The etymological derivation of their ethnonym is unknown. There are several theories about the origin of their name. The most common is that the name derives from the river Buna in central Herzegovina, their hypothesized ancestral homeland before their migrations. However, although preserved in Littoral and mostly in Podunavlje branch folk oral tradition, linguists generally dismissed such derivation. Another theory is that the name comes from the term "Bunja", a traditional stone house in Dalmatia similar to "Kažun" in Istria, meaning people who live in such type of houses, from personal name "Bunj" deriving from Bunislav or Bonifacije, Romanian personal name "Bun" from Bonus from which derives toponym "Bunić" near Gospić, and pejorative nickname "Obonjavci" which is recorded since 1199 in Zadar probably meaning soldiers without order and discipline.