Polish Boy Names

By the Names.Contact Editorial Team · Updated September 2026 · 108 names

Polish boy names come from two deep wells: old Slavic names built from words like sław (“glory”) and mir (“peace”), and the Catholic saints’ names that Poles have used for a thousand years. In recent years parents in Poland have gone back to both, so traditional names like Antoni, Stanisław and Ignacy sit at the top of the charts next to Jan and Jakub.

Below are more than 100 Polish boy names with a simple English pronunciation guide and their meaning. Polish spelling looks hard but follows fixed rules: w sounds like v, ł like w, cz like ch, sz like sh and rz like the s in “measure.” For the full picture, see our main Polish names page, the matching list of Polish girl names and our guide to Polish last names.

Our top picks: Antoni, Jan, Stanisław, Ignacy, Kazimierz, Wojciech, Leon, Mikołaj, Tadeusz, Bogdan, Filip, Feliks

Popular Polish boy names today

These names have been among the most common for baby boys in Poland in recent years. Many are old names that came back into fashion.

Name	Pronunciation	Meaning / origin
Antoni	ahn-TOH-nee	Latin Antonius, a Roman family name, often read as “priceless”
Jan	yahn	Polish John, Hebrew “God is gracious”
Aleksander	ah-leh-KSAHN-der	Greek “defender of the people”
Franciszek	frahn-CHEE-shek	Latin “Frenchman”; after St. Francis of Assisi
Nikodem	nee-KOH-dem	Greek “victory of the people”
Szymon	SHIH-mon	Hebrew Simon, “he has heard”
Leon	LEH-on	Greek “lion”
Ignacy	eeg-NAH-tsih	Latin Ignatius, linked to ignis, “fire”
Jakub	YAH-koop	Hebrew Jacob, “held by the heel”
Stanisław	stah-NEE-swahf	Slavic “stand” + “glory”; Poland’s patron saint
Filip	FEE-leep	Greek “lover of horses”
Mikołaj	mee-KOH-wai	Polish Nicholas, Greek “victory of the people”
Wojciech	VOY-chekh	Slavic “warrior” + “joy”; St. Adalbert’s Polish name
Kacper	KAHTS-per	Polish Jasper, possibly Persian “treasurer”
Tymon	TIH-mon	Greek Timon, “honor”
Marcel	MAHR-tsel	Latin, from Mars, god of war
Michał	MEE-hahw	Hebrew Michael, “who is like God?”
Maksymilian	mahk-sih-MEE-lyahn	Latin “greatest”
Tymoteusz	tih-moh-TEH-oosh	Greek Timothy, “honoring God”
Wiktor	VEEK-tor	Latin “conqueror”

Old Slavic Polish names for boys

These pre-Christian names are built from Slavic words for glory, peace, joy and strength. Many belonged to Poland’s early kings and are now having a revival. If you like them, compare them with Ukrainian boy names, which share many of the same roots.

Name	Pronunciation	Meaning / origin
Bogdan	BOG-dahn	“Given by God”
Bogusław	boh-GOO-swahf	“God’s glory”
Bolesław	boh-LEH-swahf	“Greater glory”; name of Poland’s first king
Bronisław	broh-NEE-swahf	“Defender of glory”
Czesław	CHEH-swahf	“Honor and glory”; poet Czesław Miłosz
Dobromir	doh-BROH-meer	“Good” + “peace”
Kazimierz	kah-ZHEE-myesh	“Destroyer of peace,” a warrior name; Casimir the Great
Lech	lekh	Legendary founder of the Polish nation
Mieczysław	myeh-CHIH-swahf	Commonly read as “glory of the sword”
Mirosław	mee-ROH-swahf	“Peace and glory”
Przemysław	psheh-MIH-swahf	“Clever glory,” from przemysł, “ingenuity”
Radosław	rah-DOH-swahf	“Happy glory”
Sławomir	swah-VOH-meer	“Glory and peace”
Władysław	vwah-DIH-swahf	“Rules with glory”
Zbigniew	ZBEEG-nyef	“Dispel anger”
Ziemowit	zheh-MOH-veet	Possibly “lord of the land”
Jarosław	yah-ROH-swahf	“Fierce, vigorous glory”
Wacław	VAHTS-wahf	“More glory”; Polish Wenceslas
Mieszko	MYESH-koh	First historical ruler of Poland; meaning uncertain
Leszek	LEH-shek	Name of legendary and medieval Polish princes
Lubomir	loo-BOH-meer	“Love” + “peace”

