Boleslaw
A Polish masculine name derived from Old Slavic elements meaning "great glory".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Boleslaw. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Boleslaw today is around 101 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Boleslaw births was 1916 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Boleslaw. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Boleslaw is about 101 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Boleslaws were born before 1935.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Boleslaw. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1916
40 babies that year
Average age
101
years old
1927 SSA rank
#3,490
Tracked since 1909
Census
Boleslaw in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 292 people with the first name Boleslaw, which placed it at #30,039 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#30,039
National first-name rank
People counted
292
292 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
97.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boleslaw
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Boleslaw is White at 97.6%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Boleslaw described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Boleslaw at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.6% · 285
- Black or African American1.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Popularity
Boleslaw: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Boleslaw from the 1900s through to the 1920s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 194 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Boleslaw remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Boleslaw by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Boleslaw during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Boleslaws live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York recorded the most babies named Boleslaw, while Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 23 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Boleslaw
The name Boleslaw has its origins in the Slavic languages, with roots dating back to the early Middle Ages. Its earliest form was Bolesław, derived from the Proto-Slavic words "bolji" meaning "greater" and "slava" meaning "glory" or "fame". The name can be interpreted as "one who has great glory" or "the glorious one".
In the early medieval period, the name was particularly popular among the ruling dynasties of Poland and other Slavic nations. One of the most notable historical figures bearing this name was Bolesław I the Brave, who ruled as the Duke of Poland from 992 to 1025. He is credited with establishing the Polish state and uniting various Slavic tribes under his rule.
Another prominent figure was Bolesław II the Generous, who reigned as the King of Poland from 1076 to 1079. During his short reign, he sought to strengthen the Catholic Church's influence in Poland and maintain good relations with the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 12th century, Bolesław III Wrymouth, also known as Bolesław the Wry-Mouthed, was a Duke of Silesia and a claimant to the Polish throne. His struggle for power against his half-brother Władysław II the Exile was a significant event in Polish history.
Moving forward in time, Bolesław V the Chaste was a Duke of Masovia and a Prince of Krakow in the late 13th century. He played a crucial role in the unification of the fragmented Polish lands and is remembered for his piety and commitment to the Catholic faith.
In the 20th century, Bolesław Bierut was a prominent Polish communist leader who served as the President of Poland from 1947 to 1952. Despite his controversial role in establishing a Soviet-aligned government, he is a notable figure in modern Polish history.
The name Boleslaw has maintained its popularity throughout the centuries, particularly in Poland and other Slavic countries. Its rich historical legacy and associations with notable rulers, dukes, and leaders have contributed to its enduring cultural significance.
People
Boleslaw + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Boleslaw as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Boleslaw: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Boleslaw?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Boleslaw going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Boleslaw a common name?
We classify Boleslaw as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 277 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Boleslaw most popular?
The single biggest year for Boleslaw was 1916, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Boleslaw is about 101 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Boleslaw in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 292 people with the name Boleslaw, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,039 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Boleslaw in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Boleslaw?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Boleslaw appears almost entirely male. Of the 287 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Boleslaw?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Boleslaw is White at 97.6%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Boleslaw most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Boleslaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.6% (285 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Boleslaw in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Boleslaw a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Boleslaw in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Boleslaw still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Boleslaw in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Boleslaw can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Boleslaw?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Boleslaw, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.