Duska

Duska is a feminine given name used in South Slavic languages, including Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Macedonian, and Montenegrin communities. It is commonly found in the Western Balkans and among Slavic-speaking emigrant communities abroad.

Etymology and form: The name is often linked to the Slavic root duša, meaning “soul,” and may function as a diminutive or affectionate form of longer names such as Dušanka. The non-diacritic variant Duska is widely used in contexts where special characters are not employed. Spelling variants include Duška in languages that use the š character and Душка in Cyrillic-script contexts.

Usage and context: Duska is primarily encountered as a personal name. It does not have a known, separate meaning beyond its use as a given name, nor is it associated with a widely recognized place, organization, or concept in common reference works. In literature and media, it may appear as a character name within Balkan settings or among diaspora authors, but such usage is incidental to the name’s basic identity.

Notes: The name may appear in different transliterations depending on the language and script in use, reflecting standard phonetic conventions for Slavic languages. As with many given names, its popularity varies by region and generation and tends to be more common in communities with Balkan linguistic heritage.