Surname Vasiljev - Meaning and Origin

Vasiljev: What does the surname Vasiljev mean?

The last name Vasiljev is a Serbian surname, which most likely has its origin in the first name Vasilije. The first name is derived from the Greek name Basileios, meaning “king” or “kingly”. As a surname, it has a number of variations including Vasiljevic, Vasiljevich, and Vasiljovich, with many other variants used in countries around the world.

The root of the name is Vasilije, a patronymic name, which is based on Vasil, the Slavic root word of the same origin. This name has an ancient history among the Slavic people, often thought to be used by the Prince of Serbia of the Middle Ages. Though the historical connection is uncertain, it could be that the name was used by a noble person in this time period or possibly a member of the local church.

One of the most notable bearers of the last name is Vasa Vasiljevic (1882-1913), a renowned Serbian athlete, who competed in a number of international events and was even featured on a stamp in his home country. Other people with this name include Vladimir Vasiljevic (1908-1991), a prominent Serbian composer, and Petar Vasiljevic (1747-1794), a renowned Russian landscape painter.

Overall, the last name Vasiljev is an ancient one, with likely origins dating back to the Middle Ages in Serbia. Through time, it has spread across the globe, with many of its holders having achieved notoriety in various fields.

Vasiljev: Where does the name Vasiljev come from?

The last name Vasiljev is origionally a Slavic name, meaning Son of Vasil. It is mostly found in countries that were part of the former Yugoslavia, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia and Bulgaria. It is also a fairly common surname in Russia.

The spelling may vary depending on the country, with variants such as Vasiliev, Vasilyev and Vasilyev, and there are some known alternate spellings of this surname, such as Vasilleff, Vassilev, Vasileff and Wasilewski.

The name is most popular in Serbia, where it ranks 33 on the list of most common surnames, and in Croatia it is ranked at 126. It is also fairly popular in other Balkan countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bulgaria, where it is ranked at 159 and 95 respectively.

In Russia, the surname Vasiljev is ranked at 71. This is due largely to its popularity in the regions of Central Russia, where it is most common, and St. Petersburg, where it is also quite prevalent.

Overall, the surname Vasiljev is most prevalently found in the former Yugoslavia and Russia, although there are some notable exceptions such as Montenegro, Ukraine and Belarus, where the surname occurs at much lower levels.

Variations of the surname Vasiljev

The surname Vasiljev (also spelled Vasilyev, Vasiliev, Vasil’ev, Vasil’yev, Vasil’iev, Vasilyevich, and Vasil’evich) is a patronymic Slavic surname originating in Russia. It is derived from the personal name “Vasily” or “Vasil”, which in both cases is a form of Basil, a name of Ancient Greek origin. It is a very old name, with records of the Vasilyev family dating back to the 12th century in Russia.

The surnames Vasiljev, Vasiliev, Vasil’ev, and Vasil’yev, along with the spellings Vasilievich and Vasil’evich, all derive from the personal name Vasily. These surnames are all patronymic, meaning they were originally used to indicate people with the same paternal lineage. The patronymic suffix -yev comes from the word for “son” in old Slavic, and the feminine form is -yeva.

The extended Vasiljev/Vasiliev family can be found among the many Russian and Ukrainian-speaking populations, as well as many of those living throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Many variations of these surnames evolved as people migrated to different countries. For example, the Polish spellings of the name are Wazyliewicz, Wazylewicz, and Wazylowiez, and the Ukrainian spelling is Vasylenko.

The Vasiljev surname also has developed many related surnames, particularly in Eastern European countries. Some of these include, Voskresenskiy, Vaskov, Vakhrukhov, and Vasilitsa. Vasiljev is also sometimes seen anglicized as Toalson or Talison (or other similar spellings).

In summary, the surname Vasiljev is of both ancient Greek and Slavic origin, and has spawned many variant spellings and surnames throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Popular variations of the surname include Vasiliev, Vasil’ev, Vasil’yev, and Vasilievich, as well as Polish spellings such as Wazyliewicz, and Ukrainian spellings such as Vasylenko.

Famous people with the name Vasiljev

• Aleksandar Vasiljev: Serbian professional basketball coach and former player.
• Bojan Vasiljev: Montenegrin folk singer and songwriter.
• Slavko Vasiljev: Serbian Minister of Economy and Regional Development in 2006.
• Marjan Vasiljev: Serbian footballer and coach.
• Nemanja Vasiljev: Serbian footballer.
• Predrag Vasiljev: Macedonian handball player.
• Tarik Vasiljev: Yugoslavian footballer.
• Boško Vasiljev: Serbian singer and actor.
• Milomir Vasiljev: Bosnian footballer.
• Bojan Vasiljev: Serbian footballer.
• Djordje Vasiljev: Yugoslavian sport shooter.
• Marko Vasiljev: Yugoslavian former footballer and coach.
• Nikola Vasiljev: Serbian-born former Dutch footballer.
• Sakib Vasiljev: Bosnian footballer.
• Zoran Vasiljev: Serbian former footballer.

Other surnames

VasiljevaVasiljevs