The non-native name of Croatia () derives from Medieval Latin , itself a derivation of the native ethnonym of Croats, earlier *XÃÂrvate and modern-day . The earliest preserved mentions of the ethnonym in stone inscriptions and written documents in the territory of Croatia are dated to the 8th-9th century, but its existence is considered to be of an earlier date due to lack of preserved historical evidence as the arrival of the Croats is historically and archaeologically dated to the 6th-7th century. The names of the Croats, Croatia and Croatian language with many derivative toponyms, anthroponyms and synonyms became widespread all over Europe.
There exist many and various linguistical and historical theories on the origin of the ethnonym. It is usually considered not to be of Slavic but rather Iranian language origin. According to the most probable Iranian theory, the Proto-Slavic *XÃÂrvat- < *XurwÃÂt- derives from Proto-Ossetian / Alanian *xurvæt- or *xurvÃÂt-, in the meaning of "one who guards" ("guardian, protector"), which was borrowed before the 7th century. The relation to the 3rd-century Scytho-Sarmatian form Khoroáthos (alternate forms comprise Khoróatos and Khoroúathos) attested in the Tanais Tablets, near the border of present-day Ukraine and European Russia, although possible remains uncertain.
In 2005, it was archaeologically confirmed that the ethnonym Croatorum (half-preserved) is mentioned for the first time in a church inscription found in BijaÃÂi near Trogir dated to the end of the 8th or early 9th century.
The oldest known preserved stone inscription with full ethnonym "Cruatorum" is the 9th-century Branimir inscription found in à  opot near Benkovac, in reference to Duke Branimir, dated between 879 and 892, during his rule. The inscription mentions:
The Latin charter of Duke Trpimir, dated to 852, has been generally considered the first attestation of the ethnonym "Chroatorum". However, the original of this document has been lost, and copy has been preserved in a 1568 transcript. Lujo MargetiÃÂ proposed in 2002 that the document is in fact of legislative character, dating to 840.
In the Trpimir charter, it is mentioned:
The monument with the earliest writing in Croatian containing the native ethnonym variation xÃÂrvatà() is the Baà ¡ka tablet from 1100, which reads: zvÃÂnÃÂmiràkralàxrÃÂvatÃÂskà("Zvonimir, king of Croats").
The exact origin and meaning of the ethnonym HrÃÂvÃÂt (Proto-Slavic *XÃÂrvátÃÂ, or *XurwÃÂtu) is still subject to scientific disagreement. The first etymological thesis about the name of the Croats stems from Constantine Porphyrogennetos (tenth century), who connected the different names of the Croats, ÃÂõûÿÃÂÃÂÃÂòìÃÂÿù and çÃÂÃÂòìÃÂÿù (Belokhrobatoi and Khrobatoi), with the Greek word ÃÂÃÂÃÂñ (khá¹Âra, "land"): "Croats in Slavic language means those who have many lands". In the 13th century, Thomas the Archdeacon considered that it was connected with the name of inhabitants of the Krk isle, which he gave as Curetes, Curibantes. In the 17th century, Juraj Ratkaj found a reflexion of the verb hrvati (se) "to wrestle" in the name. A more contemporary theory believes that it might not be of native Slavic lexical stock, but a borrowing from an Iranian language. Common theories from the 20th and 21st centuries derive it from an Iranian origin, the root word being a third-century Scytho-Sarmatian form attested in the Tanais Tablets as çÿÃÂÿìøÿà(Khoroáthos, alternate forms comprise Khoróatos and Khoroúathos).
In the 19th century, many different derivations were proposed for the Croatian ethnonym:
The 20th century gave rise to many new theories regarding the origin of the name of the Croats:
Among them most taken into account were (1) the Germanic derivation from the Carpathian Mountains which is by now considered as obsolete; (2) the Slavic and Germanic derivations about "well armed man"/"warriors clad with horn-armor" indicating that they stood out from the other Slavs in terms of weapons and armour, but it is not convincing because no other Slavic tribe is named after the objects of material culture. Etymologically the first was a Lithuanian borrowing from much younger Middle High German sarwes, while the second with hypothetical *hurwa-//*harwa- argues a borrowing from Proto-Germanic dialect of the Bastarnae in the sub-Carpathian or Eastern Carpathian region which isn't preserved in any Slavic or Germanic language; (3) and the prevailing Iranian derivations, Vasmer's *(fà ¡u-)haurvatÃÂ- ("cattle guardian") and Trubachyov's *xar-va(n)t (feminine, rich in women, ruled by women).
