Władysław

Boy · Old Slavic

Władysław

Say it: vwah-DIH-swahf

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From Slavic vlad 'rule' and sława 'glory'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

A favourite Polish royal name, common until the mid-20th century, now rare for babies.

Its wave through time

Rare in the records

In the United States

010203018801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1911per million babies of that sex
  • 119 babies given this name since 1911
  • At its height in 1916, about 1 in 46,800 boys
  • Fewer than 5 babies a year in 2020

Through the ages

  1. The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
  2. The Renaissance1400 to 1600
  3. The Age of Revolutions1750 to 1837
  4. Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
  5. The Modern Age1880 to today

Used by

Polish

The family of the name

Other spellings: Władek

CzechVladislav
CroatianLadislav
HungarianLászló
LatinLadislaus

Famous bearers

  • Władysław II Jagiełło, King of Poland
  • Władysław Reymont, Polish Nobel laureate

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.