The origin of the name Tesla?

[poiuytrewq0987]

I don't see a lot of Serbs with this name as most have boring typical Slavic names ending with "vics" and starting with the name of their progenitor. So, I'm rather curious where it came from.

[Treffie]

Albanian?

[poiuytrewq0987]

Albanian?

No, Albanian surnames are way different (http://www.gaminggeeks.org/Resources/KateMonk/Europe-Eastern/Albania/Surnames.htm).

[Lithium]

"тесла" in Bulgarian means little kind of axe for one hand.

[Saruman]

Serb surname from Lika. Originates from the village Raduče on the slopes of Velebit. In the census of 1712, one part of the village had Draganic surname, the other Tesla, from which it is indirectly concluded that part of the family changed their surname. It is assumed that the change could originate from one ancestor who had characteristically pronounced and strong upper jaw that reminded on tool for woodworking(Tesanje, Tesla). Ancestors of this family came from Pilatovci hamlet near Vucji Dol (Montenegro).

Croats claim Draganić's are nobles from Zadar, and his mothers surname Kalinic also as Croatian (according to one book by Croatian author Tesla said that).

[lei.talk]

Никола Тесла (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla) was born to Serbian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbs) parents in the village of Smiljan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smiljan), Croatian Military Frontier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_Military_Frontier), Austrian Empire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian_Empire) near the town of Gospić (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospi%C4%87), in the territory of modern-day Croatia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia). His baptismal certificate reports that he was born on 28 June (N.S. 10 July), 1856, to Father Milutin Tesla, a priest in the Serbian Orthodox Church (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbian_Orthodox_Church), Metropolitanate of Sremski Karlovci (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sremski_Karlovci) and Đuka Mandić. His paternal origin is thought to be either of one of the local Serb clans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serb_clans) in the Tara valley or from the Herzegovinian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herzegovinians) noble Pavle Orlović (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavle_Orlovi%C4%87). His mother, Đuka, daughter of a Serbian Orthodox Church priest, came from a family domiciled in Lika and Banija (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banovina_(region)), but with deeper origins to Kosovo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosovo).
http://www.gforums.net/images/ranks/googleguru.gif (http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GZAZ_enUS281US281&q=%d0%a2%d0%b5%d1%81%d0%bb%d0%b0)

[Guapo]

I don't see a lot of Serbs with this name as most have boring typical Slavic names ending with "vics" and starting with the name of their progenitor. So, I'm rather curious where it came from.

There's thousands of Teslas in Chicago, go and ask them.

[Svipdag]

I remember reading long ago that "tesla" is a Serbian word meaning a dibble or digging stick. Could some Serbian please verify or refute this ?

[Юbermensch]

That's a tesla in Bulgarian

http://www.citymarket.bg/products/0982_big.jpg

[Guapo]

I remember reading long ago that "tesla" is a Serbian word meaning a dibble or digging stick. Could some Serbian please verify or refute this ?

Surname is common in Czech Rep. and Poland too, must be an old slavic word for 'carpenter' me thinks.

[Юbermensch]

Or may be he has something to do with this town in Bosnia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesli%C4%87

http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1721004-Travel_Picture-Teslic.jpg

[Guapo]

Or may be he has something to do with this town in Republika Srpska

Fixed

[Aramis]

Or may be he has something to do with this town in Bosnia and Hercegovina


Fixed

Re-fixed.

[Osweo]

That's a tesla in Bulgarian

http://www.citymarket.bg/products/0982_big.jpg
Ah, an adze по-английскии!
(And those Rumanian Slavs-in-disguise have the same word; teslă)
ТеслО, in Russian.

There are related verbs, probably older than the noun;
тесать ( вн. )
cut, (d) , hew (d) ; (обтёсывать) trim (d)

and other nouns from the verb;
утес = rock, scar

тесак м.
1) (топор) hatchet (Our member 'Sonnets' first translation from Bulgarian)2) воен. ист. ≈ broadsword [-ɔːdsɔːd]; (у моряков) cutlass ['kʌ-]

------ It's all about 'chopping'.

I remember reading long ago that "tesla" is a Serbian word meaning a dibble or digging stick. Could some Serbian please verify or refute this ?
Seems a bit far out, given that the root implies more a cutting sort of action. :shrug:


It is assumed that the change could originate from one ancestor who had characteristically pronounced and strong upper jaw that reminded on tool for woodworking(Tesanje, Tesla).

