Surname Balja in modern Croatia

Balja families are Croats and they are mostly from Klanjec. In the past century, relatively most of Croatian residents bearing this family name were born in Klanjec and Zagreb. In places Goljak Klanječki and Bratovski Vrh in Klanjec every fourth inhabitant had the family name Balja.

Prevalence

About 140 people with faimily name Balja live in Croatia today, in 60 households. There were 170 of them in the middle of the past century, and their number decreased by 20 percent.
They are located in 9 Croatian counties, in 10 cities and 12 other places, mostly in Zagreb (30), Zapresic (30), Prigorje Brdovecko in Zapresic area (25), Goljak Klanjecki (15), and in Garesnica (<10).

Outside Croatia

Family name Balja (including: Balia , Balya , Baliah , Balyya , Bhalja , Ballya , Ballia , Ballija and Baliha ) is present in 60 countries worldwide. "Bhalja " is used by some 700 people in Democratic Republic of Congo and small number in the United States. "Baglia " is used by some 200 people in the United States and small number in Guatemala.

Characteristic first names

Nikola Balja, Tatjana Balja, Robert Balja, Nikolina Balja, Marija Balja, Tihomir Balja, Željko Balja, Željka Balja, Damir Balja, Tomislav Balja, Jasmina Balja, Marijan Balja, Harold Balja, Josip Balja, Valentina Balja, Karmen Balja, Stjepan Balja, Blaženka Balja, Ivan Balja

Mentions in sources

In the sources analysed in the project Acta Croatica so far, the name is mentioned over twenty times, the first time 1906 in source Yearbook and Directory of Literary Society of St. Jerome 1906.

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