Vuk (name)

Vuk is a South Slavic male given name, predominantly recorded among the Serbs. The name literally means "wolf". Vuk Karadžic, 19th-century Serbian philologist and ethnographer, explained the traditional, apotropaic use of the name: a woman who had lost several babies in succession, would name her newborn son Vuk, because it was believed that the witches, who "ate" the babies, were afraid to attack the wolves. In the Serbian epic poetry, the wolf is a symbol of fearlessness. Vuk was the 17th most popular name for boys in Serbia in the period 2003–2005.