Surname is common in Czech Rep. and Poland too, must be an old slavic word for 'carpenter' me thinks.
Yep, chop chop chop! :p

Or may be he has something to do with this town in Bosnia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesli%C4%87

http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1721004-Travel_Picture-Teslic.jpg
Hmm, wouldn't the form indicate that the village was named after a founder who was named after the tool/action?

[Osweo]

Vladimir Dahl is always interesting a source;

ТЕСАТЬ, тесывать что, тесонуть, обрубать дерево вдоль или накось (не поперек) слоев, снимая лишек или ровняя;
рубить плашмя, вдоль кромки, поверхности, плоскости, выравнивая или высекая по надобности.
Тешут топором, теслою, а камень — киркою;
по нужде, можно тесать что и косарем, тесаком, саблею.
Тесать по нитке, по отбою.
Тесать по шаблону.
Кто сроду не тесывал, гладко не обтешет.
Бабе хоть кол на голове теши.
Дураку хоть кол теши: он своих два ставит!
По писанному, что по тесанному.
Бойся не бойся, а гроб теши.
Он берется за дело, ровно не тесанный! ||
*Тесать по дорожке, скоро идти.
Он все свое тешет, несет, говорить.
Тесать щи, уплетать, пожирать.
‑ся, страдат. ||
Куда тешешься? продираешься, идешь зря, толкая.
Вытесать клин.
Дотесывай, да пойдем.
Затесался за отбой, втесался в самый брус.
*Мужик втесался в театр.
*Свинья затесалась в огородн.
Доску истесал, а ничего не сделал.
Натеши кольев.
Дерево надтесано.
Обтесать столб.
Оттесать заболонь.
Потеши еще, подтеши сысподу.
Не перетесывать стать.
Притесать доску к доске.
Протесать паз, растесать его пошире, порастесать.
Стесать горбыль.
Тесанье, тёс, теска, действ. по глаг. ||
Тес, пиленые доски, тоньше вершка, на кровли и на обшивку изб. Полатный тес, плохой, идущий на покрышку барок.
У него голова тесом крыта (о стрижке под верховку).
Теснина, тесница, сев. тесина, вообще доска;
встарь не пилили досок, а кололи бревно пополам, и вытесывали из половинника по доске:
такие, тесаные доски, прямые по слоям, прочнее пиленых и менее коробятся; позже, стали звать тесницей и тесом пиленые доски.
В лесных местах, в глуши, где и нет продольных пил, крестьяне и поныне пол и потолок охотнее застилают тесницами.
Тесовая крыша, крытая тесом.
Кроватка тесовая, песня, либо тесаная, либо это тисовая, тисового дерева. Тесничина пск. половица. Тесничный помост. ||
Тес и мн. тесы, затеси, засечки топором на пнях живого леса, для приметы, чтобы не заплутаться, или для межевых знаков.
Тесак, белое или холодное оружие пехотного солдата, короткая сабля, палаш, с толстым обухом.
Детский тесачек. Тесачные ножны. ||
Особый плотничий топор, для тески.
Тесарь, камнетесец, камнесечец.
Тесовина, тесыня ж. пск. долгай, жердяй, оглобля, верста, высокий, поджарый человек.
Тесла ж. тесло ср. теслица ж. или стар. тесник, плотничье орудие, у которого лезо поставлено не вдоль топорища, как у топора, а поперек, как напр. у кирки.
Тесло бочарное, маленькое и желобчатое.
Тесличка ложкарная, похожа на бондарную, бочарную.
Тесельный, тесличный, тесловый, к теслу относящийся.
Тесля м. южн. зап. плотник, древотес.
Тесельнак, работающий теслою.
Теслить, тесать теслою.
Теслонос м. Второзак. птица Рlatalea, колпик, ‑птица.


