: Serbian professional basketball player.
• Tara Petković: Serbian actress and model.
• Nikola Petković: Slovak chess Grandmaster.
• Ksenija Petković: Serbian NovaTV host.
• Bojan Petković: Slovenian hurdler and judoka.
• Saša Petković: Serbian chess player and international master.
• Valtazar Petković: Bosnian football player.
• Ivan Petković: Bosnian handball coach.
• Đorđe Petković: Former Serbian football player.
• Dejan Petković: Bosnian journalist and television anchor.
• Savo Petković: Former Yugoslav international football player.

Other surnames

PetkovPetkovaPetkovskaPetkovski