Catholic and biblical Polish boy names

Poland is strongly Catholic, and saints’ names have been the backbone of Polish naming for centuries. Many Poles also celebrate an imieniny (name day) on their saint’s feast. See our saint names list for the stories behind them.

Name	Pronunciation	Meaning / origin
Józef	YOO-zef	Hebrew Joseph, “he will add”
Tadeusz	tah-DEH-oosh	Thaddeus, possibly Aramaic “heart” or “courageous”
Andrzej	AHN-jay	Greek Andrew, “manly”
Piotr	pyotr	Greek Peter, “rock”
Paweł	PAH-vew	Latin Paul, “small”
Krzysztof	KSHISH-tof	Greek Christopher, “bearer of Christ”
Maciej	MAH-chay	Matthias, Hebrew “gift of God”
Mateusz	mah-TEH-oosh	Matthew, Hebrew “gift of God”
Tomasz	TOH-mahsh	Thomas, Aramaic “twin”
Łukasz	WOO-kahsh	Luke, Latin “man from Lucania”
Marek	MAH-rek	Mark, Latin, linked to Mars
Grzegorz	GZHEH-gosh	Gregory, Greek “watchful”
Ksawery	ksah-VEH-rih	Xavier, Basque “new house”
Wincenty	veen-TSEN-tih	Vincent, Latin “conquering”
Szczepan	SHCHEH-pahn	Stephen, Greek “crown”
Bartłomiej	bart-WOH-myay	Bartholomew, Aramaic “son of Talmai”
Błażej	BWAH-zhay	Blaise, Latin Blasius
Karol	KAH-rol	Charles, Germanic “free man”; Pope John Paul II was born Karol Wojtyła
Dominik	doh-MEE-neek	Latin “of the Lord”
Hubert	HOO-bert	Germanic “bright mind”; patron of hunters

Vintage Polish boy names

Grandfather names are cool again in Poland, just as they are in the US. These were common in the early and mid-20th century. For English equivalents, browse our old-fashioned boy names.

Name	Pronunciation	Meaning / origin
Zygmunt	ZIHG-moont	Germanic “victory” + “protection”; three Polish kings
Henryk	HEN-rick	Henry, Germanic “ruler of the home”
Ryszard	RIH-shard	Richard, “brave ruler”
Jerzy	YEH-zhih	George, Greek “farmer”
Zenon	ZEH-non	Greek, “of Zeus”
Edmund	ED-moont	Old English “wealthy protector”
Eugeniusz	eh-oo-GEH-nyoosh	Eugene, Greek “well born”
Leopold	leh-OH-pold	Germanic “bold people”
Feliks	FEH-leeks	Latin “lucky, happy”
Julian	YOO-lyahn	Latin, from the Roman Julius family
Witold	VEE-told	Lithuanian Vytautas; Grand Duke Vytautas the Great
Lucjan	LOOTS-yahn	Latin, linked to lux, “light”
Konrad	KON-raht	Germanic “brave counsel”
Teodor	teh-OH-dor	Greek “gift of God”
Roman	ROH-mahn	Latin “a Roman”; director Roman Polański

Polish boy names that work in English

These names are spelled the Polish way but are easy for English speakers to say, which makes them a good pick for bilingual families. Many overlap with German boy names.