Russian to English translation
Tesat, to hew something, chop wood along (not across) the grain, removing jaggedy bits or smoothing it; cut flat, along the edge, surface, plane, aligning or carving as necessary. .... ah sod it, I can't be bothered correcting the rest of this Google translation! :p Here's the unedited thing; Teshut axes, adzes and stone - with a pick, to relieve himself, you can hack that and Kosarev, saber, sword. Adze on a thread on otboyu. Adze on the pattern. Who had never tesyval smoothly not obteshet. Baba even count on her head teshi. Fool even count teshi: he puts his two! According wrote that the hack. Fear, Fear not, as the coffin teshi. He takes this case, does not exactly hew! | | * Tessa on track, soon to go. He kept his teshet, is to speak. Adz soup, tuck, devour. -Hsia, suffering for. | | Where tesheshsya? wade, you go in vain, pushing. Carved wedge. Dotesyvay, so let's go. Wormed for the retreat, vtesalsya the most timber. * Vtesalsya guy in the theater. * Pig wormed in the garden. Istesal board, but did nothing. Have a good laugh stakes. Wood nadtesano. Trim columns. Ottesat sapwood. Entertain more, podteshi syspodu. Peretesyvat not be. Pritesat board to board. Protesat groove rastesat its wider, porastesat. Stesat slab. Hewn, planed, Tesco, action. on verbs. | | Tes, sawn boards, thinner than an inch on the roof and trim cottages. Polatny closely, the bad, going to tire barges. His head is covered with planks (about the haircut by verhovku). Gorge, tesnitsa sat down. tesina, general board, not of old sawed boards, and stabbed a log in half, and the hew out of the half-and-half on the board: those hewn planks, straight to the fibers, stronger than sawn and less warp, later began to call tesnitsey sawn planks and boards. In forest areas in the wilderness, where there is no longitudinal saws, peasants, and today the floor and ceiling rather veiled tesnitsami. Plank roof covered with boards. Cot plank, song, or quarried or is yew, yew tree. Tesnichina ACCs. floorboard. Tesnichny platform. | | Tes, and more. tesy, zatesi, notches with an ax to the stumps of the living forest, the signs are not to zaplutatsya, or landmarks. Slicer, White or edged weapons infantry soldier, a short sword, broadsword, with a fat butt. Children tesachek. Tesachnye sheath. | | Special carpenter's ax, for Teskey. Tesar, kamnetesets, kamnesechets. Tesovina, tesynya there. ACCs. Dolgan, zherdyay, shaft, mile, a tall, lean man. Tesla are. adze Wed teslitsa there. or old. tesnik, carpentry tools, which has not delivered lezo along ax handles like a hatchet, and across, eg. Kirk. Coopers adze, a small and grooved. Teslichka lozhkarnaya, similar to the cooperage, coopers. Teselny, teslichny, teslovy, referring to the Tesla. Tesla pm yuzhn. app. carpenter drevotes. Teselnak working with an adze. Adzes, adze adze. Teslonos pm Deuteronomy. Bird Rlatalea, kolpik, a bird.

[Osweo]

And Fasmer's dictionary is useful ;

Слово: тесла

Ближайшая этимология: "плотничий инструмент", укр. тесло, русск.-цслав. тесла skљparnon (ХII в.), болг. тесла (Младенов 632), сербохорв. те?сла "тесло", словен. teslа ж., teslо ср. р. "тесло", чеш. tesla, польск. сiоsља, сiеsliса, в.-луж. cesl м.
От тесать (см.), ср. д.-в.-нем. dehsala "топор", др.-исл. ?ехlа ж. "вид топора", лат. tЊlum "метательное оружие" (*tecslom); см. Хольтхаузен, Awn. Wb. 314; Торп 178; Клюге-ГеЁтце 99.
Oooh!! Old High German dehsala for 'axe'!! :O

Let's look at the verb itself;

Слово: теЁс,

Ближайшая этимология: род. п. -а, диал. также "доски, вытесанные топором, для кровли", арханг. (Подв.), укр. тес, др.-русск. тесъ "щепка, тонкая дощечка, зарубка на дереве", чеш. tеs "строевой лес", польск. сiоs -- то же,
- split boards of wood...

сюда же тесать, тешу, др.-русск. тесати, тешу, ст.-слав. тесати, теш† (Супр.), болг. тесам, сербохорв. те°сати, те?ше?м "тесать", словен. tesati, te·«em, чеш. tesati, слвц. tеsаt', польск. сiоsаc, в.-луж. cesac.

