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10.08.

1934: Josip Broz Takes the Nickname “Tito”

1934: Josip Broz Takes the Nickname “Tito”
Photo Credit To Wikipedia Commons/Josip Broz Tito greeting former American first lady Eleanor Roosevelt during her July 1953 visit to the Brijuni islands, today`s Croatia

Story Highlights

  • Historical event
  • 10 August 1934
  • Although an unusual name in the South Slavic countries, it was historically much more common in the Zagorje region of Croatia, Broz’s birthplace.

On this day in 1934 Yugoslav communist leader Josip Broz was for the first time listed by the nickname “Tito” in the minutes of the Central Committee meeting of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia.



Although an unusual name in the South Slavic countries, it was historically much more common in the Zagorje region of Croatia, the  Yugoslav leader’s birthplace. Tituš (or Tito)Brezovački, lived in the 18thcentury and became a Croatian writer of great repute.

Another well-known Croatian writer, one who hailed from Broz’s region of birth, was Ksaver Šandor Gjalski, whose real name was Ljubomil Tito Josip Franjo Babić.

Even some of Broz’s contemporaries bore the name Tito, such as actor Tito Strozzi, who was born in the same year as the Yugoslav communist leader – 1892.

According to Broz’s own words, he simply took the name because it was “common in Zagorje and had no special meaning”.




Broz used many other pseudonyms and nicknames, such as Walter (in the Comintern), Ivan Kostanjšek and Slavko Babić.

He even allegedly possessed a Swedish passport with the name “John Alexander Karlsson”and a Canadian one were he was listed as “Spiridon Mekas”.

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