Name	Pronunciation	Meaning / origin
Adam	AH-dahm	Hebrew “man, earth”; poet Adam Mickiewicz
Oskar	OS-kar	Oscar, possibly Irish “deer lover”
Emil	EH-meel	Latin Aemilius, “rival”
Kamil	KAH-meel	Latin Camillus, a young ritual attendant
Artur	AR-toor	Arthur, possibly Celtic “bear”
Borys	BOH-ris	Boris, possibly Turkic “wolf” or Slavic “fighter”
Dawid	DAH-veet	David, Hebrew “beloved”
Igor	EE-gor	From Old Norse Ingvar, “Ing’s warrior”
Olaf	OH-lahf	Old Norse “ancestor’s descendant”
Oliwer	oh-LEE-ver	Oliver, “olive tree”
Natan	NAH-tahn	Nathan, Hebrew “he gave”
Fabian	FAH-byahn	Latin Fabius, “bean grower”
Patryk	PAH-trick	Patrick, Latin “nobleman”
Damian	DAH-myahn	Greek “to tame”
Sebastian	seh-BAHS-tyahn	Greek “venerable”
Fryderyk	frih-DEH-rick	Frederick, “peaceful ruler”; Fryderyk Chopin

Polish nicknames for boys

Poles almost always use a short form at home. These diminutives are used every day and some, like Kuba, are now given as official names.

Nickname	Full name	Note
Kuba	Jakub	Also given as a name on its own
Staś	Stanisław	Pronounced “stahsh”; very affectionate
Franek	Franciszek	Friendly, playful feel
Antek	Antoni	The go-to short form of Poland’s top name
Wojtek	Wojciech	Also the famous soldier bear of World War II
Bartek	Bartłomiej	Very common for boys born in the 1980s and 90s
Tomek	Tomasz	Everyday short form
Maciek	Maciej	Pronounced “MAH-chek”
Olek	Aleksander	Also Olo or Aleks
Kazik	Kazimierz	Classic grandpa nickname
Zbyszek	Zbigniew	Pronounced “ZBIH-shek”
Jurek	Jerzy	Old-fashioned and warm
Władek	Władysław	Pronounced “VWAH-dek”
Kostek	Konstanty	From Constantine, “steadfast”
Krzyś	Krzysztof	Also the Polish name for Christopher Robin
Janek	Jan	The classic boy of Polish folk songs

How to choose a Polish boy name

Check how it travels. If you live outside Poland, names like Jan, Adam, Filip, Leon or Oskar are spelled the same and said almost the same in English.
Keep the Polish letters, or decide not to. Stanisław, Mikołaj and Łukasz lose their accents on many US forms. Decide early whether you’ll write Lukasz or Łukasz.
Look at the nickname. Poles will shorten the name anyway, so make sure you love the diminutive (Staś, Antek, Kuba) as much as the full name.
Pick a name day. Most Polish names come with an imieniny on the calendar, a second birthday many families still celebrate.
Pair it with the surname. Long Slavic names like Przemysław work best with short last names. Browse Polish last names to test combinations.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular Polish boy name?

Antoni, Jan, Aleksander, Franciszek and Nikodem have all been at or near the top of Poland’s baby name lists in recent years. Jakub led for much of the 2000s.

What does -sław mean in Polish names?

Sław comes from sława, “glory” or “fame.” Stanisław means roughly “becoming glorious,” Bolesław “greater glory” and Władysław “ruling with glory.”

How do you pronounce the Polish letter Ł?

Ł sounds like the English w. Michał is said MEE-hahw, Paweł is PAH-vew and Łukasz is WOO-kahsh.

What are strong Polish boy names?

Kazimierz, Bolesław, Władysław, Wojciech and Lech all have warrior or royal meanings. For more ideas across cultures, see our strong boy names.

What is a Polish name day?

A name day (imieniny) is the feast of the saint who shares your name. In Poland it has traditionally been celebrated with cake and wishes, much like a birthday.