Forgotten Polish Names
You might not see many newborn Polish babies given these names anymore, but once upon a time, they were the height of fashion...
From Tadeusz to Jadwiga, Stanisław to Mikołaj, Polish names are quite recognisable.
They come from a variety of sources, too – there are Slavic names; Polonised versions of foreign names; or those which have their roots in from Poland’s shifting borders, including names of Germanic or Lithuanian origin.
Many are still highly popular today, and have notable use in history, cropping up in Polish literature and amongst Polish celebrities.
But what about the Polish names which have long been lost with the passage of time?
Budziboj
Budziboj is an old Polish male name, derived from two words: the term ‘budzi’ – from the verb ‘budzić’, or ‘to wake up’ - as well as ‘bój’, meaning ‘to fight’, or from ‘bać się’, meaning ‘to fear’. (‘Budzić’comes from the proto-Slavic ‘buditi’, again meaning ‘to wake up’.)
The name could, therefore, mean ‘the one who causes fear’, or ‘the one who starts a fight’.
According to the Dictionary of American Family Names, a pet form of Budziboj is Bojko, popular across Eastern Europe.
The name day for Budziboj is 5th September.
Cirzpisława
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Cirzpisława, illustration: Tomasz Opaliński
Cirzpisława comes from the Polish ‘cierpieć’, or ‘to suffer. There is also a similar male name, Cierpisław, or Cirzpibog.
Although little is known about the name itself, the ‘rz’ here demonstrates historical transformations of the Polish language: the ‘irz’ later hardened to ‘r’, becoming the word ‘cierpieć’ we see today.
Dzirżyterg
A bit of a mouthful for non-Polish speakers, Dzirżyterg does, however, have quite a simple history. It originates from the Polish word ‘dzirży’, or ‘hold’, and ‘terg’, possibly from ‘tęg’/‘targ’, archaic terms for ‘strong’.
A similar name is Dzierżykraj – which, with the added term ‘kraj’, or ‘country’, means ‘the one who rules over the country’. And a similar female form is Dzirżysława, meaning ‘the one with fame’ (‘sława’).
The ‘dzirży’ names were used in the centre and south of Poland – in Lesser Poland, Silesia and the Masovian voivodeship.
One reason for this may be down to the evolving nature of the Polish language.
According to Polski Język Literacki (Literary Polish) by Władysław Kuraszkiewicz:
Text
Mazowsze turned out to be more conservative than other Polish districts. Even in the 15th century, [some words] were used in the old way: ćwirć, dzirży, czyrsk, pirścień.
This was at the same time as pronunciation in other areas changed, with these words transforming to ćwierć, dzierży, czersk and pierścień, respectively.
Gniewomir
Gniewomir derives from ‘gniew’, or ‘angry’, and ‘mir’, meaning ‘peace’, ‘glory’, or ‘world’ – therefore translating as ‘the one who calms anger’.
Interestingly, the words can be combined in the opposite direction to form another old and forgotten Polish name: Mirogniew.
According to linguist Witold Taszycki, Gniewomir is one of the oldest Polish names, and many a Gniewomir crops up in histories of Mediaeval Poland.
But it’s also growing in popularity now too. According to government data, 30 baby boys were named Gniewomir in the first half of 2020. Unfortunately, however, none were called Mirogniew.
Grzmisława
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Grzmisława, illustration: Tomasz Opaliński
Grzmisława is the female form of male name Grzymisław, Grzymosław, Grzymsław, Grzmisław and Grzysław, and comes from the Polish word ‘grzmieć’, meaning ‘thunder’, as well as the suffix ‘sław’.
The name was used by Grzymisława of Luck, the daughter of Ingvar of Kyiv, the Grand Prince of Kyiv in the 13th century. Grzymisława eventually married Leszek the White, High Duke of Poland. Her ancestors included Vladimir II Monomakh, Grand Prince of Kievan Rus’, who is considered a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Twardosław
Twardosław – with the diminutives Twardy, Twardosz and Twardziuk – is another old Polish name which has been lost to history. Another version of the name is Twardzisław.
