Surname Salaj in modern Croatia

Salaj families are Croats and they are mostly from Nasice area. In the past century, relatively most of Croatian residents bearing this family name were born in Zagreb and Osijek. In Salajci in Vrbovec area every third inhabitant had the family name Salaj.

Prevalence

About 540 people with faimily name Salaj live in Croatia today, in 230 households. There were 720 of them in the middle of the past century, and their number decreased by 30 percent.
They are located in almost all Croatian counties, in 37 cities and 61 other places, mostly in Zagreb (95), Osijek (45), Siscani (25), Salajci in Vrbovec area (25), and in Cepin in Osijek area (20).

Outside Croatia

At least 12 families with this surname emigrated from Croatia to: Germany (8), Australia (2), the United States (1), and to Venezuela (1).
Family name Salaj (including: Salai , Salay , Sallay , Szalaj , Sallaj , Salaly , Shalaj , Salahy and Sallaly ) is present in 93 countries worldwide. "Salay " is used by some 1000 people in Iraq , about 900 in Guatemala , and some 700 people in the United States. "Szalaj " is used by some 800 people in Poland and about 80 in the United States. "Sallaj " is used by some 400 people in Jordan , small number in the United States , and small number of people in Albania.

Characteristic first names

Štefica Salaj, Matea Salaj, Matija Salaj, Branko Salaj, Zlatko Salaj, Boris Salaj, Donald Salaj, Anica Salaj, Ivan Salaj, Saša Salaj, Tomislav Salaj, Mario Salaj, Inga Salaj, Antun Salaj, Martina Salaj, Siniša Salaj, Branka Salaj, Josip Salaj, Jeronim Salaj

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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