Horvat Family History

Croatian and Slovenian: from an old Hungarian-influenced form of the ethnic name Hrvat for a Croat (see Horvath). In particular, this term was used to denote Croatian refugees from the Turkish occupation of the Balkans in the 15th and 16th centuries who settled in the northern part of present-day Croatia where the Kajkavian-speaking inhabitants culturally very close to Slovenes at that time did not call themselves H(o)rvati ‘Croats’ yet and in the adjacent parts of present-day Slovenia.

Horvat is the most frequent surname in Croatia and the second most frequent surname in Slovenia. Compare Harvath, Horwath, Hrovat, and Krobot.

Hungarian (Horvát): from Hungarian Horvát, an ethnic name for a Croat (see Horvath). This form of the surname is also found in Slovakia together with the variant Horvat.

Jewish (from Hungary; Horvát): variant of Horváth (see Horvath).