Jaroslaw
A masculine Polish given name from Slavic elements meaning "warlike glory".
Name Census estimates that about 16 living Americans carry the first name Jaroslaw. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jaroslaw today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jaroslaw births was 1970 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jaroslaw. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Jaroslaw. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
16
~ 1 in 21,422,146 Americans
Peak year
1970
7 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1982 SSA rank
#6,783
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Jaroslaw: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jaroslaw from the 1960s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 7 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Jaroslaw remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jaroslaw 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 Jaroslaw during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jaroslaw
The name Jaroslaw is of Slavic origin, derived from the old Czech and Polish words "jarý" meaning "vigorous" or "lively," and "slaw" meaning "glory." It is a masculine given name that has been in use since the Middle Ages in various Slavic cultures and regions of Central and Eastern Europe.
The earliest recorded use of the name Jaroslaw dates back to the 11th century, when it was borne by several Kievan Rus' princes and nobles. One of the most notable historical figures with this name was Jaroslaw the Wise, who reigned as the Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 to 1054 and played a significant role in the codification of Kievan law and the expansion of the Kievan Rus' realm.
In the 12th and 13th centuries, the name Jaroslaw gained popularity among the ruling dynasties of Poland, Bohemia, and other Slavic lands. One prominent figure from this era was Jaroslaw of Opava, a Silesian duke who lived from 1201 to 1269 and was known for his religious piety and patronage of the arts.
As the name spread across different Slavic cultures, its spelling and pronunciation varied slightly, leading to forms such as Yaroslav, Jaroslav, and Jaroslaw. One notable bearer of the name was Jaroslaw Dąbrowski (1836-1871), a Polish revolutionary and military leader who fought against Russian imperial rule during the January Uprising of 1863-1864.
In the 20th century, the name Jaroslaw continued to be used in various Slavic countries, with several notable individuals bearing it. Among them was Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz (1894-1980), a renowned Polish writer, poet, and literary critic who received the prestigious Herder Prize in 1963 for his contributions to European literature.
Another notable figure was Jaroslaw Kaczyński (born 1949), a Polish politician and lawyer who served as the Prime Minister of Poland from 2006 to 2007 and has been a prominent figure in the country's political landscape for several decades.
While the name Jaroslaw has its roots in Slavic cultures, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, though with less frequency. Throughout its long history, the name has remained a symbol of strength, vitality, and glory, reflecting the values and traditions of the Slavic peoples who have carried it for centuries.
People
Jaroslaw + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jaroslaw as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jaroslaw: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jaroslaw?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jaroslaw 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 21,422,146 US residents.
Is Jaroslaw a common name?
We classify Jaroslaw as "Very Rare". It ranks above 36.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jaroslaw most popular?
The single biggest year for Jaroslaw was 1970, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jaroslaw is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jaroslaw a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jaroslaw 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.
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.