Vartolomej is a Serbian form of Bartholomew. The name derives from the Aramaic patronymic “son of Talmai,” adopted into Greek as Bartholomaios and later into Latin and vernacular languages. Serbian Vartolomej preserves the original consonantal structure while adapting to Slavic phonology and orthography.
In Serbian tradition, Vartolomej is associated with the apostle Bartholomew, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. According to the New Testament, Bartholomew (often identified with Nathanael) was a missionary to India and Armenia, where he was martyred by flaying. His feast day on June 11 (within the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar) is celebrated in Serbian Orthodox communities, and the name is occasionally given in his honor.
Related forms in other Slavic languages include Croatian Bartol and Slovak Bartolomej, while the Romance- and Germanic-speaking world uses variants like Dutch Bartholomeus and Catalan Bartomeu. Among Serbs, Vartolomej remains relatively rare in modern usage, often considered a traditional or archaic choice compared to more common diminutive or vernacular forms like Bartolomej or Vartol.