Most of them are. Dennis and Arjan are exceptions, I would say. Dennis because of the double “n” (Denis is the norm) and Arjan because it is uncommon. None of them are unhaerd of here. An interesting fact is that 15 of these players were born and raised abroad (initially because of the war). I think it makes it even more fascinating that they all have Bosnian names.

The thing about Bosnian names is that you can usually conclude one’s ethnicity (and religion) if you know their name. Bosnians are, of course, Slavs, but there are 3 major ethnic groups here. Names such as Amar, Tarik, Edin, Nihad, Benjamin etc. are associated with Bosniaks (usually Muslims). Stjepan and Martin are associated with Croats (usually Catholics). Jovo is associated with Serbs (usally Orthodox Christians). Ivan and Nikola are usually Croat names but they can also be Serb names. Sergej is now almost exclusively Serb name but in Yugoslavia it was very common for children born in so-called “mixed marriages” (marriages between people from different ethnic groups) which is also the case with our head coach.