Mieczyslaw
A masculine given name of Polish origin meaning "glorious and celebrated."
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Mieczyslaw. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mieczyslaw today is around 104 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mieczyslaw births was 1917 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mieczyslaw. 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 Mieczyslaw is about 104 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Mieczyslaws were born before 1932.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mieczyslaw. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1917
16 babies that year
Average age
104
years old
1921 SSA rank
#3,402
Tracked since 1913
Census
Mieczyslaw in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 740 people with the first name Mieczyslaw, which placed it at #15,509 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
#15,509
National first-name rank
People counted
740
740 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
98.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mieczyslaw
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mieczyslaw is White at 98.6%. The next largest groups are Black (0.5%) and Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Mieczyslaw 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 Mieczyslaw at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.6% · 730
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
- Two or more races0.5% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.1% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Mieczyslaw: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mieczyslaw from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 80 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mieczyslaw 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 Mieczyslaw during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mieczyslaws live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mieczyslaw
The name Mieczyslaw originates from the Polish language and culture. It is a masculine given name that dates back several centuries. The name is derived from the Slavic elements "miecz" meaning "sword" and "slawa" meaning "glory" or "fame." Therefore, the name can be interpreted as meaning "glorious sword" or "famous sword."
In the early days, the name was associated with warriors and soldiers who possessed courage, strength, and prowess in battle. It was a name bestowed upon those who fought valiantly and brought glory to their clan or tribe. The sword was a revered weapon and symbol of power, and to have the word "sword" incorporated into one's name was considered an honor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mieczyslaw appears in the medieval Polish chronicle known as the "Gesta Principum Polonorum" (Deeds of the Princes of Poland), written in the late 12th century. This chronicle mentions a Polish prince named Mieczyslaw, who ruled in the 10th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mieczyslaw. One such figure was Mieczyslaw I (966-992), who was the Duke of Poland from 963 until his death. He played a significant role in the early stages of the Polish monarchy and is remembered for his military campaigns against the neighboring Prussian tribes.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Mieczyslaw II (990-1034), also known as Mieczyslaw the Old. He was the Duke of Poland from 1025 to 1034 and is credited with expanding the boundaries of the Polish kingdom through his military conquests.
In the 19th century, Mieczyslaw Karol Wodzinski (1861-1935) was a Polish painter and art critic who gained recognition for his landscape and portrait paintings. He was a prominent figure in the artistic circles of Warsaw during his time.
Mieczyslaw Soltysik (1919-1994) was a Polish soldier and war hero who fought in World War II. He participated in the Warsaw Uprising against the German occupation and was awarded several military honors for his bravery and service.
Mieczyslaw Rakowski (1926-2008) was a Polish politician and journalist who served as the Prime Minister of Poland from 1988 to 1989, during the final years of the communist regime. He played a significant role in the transition to democracy in Poland.
People
Mieczyslaw + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mieczyslaw as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mieczyslaw: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mieczyslaw?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mieczyslaw 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Mieczyslaw a common name?
We classify Mieczyslaw as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 96 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mieczyslaw most popular?
The single biggest year for Mieczyslaw was 1917, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mieczyslaw is about 104 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mieczyslaw in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 740 people with the name Mieczyslaw, or 0.25 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,509 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 Mieczyslaw 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 Mieczyslaw?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mieczyslaw appears almost entirely male. Of the 740 people counted with this name, 99.7% 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 Mieczyslaw?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mieczyslaw is White at 98.6%. The next largest groups are Black (0.5%) and Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Mieczyslaw most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Mieczyslaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.6% (730 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 Mieczyslaw in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mieczyslaw a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mieczyslaw 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 Mieczyslaw still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mieczyslaw 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 Mieczyslaw 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 Mieczyslaw?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.