Albanians of Croatia

Albanians of Croatia are an autochthonous national minority recognized by the Constitution of Croatia. As such, they elect a special representative to the Croatian Parliament, shared with members of four other national minorities.

In the 2011 Croatian census, there were 17,513 Albanians living in Croatia, 0.41% of total population. The largest religious groups among the Albanians were Muslims (9,594 or 54.8% of them) and Catholics (7,109 or 40.6% of them).

In the 1712/14 census done in Lika and Krbava among Vlach population, and other documents, were found many surnames with Albanian and Arbanasi word roots, and suffixes "-aj" (e.g. Bulaja, Mataija, Šolaja, Saraja, Suknajić, Rapajić), "-ez" (Kokez, Kekez, Ivez, Malez etc.), Šimleša, Šimrak, Šinđo/a/n, Šintić, Kalember, Flego, Macura, Cecić, Kekić, Zotović and many others.

The Albanians in Croatia come from various historical periods, in Middle Ages existed in coastal cities or mostly assimilated with Vlachs, in the 17th and 18th century happened Arbanasi migration, and in modern time came as seasonal workers or war refugees. Despite existence of surnames with linguistically Albanian origin, before modern day time, today those people who bare that surnames can't be considered as Albanians.

Notable people who bare surnames by origin Albanian (besides Arbanasi)

• Andrija Aleši (1425-1505) – architect, painter and sculptor who worked in Dalmatia, but born in Albania
• Janko Šimrak (1883-1946) – bishop of the Greek-Catholic Eparchy of Križevci
• Aleksandar Stipčević (b.1930) - archeologist and historian
• Nikola Kekić (b. 1943) – bishop of the Greek-Catholic Eparchy of Križevci
• Vlado Kalember (b. 1953) – Croatian singer
• Branko Macura (.b /) – Croatian basketball player
• Ardian Kozniku (b.1967) – former Croatian footballer
• Helena Bulaja (b. 1971) – Croatian multimedia artist, director and producer
• Valter Flego (b. 1972) – Croatian politician, mayor of Buzet and prefect (Župan) of Istria County
• Milan Rapaić (b. 1973) – Croatian footballer
• Edo Flego (b. 1975) – Croatian footballer and football manager
• Ivan Bulaja (b. 1977) – Croatian sailor and sailing trainer
• Jere Macura (b. 1980) – Croatian basketball player
• Zedi Ramadani (b.1985) - Croatian footballer
• Pëllumb Jusufi (b.1988) - Macedonian-born Croatian footballer
• Agron Preteni (b.1990) - Croatian kick boxer
• Besart Abdurahimi (b.1990) - Croatian born Albanian footballer
• Arijan Ademi (b. 1991) – Croatian born Macedonian Albanian footballer
• Herdi Prenga (b.1994) - Albanian footballer
• Elvir Maloku (b.1996) - Albanian footballer

See also

• Arbanasi people
• Albanians
• Arbëreshë
• Arvanites