Jovanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Јовановић) is the most common Serbian surname. It derives from Jovan, which is comparable to John in English. The part ov designates possession: Jovanov means John's. The suffix ić is a diminutive designation, or descendant designation. So, the last name can be translated as John's son leading to the English equivalent last name of Johnson.
Notable people with the surname include:
Ana Jovanović (born 1984), Serbian tennis player
Anastas Jovanović (1817–1899), Serbian photographer
Anja Jovanović, Serbian gymnast
Arso Jovanović (1907–1948), Montenegrin soldier and Partisan
Boris Jovanović, Serbian footballer
Borislav Jovanović (writer), a Montenegrin writer
Borislav Jovanović (footballer), a Serbian footballer
Borivoje Jovanović-Brana (1883–1905), Serbian guerrilla
Boro Jovanović (born 1939), a former Yugoslav tennis player
Boyan Jovanovic (born 1951), a Serbian-American economist
Čedomir Jovanović, (born 1971), Serbian politician
Đorđe Jovanović (1861–1953), Serbian sculptor
Dragutin Jovanović-Lune (1892–1932), Serbian guerrilla
Ilija Jovanović-Pčinjski (1878–1913), Serbian guerrilla
Jovan Jovanović Zmaj (1833–1904), Serbian poet
Ljiljana Jovanović (1930-2012), Serbian actress
Ljubomir Jovanović (1865–1928), Serbian politician and historian
Ljubomir S. Jovanović (1877–1913), Serbian guerrilla
Marko Jovanović (footballer born 1978), Serbian footballer
Marko Jovanović (footballer born 1988), Serbian footballer
Mihailo Jovanović (born 1975), Serbian footballer
Milan Jovanović (photographer), Serbian photographer
Milan Jovanović (footballer born 1981), Serbian footballer
Milan Jovanović (born 1983), Montenegrin footballer
Milan Jovanović (Powerlifting), Serbian powerlifter
Nemanja Jovanović (born 1984), Serbian footballer
Nikola Jovanović (footballer) (born 1952), Montenegrin footballer
Paja Jovanović (1859–1957), Serbian realist painter
Sanja Jovanović (born 1986), Croatian swimmer
Slobodan Jovanović (1869–1958), Serbian prime minister
Suzana Jovanović, a popular Serbian pop-folk singer
Toša Jovanović (1846–1893), Serbian actor
Vesna Jovanovic (born 1976), Serbian-American artist
Vasa Jovanović (1874–1970), lawyer, politician, founder of the Chetnik movement
Vladimir Jovanović (1833–1922), Serbian political theorist and politician
Željko Jovanović (born 1965), Croatian politician of Serbian ethnicity
