Wladyslaw
Prince's glory, composed of the Slavic elements "vlad" (rule) and "slav" (glory).
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Wladyslaw. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wladyslaw today is around 129 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wladyslaw births was 1916 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wladyslaw. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Wladyslaw with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Wladyslaw is about 129 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wladyslaws were born before 1907.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wladyslaw. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1916
19 babies that year
Average age
129
years old
1925 SSA rank
#4,188
Tracked since 1911
Census
Wladyslaw in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 845 people with the first name Wladyslaw, which placed it at #14,062 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
#14,062
National first-name rank
People counted
845
845 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
99.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wladyslaw
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wladyslaw is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.5%) and Hispanic (0.2%). 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 Wladyslaw 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 Wladyslaw at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 837
- Two or more races0.5% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 2
Popularity
Wladyslaw: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wladyslaw 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 92 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
Wladyslaw 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 Wladyslaw during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Wladyslaws live
Origin
Meaning and history of Wladyslaw
The name Wladyslaw has its origins in the Slavic languages, specifically Polish. It is a combination of two words: "wlad" meaning "power" or "rule," and "slaw" meaning "glory." Thus, the name can be interpreted as "one who rules with glory" or "glorious ruler." This name has been in use among Polish and other Slavic communities for centuries.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the Middle Ages, when it was borne by several Polish nobles and rulers. One of the most notable figures was Wladyslaw I Herman (c. 1043-1102), who was the Duke of Poland from 1079 to 1102. Another significant bearer of the name was Wladyslaw II Wygnaniec (c. 1105-1159), who was the High Duke of Poland from 1138 to 1146.
In the 14th century, the name gained further prominence with Wladyslaw I Lokietek (c. 1260-1333), who was the King of Poland from 1320 until his death. He played a crucial role in uniting the Polish lands and laying the foundations for the Polish monarchy.
During the Renaissance period, Wladyslaw III Warnenczyk (1424-1444) was a notable figure who reigned as the King of Poland and Hungary from 1434 until his death in the Battle of Varna against the Ottoman Empire.
In more recent history, Wladyslaw Gomulka (1905-1982) was a prominent Polish communist leader who served as the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party from 1956 to 1970. He played a significant role in the de-Stalinization process in Poland.
The name Wladyslaw has also been borne by various artists, writers, and intellectuals throughout history. One notable example is Wladyslaw Reymont (1867-1925), a Polish novelist and the recipient of the 1924 Nobel Prize in Literature for his novel "The Peasants."
While the name has its roots in the Slavic culture, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, particularly among communities with Polish or Slavic connections. However, its usage and popularity have been most prominent in Poland and other Slavic countries throughout history.
People
Wladyslaw + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wladyslaw as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wladyslaw: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wladyslaw?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wladyslaw 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 Wladyslaw a common name?
We classify Wladyslaw 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, 119 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wladyslaw most popular?
The single biggest year for Wladyslaw was 1916, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wladyslaw is about 129 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Wladyslaw in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 845 people with the name Wladyslaw, or 0.28 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,062 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 Wladyslaw 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 Wladyslaw?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Wladyslaw appears almost entirely male. Of the 844 people counted with this name, 99.4% 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 Wladyslaw?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wladyslaw is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.5%) and Hispanic (0.2%). 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 Wladyslaw most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Wladyslaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (837 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 Wladyslaw in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wladyslaw a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wladyslaw 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 Wladyslaw still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wladyslaw 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 Wladyslaw 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 have Wladyslaw as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.