[2][3] As such, they elect a special representative to the Croatian Parliament, shared with members of four other national minorities.

In the 1712/14 census done in Lika and Krbava among Vlach population, and other documents, many surnames with Albanian and Arbanasi word roots were recorded, such as those with suffixes "-aj" (e.g. Bulaja, Mataija, Šolaja, Saraja, Suknajić, Rapajić), "-ez" (Kokez, Kekez, Ivez, Malez etc.

), and others (Šimleša, Šimrak, Šinđo/a/n, Šintić, Kalember, Flego, Macura, Cecić, Kekić, Zotović etc.).

[6][7] Albanians arrived in the territory of modern Croatia in waves during various historical periods, primarily as war refugees and nomadic pastoralists.

In the 17th and 18th century, the Arbanasi people settled the area around Zadar, and in modern time they arrived as immigrants or war refugees.

Albanians are concentrated in Istria (2,393), Dalmatia (1,025), Zadar (908) and in the north of the Croatian coast (2,410) as well as in the capital Zagreb (4,292).

They are Catholic Albanians who fled the Ottomans between 1726 and 1733 in the Croatian coastal country, where they are still present today.