Latas ( Serbian: Латас) is a surname, found in many countries in Europe, mainly in Serbia, Poland, Croatia, but also Spain and Portugal from Middle Ages. [1] However their mutual geographical and lexical origin is undetermined.
This surname in the countries of ex- Yugoslavia is not tied to any ethnicity or confession, yet territory ( Dinara). [2] Croatian linguist, Petar Šimunović, derived Lat from personal name Láto ( Latif), meaning gentle. [2] The second part as is ending suffix, mostly found in personal names among Vlach pastoralist communities from Dinara. [2] [3]
Petras, Juras, Lukas, Maras, Baras, Brnas, Pavas, Matas, Latas etc. Nisu dakle ta prezimena konfesionalno i etnički, nego teritorijalno prepoznatljiva ... Najčešće ga pratim na osobnim imenima i prezimenima Dinarskim gorjem, gdje je bilo rasprostranjeno i vlaško pučanstvo ... Prezimena na -as prostiru se u Hrvatskoj uglavnom Dinarskim gorjem. Ta su se prezimena selila, dakle, putovima srednjovjekovnih Vlaha i Albanaca i -as nalazimo često u njihovim prezimenima.