Дальнейшая этимология: Праслав. *tesati, *te«o§ родственно (и.-е. *tek?-)

лит. ta«yti, tа«аu~ "тесать",
др.-инд. taks·ati, taks·n·Ўti, tѓs·t·i "отесывает, обрабатывает, плотничает", taks·ѓ м. "плотник",
авест. ta«aiti "создает", tа«аn- "ваятель", нов.-перс. tѓ«–tan "плотничать",
греч. tљktwn "плотник", tљcnh "ремесло, искусство",
лат. tехЎ, -еrе "ткать, плести, строить",
д.-в.-н. dehsala "топор", ср.-в.-нем. deЁhsen "мять лен", ирл. tѓl "плотничий топор" (*tЎkslo-), нов.-в.-нем. Dасhs "барсук" (буквально "плотник");
см. Траутман, ВSW 320; Педерсен, Kelt. Gr. I, 85; IF 5, 58; Торп 177; Уленбек, Aind. Wb. 107; М.--Э. 4. 175; Гофман, Gr. Wb. 357; Вальде--Гофм. 2, 678. Ср. сл.

Very old word, then. Parallels in the Indo-Aryan world, Latin, Greek, Germanic, mostly about carpentry. :)

Hochdeutsch 'Dachs' or 'badger' is even related, literally translating as 'carpenter'!

[Guapo]

And Fasmer's dictionary is useful ;

Слово: тесла

Ближайшая этимология: "плотничий инструмент", укр. тесло, русск.-цслав. тесла skљparnon (ХII в.), болг. тесла (Младенов 632), сербохорв. те?сла "тесло", словен. teslа ж., teslо ср. р. "тесло", чеш. tesla, польск. сiоsља, сiеsliса, в.-луж. cesl м.
От тесать (см.), ср. д.-в.-нем. dehsala "топор", др.-исл. ?ехlа ж. "вид топора", лат. tЊlum "метательное оружие" (*tecslom); см. Хольтхаузен, Awn. Wb. 314; Торп 178; Клюге-ГеЁтце 99.
Oooh!! Old High German dehsala for 'axe'!! :O

Let's look at the verb itself;

Слово: теЁс,

Ближайшая этимология: род. п. -а, диал. также "доски, вытесанные топором, для кровли", арханг. (Подв.), укр. тес, др.-русск. тесъ "щепка, тонкая дощечка, зарубка на дереве", чеш. tеs "строевой лес", польск. сiоs -- то же,
- split boards of wood...

сюда же тесать, тешу, др.-русск. тесати, тешу, ст.-слав. тесати, теш† (Супр.), болг. тесам, сербохорв. те°сати, те?ше?м "тесать", словен. tesati, te·«em, чеш. tesati, слвц. tеsаt', польск. сiоsаc, в.-луж. cesac.

Дальнейшая этимология: Праслав. *tesati, *te«o§ родственно (и.-е. *tek?-)

лит. ta«yti, tа«аu~ "тесать",
др.-инд. taks·ati, taks·n·Ўti, tѓs·t·i "отесывает, обрабатывает, плотничает", taks·ѓ м. "плотник",
авест. ta«aiti "создает", tа«аn- "ваятель", нов.-перс. tѓ«–tan "плотничать",
греч. tљktwn "плотник", tљcnh "ремесло, искусство",
лат. tехЎ, -еrе "ткать, плести, строить",
д.-в.-н. dehsala "топор", ср.-в.-нем. deЁhsen "мять лен", ирл. tѓl "плотничий топор" (*tЎkslo-), нов.-в.-нем. Dасhs "барсук" (буквально "плотник");
см. Траутман, ВSW 320; Педерсен, Kelt. Gr. I, 85; IF 5, 58; Торп 177; Уленбек, Aind. Wb. 107; М.--Э. 4. 175; Гофман, Gr. Wb. 357; Вальде--Гофм. 2, 678. Ср. сл.

Very old word, then. Parallels in the Indo-Aryan world, Latin, Greek, Germanic, mostly about carpentry. :)

Hochdeutsch 'Dachs' or 'badger' is even related, literally translating as 'carpenter'!

I was correct!!!!!!!$^%$&^#*&$

[Svarog]

I don't see a lot of Serbs with this name as most have boring typical Slavic names ending with "vics" and starting with the name of their progenitor. So, I'm rather curious where it came from.

Not gonna bother with Tesla topic, not that I know the answer anyway.

