Triballians
Triballians were a Thracian tribe and
name most frequently used for Serbs. This in my view can be the only logical alternative to name of Servian and could easily be the original name for Serbs in itself. Srbalj being one of the variants of Srbin (that Serbs call themself). T
ri
bal and S
rbalj show clear similarities to just be coincidence (especially considering they are names for the same exact people).
The Triballi (Greek: Τριβαλλοί, Bulgarian, Serbian: Трибали/Tribali) were an ancient Thracian tribe whose dominion was around the plains of southern modern Serbia[12][13] and west Bulgaria, at the Angrus and Brongus (the South and West Morava) and the Iskur River, roughly centered where Serbia and Bulgaria are joined.[13]. This Thracian tribe has etymologically been connected with the Serbs,[14][15] as many medieval Byzantine historians referred to the Serbs as the Triballians[16] (Serbian name for Triballians is "Srblji/Србљи", Thracians is rašani - the first Serbian state was Rascia, present-day Serbia). Trebinje, a present city of Herzegovina and historical Serbian principality (Travunija, sometimes rendered as Triballia) has also been connected with this tribe. From the 11th century until the fall of the Byzantine Empire, the Serbs were called Triballians in Byzantine works.[17][18][19][20][21] For example in the works of historian Niketas Choniates (1155–1215), Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos (1391–1425), it is explained that Triballians are synonymous with Serbs.