Meaning & origin
A reliable meaning for Boleslaw isn’t established in our sources yet. Rather than guess, we show what is recorded: how the name is used, how often, and the names it’s connected to.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1909. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Boleslaw through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 277
- 277 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1916
- 40 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 7 in 1927. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 40 in 1916. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 287 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Boleslaw’s family of names
Inner ring: spellings · outer: across languages.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Boleslaw
- Bolesław I the TallDuke of Wroclaw1127–1201
- Bolesław II the HornedDuke of Silesia1217–1278
- BurislevContender to the Swedish throne1200–1173
- Bolesław II of MasoviaDuke of Masovia1251–1313
- Bolesław III the GenerousDuke of Brzeg1291–1352
- Boleslaw BarlogGerman theatre director and film director (1906-1999)
- Bolesław IV of WarsawPolish noble1421–1454
- Bolesław the ElderDuke of Wieluń and Niemodlin1293–1362
- Bolesław JanuszowicPolish prince1386–1424
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Boleslaw, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Benedetto
“one who is blessed”
>99% boys
Benjiman
“son of the right hand” · “son of the south”
>99% boys
Booker
“one who binds books; a scribe”
>99% boys
Orville
“from the gold town”
>99% boys
Odie
“a sweet melody” · “one who is wealthy”
>99% boys
Olan
“the last of the ancestors”
>99% boys
Lovell
“having a soft spirit” · “resembling a young wolf”
92% boys · 8% girls
Benoit
“one who is blessed”
>99% boys