Boy · Old Slavic
Bolesław
Say it: boh-LEH-swahf
Meaning
From Slavic bole 'more, greater' and sława 'glory'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
A dynastic name of both Piasts and Přemyslids from the 10th century, rare for babies today.
Its wave through time
Rare in the records
In the United States
- 277 babies given this name since 1909
- At its height in 1916, about 1 in 22,300 boys
- Fewer than 5 babies a year in 2020
Through the ages
- The Early Middle Ages400 to 800
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Renaissance1400 to 1600
- The Age of Revolutions1750 to 1837
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
The family of the name
| Czech | Boleslav |
|---|---|
| Slovak | Boleslav |
| Russian | Boleslav |
Famous bearers
- Bolesław I the Brave, first King of Poland
- Bolesław Prus, Polish novelist
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Medieval Slavic chronicles and charters
- Royal and noble genealogies
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.