Name days in Bulgaria explained

Name days in Bulgaria are name days associated with Eastern Orthodox^[1] saints. Some names can be celebrated on more than one day.

According to the tradition, guests are supposed to come uninvited and the person who has the celebrated name is supposed to be prepared to treat everyone. Today people prefer to invite their guests at home or at a bar or a restaurant. The celebrations are similar to those of birthdays, but usually the food, the music and the feel is somewhat more traditional, and sometimes even religious.

January

• 1 : Vassil, Vesselin, Vasilena (on Vassilyovden)
• 2 : Silvia
• 4 : Tihomir
• 6 : Yordan, Bozhidar, Bogdan (on Bogoyavlenie; Yordanovden)
• 7 : Ivan, Yoan, Yoana, Ivaylo (on Ivanovden)
• 11 : Bogdan, Bogdana, Bogomil, Teodosii
• 12: Tania, Tatiana (on Sveta Tatiana)
• 14 : Adam, Kalcho, Nina
• 17 : Anton, Andon, Antonia, Donka, Doncho, Toni, Toncho (on Antonovden)
• 18 : Atanas, Atanaska, Nasko, Naska, Nacho, Tanyo, Tinka (on Atanasovden)
• 20 : Evtim
• 21 : Valeri, Valeria, Maksim
• 24 : Ksenia
• 25 : Grigor, Grigorena

February

• 1 : Lozan, Trifon (on Trifon Zarezan)
• 2 : Radost, Radostin, Radina, Radoslav
• 3 : Simeon, Simona, Mona, Monchо
• 4 : Zheko, Zhelyaz, Zhelyazko, Zhechka, Zhechko, Zhecho (also alternative spellings Jeko, Jeliaz, Jechka, Jechko)
• 5 : Dobrin, Dobrinka
• 6 : Doroteya, Ognyan, Ognyana, Plamen, Plamena, Svetla, Svetlana, Svetozar, Svetlozar, Fotina
• 10 : Valentin, Valentina, Valya, Lambi
• 13 : Evlogi, Zoya, Zhivko Zhivka
• 14 : Trifon

March

• 1 : Evdokia, Marta (on Baba Marta)
• 4 : Gera, Gerasim, Gercho
• 6 : Krasimir, Krasimira
• 9 : Mladen, Mladena
• 10 : Galin, Galina, Galya
• 13 : Nikifor
• 17 : Alexi
• 19 : Daria
• 20 : Svetla, Svetozar
• 22 : Rosen, Rosica
• 24 : Zahari, Zaharina, Hari
• 25 : Blagovest, Blagovesta, Blagoy, Blaga, Bonka, Boncho
• 26 : Gabriela
• 28 : Albena, Boyko, Boyka, Boyan, Boyana

April

• 1 : Avram
• 6 : Strahil
• 14 : Martin, Martina, Marta
• 18 : Viktor, Viktoria
• 25 : Mark, Marko

May

• 1 : Maya, Tamara
• 2 : Boris, Borislav, Borislava, Boryana (on Saint tzar Boris)
• 5 : Irina, Irena, Miroslav, Mircho, Miroslava, Mira, Miro
• 6 : Galin, Galina, Galya, Ganka, Gancho, Genko, Genoveva, Georgi, Gergana, Gergin, Gergina, Ginka, Gyuro (!Gyurov!), Zhorzh (on Gergyovden)
• 8 : Radoslav
• 9 : Hristofor
• 11 : Kiril, Kiro, Kirilka, Metodi, Metodiy, Metodiya (13 days before St. Cyril and St. Methodius' day)
• 20: Lidia, Lida
• 21 : Constantin, Dinko, Elena, Eleonora, Eli, Elin, Elka, Ilona, Koycho, Konstantin, Kosta, Kostadin, Kostadinka, Kostadinko, Kuncho, Lenko, Stanimir, Stanimira, Stanka, Stoil, Trayko
• 24 : Kiril, Kiro, Kirilka, Metodi, Metodiy, Metodiya

June

• 24 : Bilyana, Encho, Enyo, Yancho, Yanaki, Yana, Yani, Yanislav, Yanka, Yanko (on Enyovden)
• 29 : Kamen, Pavel, Pavlin, Pavlina, Peyo, Penka, Pencho, Petrana, Petar, Petya, Petso (on Petrovden)
• 30 : Apostol

July

• 1 : Dame, Damyan, Kuzman
• 7 : Delcho, Delyo, Nedelcho, Nedelya, Nedyalko, Nedko, Neli, Neshka, Neda, Nedelina
• 11 : Olga, Oleg
• 15 : Vladimir, Vladislav, Gospodin, Gospodinka
• 16 : Yulia, Yulian, Yuliana
• 17 : Marin, Marina, Marinka, Marinela
• 18 : Emil, Emilia, Emiliana, Emilian
• 20 : Iliya, Iliyan, Iliyana, Ilina, Ilka, Ilko, Lilo (on)
• 22 : Lena, Magda, Magdalena, Manda, Meglena, Miglena
• 24 : Yana, Yanka,
• 25 : Ana, Anna, Anka, Aneliya, Aneta, Ani
• 27 : Panteley, Panko, Panto
• 29 : Kalin