There is absolutely nothing boring with surnames ending with 'vić', it's our traditional naming from father to son and i'm proud my name ends with Vić. And when you say Slavic you mean a lot of nation, it's traditional for Serbs and maybe bit wit of others which is arguable as well.

[Wyn]

Who cares, let's rock:

90E61QrYT2I

[poiuytrewq0987]

Not gonna bother with Tesla topic, not that I know the answer anyway.

There is absolutely nothing boring with surnames ending with 'vić', it's our traditional naming from father to son and i'm proud my name ends with Vić. And when you say Slavic you mean a lot of nation, it's traditional for Serbs and maybe bit wit of others which is arguable as well.

Obviously the ending "vic" is unique to us but the styling is not exclusive. There are Macedonian names ending with "ski", Bulgarians with "ov", etc. We end up with surnames with absolute zero variations.

[Monolith]

Obviously the ending "vic" is unique to us but the styling is not exclusive. There are Macedonian names ending with "ski", Bulgarians with "ov", etc. We end up with surnames with absolute zero variations.
Not to mention other South Slavs, such last names are also common among the Eastern Slavs, as they have their personal name, a patronymic (-vic), and a family name.

Regarding Serbian surnames, they have greater variation in Croatia and Bosnia than in Serbia because Serbs from Serbia started to use them all of a sudden due to a decree from the 19th century that ordered them to do so. Thus, they mostly have patronymic surnames today.

[Guapo]

Serbs from Serbia started to use them all of a sudden due to a decree from the 19th century that ordered them to do so. Thus, they mostly have patronymic surnames today.

Yeah that happened after independence, surnames usually ended with "ov" or "ev" like Bulgarians. Peasants in central Serbia were ordered to add teh "ic" at the end. Thats why many Serbs in Vojvodina still have surnames that end with "ov" or "ev".

[poiuytrewq0987]

Yeah that happened after independence, surnames usually ended with "ov" or "ev" like Bulgarians. Peasants in central Serbia were ordered to add teh "ic" at the end. Thats why many Serbs in Vojvodina still have surnames that end with "ov" or "ev".

More proof that we're all just Yugoslavs. :coffee: :D

[Svarog]

Obviously the ending "vic" is unique to us but the styling is not exclusive. There are Macedonian names ending with "ski", Bulgarians with "ov", etc. We end up with surnames with absolute zero variations.

Not everyone can have cool unique names like Hulk.

[Debaser11]

Not everyone can have cool unique names like Hulk.

You mean, like him?

http://www.adamsfamilyadventures.com/Images/Hulk.jpg

[poiuytrewq0987]

Not everyone can have cool unique names like Hulk.

Hmm... how about Hulkovic? :D

[Sisak]

It is assumed that the change could originate from one ancestor who had characteristically pronounced and strong upper jaw that reminded on tool for woodworking(Tesanje, Tesla). Ancestors of this family came from Pilatovci hamlet near Vucji Dol (Montenegro).

Croats claim Draganić's are nobles from Zadar, and his mothers surname Kalinic also as Croatian (according to one book by Croatian author Tesla said that).

This is very logical explanation because word tesanje means shaping and blending the woods.

[Varda]

Ancestors of Nikola Tesla in the past had surname Teslić. On the Austrian census of Lika in 1712 surname Teslić is recorded in Raduč (native village of Nikola Tesla) and neighboring village Ostrovica. In Raduč are recorded Stanko Teslić, Božo Teslić, Milašin Teslić and Stojak Teslić. In Ostrovica are recorded Marko Teslić, Dmitar Teslić and Janko Teslić.
Later surname Teslić is abbreviated/modified in Tesla.

In Serbian tesla is this
https://metalflex.rs/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TES600D.jpg

[Zhulta]

Surname is common in Czech Rep. and Poland too, must be an old slavic word for 'carpenter' me thinks.

this would be very interesting as the word Tischler means carpenter in german, Tesla/Tischler sounds very similar. C

[Varda]

this would be very interesting as the word Tischler means carpenter in german, Tesla/Tischler sounds very similar. C

My ancestors used term Tišljar (pronunciation of Š is SH) for carpenter. Standar Serbian word for carpenter is Stolar.

[Varda]

https://forebears.io/surnames/tesla

https://actacroatica.com/en/surname/Tesla/