While linguists and historians agreed with Vasmer's or Trubachyov's derivation, according to Tadeusz Lehr-Spà Âawià Âski and Radoslav KatiÃÂiÃÂ, the Iranian theses doesn't entirely fit with the Croatian ethnonym, as according to them, the original plural form was HrÃÂvate not HÃÂrvate, and the vowel "a" in the Iranian harvat- is short, while in the Slavic HrÃÂvate it is long among others. KatiÃÂiàconcluded that of all the etymological considerations, the Iranian is the least unlikely. Ranko Matasoviàalso considered it of Iranian origin, but besides confirming original forms as *XÃÂrvátà(sl.) and *XÃÂrvate (pl.), dismissed Trubachyov's derivation because was semantically and historically completely unfounded, and concluded that the only derivation which met the criteria of adaptation of Iranian language forms to Proto-Slavic, as well as historical and semantical plausibility, it is the Vasmer's assumption but with some changes, as the Proto-Slavic *XÃÂrvat- < *XurwÃÂt- comes from Proto-Ossetian / Alanian *xurvæt- or *xurvÃÂt-, in the meaning of "one who guards" ("guardian, protector"), which was borrowed before the 7th century, and possibly was preserved as a noun in Old Polish charwat (guard).
The relation of the Croatian ethnonym to the 3rd-century personal name Khoroáthos from Tanais Tablets, KatiÃÂiàconsidered that "to identify this personal name as an indirect trace of the name for the Croats is a serious and fundamentally convincing thesis. No more and no less than that, but there is, however, no total certainty in that thesis either", while Matasoviàconsidered to be "coincidental similarities". The Medieval Latin C(h)roatae and Greek form Khrà Âbátoi are adaptations of Western South Slavic plural pronunciation *XÃÂrwate from the late 8th and early 9th century, and came to Greek via a Frankish source. To the Proto-Slavic singular form are closest Old Russian xorvaty (*xÃÂrvaty) and German-Lusatian Curuuadi from 11th and 12th century sources, while the old plural form *XÃÂrvate is correctly reflected in Old Russian Xrovate, Xrvate, Church Slavonic xarÃÂvate and Old Croatian Hrvate. The form Charvát in Old Czech came from Croatian-Chakavian or Old Polish (Charwaty). The Croatian ethnonym HrÃÂvÃÂt (sl.) and Hrváti (pl.) in the Kajkavian dialect also appear in the form Horvat and Horvati, while in the Chakavian dialect in the form Harvat and Harvati.
Croatian place names can be found in northern Slavic regions such as Moravia (Czech Republic) and Slovakia, Poland, along the river Saale in Germany, in Austria and Slovenia, and in the south in Greece, Albania among others.
In Germany along Saale river there were Chruuati near Halle in 901 AD, Chruuati in 981 AD, Chruazis in 1012 AD, Churbate in 1055 AD, Grawat in 1086 AD, Curewate (now Korbetha), GroÃÂkorbetha (Curuvadi and Curuuuati 881-899 AD) and Kleinkorbetha, and Korbetha west of Leipzig; In Moravia are Charwath, or Charvaty near Olomouc, in Slovakia are Chorvaty and Chrovátice near Varadka. The Charwatynia near Kashubians in district Wejherowo, and áhðrwðtàor Klwaty near Radom in Poland among others.
Thus in the Duchy of Carinthia one can find pagus Crouuati (954), Crauuati (961), Chrouuat (979) and Croudi (993) along upper Mura; in Middle Ages the following place names have been recorded: Krobathen, Krottendorf, Krautkogel; Kraut (before Chrowat and Croat) near Spittal. In the Duchy of Styria there are toponyms such as Chraberstorf and Krawerspach near Murau, Chrawat near Laas in Judendorf, Chrowat, Kchrawathof and Krawabten near Leoben. Along middle Mura Krawerseck, Krowot near Weiz, Krobothen near Stainz and Krobathen near Straganz. In Slovenia there are also Hrovate, HrovaÃÂa, and Hrvatini.