August

• 2 : Ilia, Ilija, Eliya
• 8 : Emil, Emilia, Emiliana, Emilian
• 15 : Mara, Marian, Mariana, Maria, Mariya, Mariyan, Mariyana, Masha, Mika, Mira (on Golyama Bogoroditza)
• 20 : Samuil
• 23 : Valko
• 26 : Adrian, Adriana, Natalia
• 29 : Anastas
• 30 : Aleko, Alexandra, Alexander, Sasha, Sasho (on Alexandrov Den)
• 31 : Genadi

September

• 1 : Simeon, Mona, Moncho (on Simeonovden)
• 5 : Elza, Elisaveta, Izabela, Zahari, Svetozar, Svetlozara
• 8 : Maria
• 14 : Krastan, Krastina, Kristina, Kristiana, Krastyo, Kristal, Kancho, Stavri (on Krastyovden)
• 16 : Lyudmil, Lyudmila
• 17 : Vera, Verka, Vyara, Lyuba, Lyuben, Lyubov, Lyubomir, Nadezhda, Nadya, Sevda, Sofia, Nadejda (on Sveta Sofia)
• 22 : Galabin, Galabina

October

• 3 : Denis, Denislav, Denislava
• 6 : Toma, Tomi
• 11 : Filip
• 14 : Paraskeva, Penka, Pencho, Petka, Petko (on Petkovden)
• 18 : Zlatan, Zlatka, Zlatko, Zlatomir, Luka, Lukan
• 26 : Dimitrina, Dimitar, Dima, Dimo, Dragan, Mitro, Mitra (on Dimitrovden)
• 27 : Nestor
• 28 : Lachezar

November

• 8 : Angel, Angelina, Gavril, Emil, Emilia, Emiliana, Emilian, Lina, Mila, Milen, Milena, Milyo, Mihaela, Mihail, Mihaila, Ognyan, Plamen, Rayko, Rayna, Raycho, Rangel, Rafail, Raya, Rusi, Ruska, Reni, Serafim, Ruslan (on Arhangelovden)
• 11 : Victor, Victoria, Mina, Minka, Mincho
• 14 : Filip, Filyo
• 16 : Matey
• 23 : Alexandra, Alexander, Tsanka, Tsanko
• 24 : Ekaterina, Katerina, Katya, Tinka (only female form, on Sveta Ekaterina)
• 26 : Stiliyan, Stela
• 30 : Andrea, Andrej (on Andreevden)

December

• 4 : Varvara
• 5 : Sava, Savka, Slavi, Slavcho, Sabi, Slav
• 6 : Nikola, Nikolay, Niki, Nikolina, Nina, Kolyo, Neno, Nenka, Niko, Nia (on Nikulden)
• 9 : Anna, Ana, Anelia, Ani (only female form, on Sveta Anna)
• 12 : Spiridon, Spiro
• 15 : Svoboda
• 17 : Danail, Daniel, Daniela, Danko (on Sv. Danail)
• 20 : Ignat, Ognyan, Plamen, Iskra (on Ignazhden)
• 24 : Bistra, Blagorodna, Evgeni, Evgenia, Zheni, Zhechka, Parvan, Parvana
• 25 : Emil, Itso, Icho, Kristina, Kristian, Mladen, Radomir, Radoslav, Radoslava, Radostin, Radostina, Rumen, Rumyana, Hristina, Hristo, Hristofor (on Christmas)
• 26 : David, Datso, Dacho, Yosif, Yosko
• 27 : Ventsi, Ventsislav, Ventsislava, Zapryan, Sonya, Stamen, Stana, Stanislav, Stanislava, Stanimir, Stanimira, Stanka, Stanko, Stancho, Stefan, Stefana, Stefania, Stefka, Stoil, Stoimen, Stoichko, Stoiko, Stoytcho, Stoyan, Stoyana, Stoyanka, Tanya, Tsanka, Tsanko, Tsona, Tsonka, Tsonko, Tsonyo (on Saint Stefan)

Easter related name days

• First Saturday of the Great Lent

Todor(a), Teodor(a), Dora, Bozhidar

• Lazarus Saturday

Lazar, Lazarina

• Palm Sunday (Eastern Churches)

all flower-related names, such as Bilyan(a), Tsveta, Tsvetin(a), Tsvetelin(a), Tsvetan(a), Tsvyatko, Margarita, Liliya, Lilyan(a), Kalina, Violeta, Yavor, Zdravko, Zjumbjul, Nevena, Kameliya, Temenuzhka, Ralitsa, etc.

• Easter Sunday (Eastern Churches)

Velichko, Velichka, Veliko, Velin, Vela

• Thomas Sunday

Toma, Tomislav, Tomislava

• Ascension Sunday

Spas, Spaska

External links

• Incomplete Name Calendar
• Official calendar of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (in Bulgarian language)

Notes and References

1. Book: Brien . Joanne O. . The Atlas of Religion . Palmer . Martin . 2007 . University of California Press . 978-0-520-24917-2 . 22 . There are over 220 million Orthodox Christians worldwide..