M
Masculine
Bulgarian
Meaning & History
Mihov is a Bulgarian surname meaning "son of Miho", where Miho is a diminutive of Mihail, the Bulgarian form of Michael. The root name Michael derives from the Hebrew rhetorical question Miḵaʾel – "who is like God?" – emphasizing the incomparability of God. In Christian tradition, Michael is an archangel and the leader of the heavenly army, a figure whose biblical mentions (e.g., Daniel 12:1, Revelation 12:7-9) contributed to the name's widespread adoption across Europe, including in Bulgaria where it became Mihail via Greek and Slavic transmission.
The surname Mihov is part of a common Bulgarian patronymic pattern, where the suffix -ov (or -ev) indicates "son of." Formed from the given name Miho, a short or affectionate form of Mihail, Mihov thus originally identified a person as the son of a man named Miho. Similar patronymic surnames are found throughout Bulgarian naming, such as Mihaylov (directly from Mihail) and Minkov (based on another diminutive of Mihail). The feminine counterpart ending in -ova is attested as Mihova for a woman bearing the name, while Mihaylova is the feminine form of Mihaylov.
Noteworthy bearers of the surname Mihov include Bulgarian economist Ilian Mihov (born 1969), known for his work in development economics, as well as Bulgarian footballers Ivan Mihov (born 1991) and Valentin Mihov (born 1954). The name also appears in historical contexts such as Nikola Mikhov (1891–1945), a regent of Bulgaria during World War II; though spelled differently (possibly a transliteration variant), the connection to the same root name is clear. In Croatia, architect Paskoje Miličević (also known as Mihov, ca. 1440–1516) illustrates the spread of diminutive-based surnames across South Slavic regions.
The name Mihov is correspondingly related to a wide range of patronymic surnames in other languages, reflecting the cross-cultural popularity of the root name Michael. Examples include the Croatian Mihaljević, Danish Mikkelsen, Flemish Michiels, English Michaels, and French Michel (as a given name). German uses both Michael as a given name and Michaels as a surname.
The surname Mihov is part of a common Bulgarian patronymic pattern, where the suffix -ov (or -ev) indicates "son of." Formed from the given name Miho, a short or affectionate form of Mihail, Mihov thus originally identified a person as the son of a man named Miho. Similar patronymic surnames are found throughout Bulgarian naming, such as Mihaylov (directly from Mihail) and Minkov (based on another diminutive of Mihail). The feminine counterpart ending in -ova is attested as Mihova for a woman bearing the name, while Mihaylova is the feminine form of Mihaylov.
Noteworthy bearers of the surname Mihov include Bulgarian economist Ilian Mihov (born 1969), known for his work in development economics, as well as Bulgarian footballers Ivan Mihov (born 1991) and Valentin Mihov (born 1954). The name also appears in historical contexts such as Nikola Mikhov (1891–1945), a regent of Bulgaria during World War II; though spelled differently (possibly a transliteration variant), the connection to the same root name is clear. In Croatia, architect Paskoje Miličević (also known as Mihov, ca. 1440–1516) illustrates the spread of diminutive-based surnames across South Slavic regions.
The name Mihov is correspondingly related to a wide range of patronymic surnames in other languages, reflecting the cross-cultural popularity of the root name Michael. Examples include the Croatian Mihaljević, Danish Mikkelsen, Flemish Michiels, English Michaels, and French Michel (as a given name). German uses both Michael as a given name and Michaels as a surname.
- Meaning: Son of Miho (diminutive of Mihail)
- Origin: Bulgarian
- Type: Patronymic surname
- Usage regions: Bulgaria and the Bulgarian diaspora
Related Names
Other Languages & Cultures
(French)
Michel (Croatian)
Mihaljević (Danish)
Mikkelsen (Flemish)
Michiels (German)
Michael (English)
Michaels, Michaelson (Scottish)
Mitchell 1 (French)
Michaud (German)
Michaelis (Greek)
Michailidis, Michailidou, Michelakaki, Michelakakis, Michelaki, Michelakis, Michelakos, Michelakou (Italian)
Micheli (Polish)
Michalak (Spanish)
Miguel (Romanian)
Mihai (Russian)
Mikhailov, Mikhailova, Mikhaylov, Mikhaylova (Serbian)
Mihailović, Mihajlović (Swedish)
Mikaelsson
Sources: Wikipedia — Mihov