In the Southeastern Balkans, oeconyms Rvatska Stubica, Rvaà ¡i, Rvat(i) in Montenegro; several villages Hrvati and Gornji/Donji Hrvati in Bosnia and Herzegovina including HorvaÃÂani (HrvaÃÂani Hristjanski) and HrvatoviÃÂi; Rvatsko Selo, Hrvatska, and hamlet Hrvatske Mohve in Serbia; North Macedonia has a place named Arvati (ÃÂÃÂòðÃÂø) situated near lower Prespa; in Greece there is a Charváti or Kharbáti () in Attica and Harvation or Kharbátion in Argolis, as well as Charváta () on Crete; and Hirvati in Albania, among others in other countries.
The ethnonym also inspired many anthroponyms which can be found in Eastern and Southeastern Europe. They are recorded at least since the 11th century in Croatia in the form of a personal name Hrvatin. Since the 14th century they can be found in the area of the Croatian capital city of Zagreb, in Bosnia and Herzegovina (especially in the area of East Herzegovina), as well as in the DeÃÂani chrysobulls of Serbia, and since the 15th century in Montenegro, Kosovo, and North Macedonia. In Poland the surnames Karwat, Carwad, Charwat, Carwath, Horwat, Horwath, Horwatowie are recorded since the 14th century in Kraków, Przemyà Âl and elsewhere, generally among the native Polish nobility, peasants, and local residents, but not among foreigners. They used it as a nickname, probably due to the influence of immigration from the Kingdom of Hungary. Since the 16th century surname Harvat is recorded in Romania.
It is mentioned in the form of the surnames Horvat, Horvatin, Hrvatin, HrvatiniÃÂ, HrvatiÃÂ, HrvatoviÃÂ, Hrvet, HervatiÃÂ, H(e)rvatinÃÂiÃÂ, H(e)rvojeviÃÂ, HorvatiniÃÂ, HorvaÃÂeviÃÂ, HorvatinoviÃÂ, HrvoviÃÂ, Hrvoj, Rvat, and RvatoviÃÂ. Today Horvat is the most numerous surname in Croatia, and the second most numerous in Slovenia (where the forms Hrovat, Hrovatin, and Hrvatin also exist), while Horváth is the most numerous surname in Slovakia and one of the most numerous in Hungary. In the Czech Republic, variation Charvat is found.
The male personal names Hrvoje, Hrvoj, Hrvoja, Horvoja, Hrvojhna, Hrvatin, Hrvajin, Hrvo, Hrvojin, Hrvojica, Hrvonja, Hrvat, Hrvad, Hrvadin, Hrvià ¡a, Hrvoslav, and Rvoje are derived from the ethnonym, as are the female names Hrvatica, Hrvojka, Hrvatina, and Hrvoja. Today the given name Hrvoje is one of the most common in Croatia.
Throughout history, many synonyms were used for the Croats, their country and language, see the list below. In other cases, the Croatian ethnonym was also used in the sense of the "Illyrian costume" meant "pohârvÃÂtjen" in lexicon by Joakim Stulià(1810), and the "Hungarian or Croatian costume" (alla croata), the Cavalleria Croata in the Venetian Dalmatia, the lingua croatica for the Glagolitic script (so-called St. Jerome's script) and in general for the Illyrian language (and foundation of the San Girolamo dei Croati and related Pontifical Croatian College of St. Jerome in Rome).
Throughout its history, there were many official political names of Croatia in the 20th century. When Croatia was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the entity was known as Banovina Hrvatska (Banovina of Croatia). After Yugoslavia was invaded in 1941, it became known as Nezavisna Drà ¾ava Hrvatska (Independent State of Croatia) as a puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The present Croatian state became known as Federalna Drà ¾ava Hrvatska (Federal State of Croatia) when the country became part of the second Yugoslav state in 1944 following the third session of ZAVNOH. From 1945, the state became Narodna Republika Hrvatska (People's Republic of Croatia) and renamed again to SocijalistiÃÂka Republika Hrvatska (Socialist Republic of Croatia) in 1963. After the constitution was adopted in December 1990, it was renamed to Republika Hrvatska (Republic of Croatia) and the name was retained when Croatia declared independence on June 25, 1991.