It originates from ‘twardo’, for ‘hard’, and ‘sław’ – a common Polish suffix, meaning ‘fame’ or ‘glory’. The name day for Twardosław is on 21st November, although according to official data, no Polish parents have named their child Twardosław for the last 10 years.
Subisław
Subisław – or in the alternate form of Sobiesław – means ‘keeping fame for himself’... and it’s played a role in the lives of some pretty famous people. One of the legendary rulers of Poland, Leszko III, who was part of the pre-Piast Popielids dynasty, is alleged to have had a son called Sobiesław (amongst many other children), who was known as Prince Dalen. Sobiesław wasn’t Leszko’s heir, but his name might still sound familiar ... according to family legend, the Sobieski family claim that they are descended from Sobiesław. Among Sobieski family members is, of course, King John III Sobieski, who ruled Poland from 1674-1696.
And there were other famous Sobiesławs too.
Sobiesław I of Gdańsk, born around 1130, was a governor of Gdańsk Pomerania, and lent his name to the Sobiesław dynasty, which ruled over the area (now the Pomeranian voivodeship) in the 12th and 13th centuries – first as governors and then, after the fall of principality, as independent officials. Other members of the dynasty also bore the Sobiesław name, including Sobiesław I’s grandson, Sobiesław II, and his great-grandson, Sobiesław III.
According to historical annals, the family were frequently at loggerheads, both with themselves and against the Teutonic Knights. Many members are buried in the Gdańsk Oliwa Archcathedral, which they founded as a monastery in the 12th century.
Mściwoj
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Mściwoj, illustration: Tomasz Opaliński
But Sobiesław isn’t the only unusual name to be found in the Sobiesławic dynasty. Its last ruler was called Mściwoj II – the name Mściwoj coming from ‘mści’, meaning ‘vengeance’, and ‘woj’, meaning war.
This proved an apt name for Mściwoj II: during one conflict with the Teutonic Knights, Mściwoj’s father, Świętopełk II the Great, was forced to hand his son to the Knights as a hostage to guarantee peace. After returning from captivity, Mściwoj triumphed over his uncles and brothers to rule Pomerania.
He also signed the Treaty of Kępno with the Duke of Greater Poland Przemysł II, to ensure peace and unity in foreign policy. As a result, Mściwoj eventually adopted lion and eagle emblems – used by the Dukes of Greater Poland.
Dobrogost
Dobrogost originates from the Polish words ‘dobry’, or ‘good’, and ‘gost’ (‘gościć’ or ‘gość’) for ‘guest’ or ‘host’.
It is not only an old Polish name, but also occurs in Czech, Serbo-Croatian, Ruthenian and Slovak.
There are also some notable people with the name Dobrogost, including Dobrogost of Nowy Dwór, a Mediaeval bishop, and Jan Dobrogost Krasiński, a Polish nobleman linked to the court of John III Sobieski. However, the name is not popular today.
Pękosław
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Pękosław, illustration: Tomasz Opaliński
Pękosław comes from the words ‘pęk’ (or ‘bundle’), and ‘pękać się’ (‘to break apart’), and the suffix ‘sław’, with two meanings, ‘one whose fame is strong’, or ‘one whose fame falls apart’. Another version of the name is Pęczesław.
Like many old Polish names, there are very few stories to tell about Pękosław, although it does crop up in the name of a small village between Kielce and Kraków.
Świetopełk
From the words ‘świety’ for ‘holy’, and ‘pełk’, old Polish for ‘regiment’, Świętopełk is another cool-sounding ancient Slavic forename.
Famous people called Świętopełk include the aforementioned Świętopełk II; the third-born son of Mieszko I, Świętopełk Mieszkowic; and Światopełk Karpiński, a Polish Interwar poet and satirist.
Stręgobór
Stręgobór is another lost name, about which there is very little information. The term ‘stręg’ means ‘ring’, whilst ‘bór’ was another common Polish suffix, meaning ‘battle’.
However, the name has seen a resurgence in recent years, with one of the characters in The Witcher series, a Kovirian wizard and illusionist, called Stregobor.
Nasięgniew
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Nasięgniew, illustration: Tomasz Opaliński
This name consists of three parts, rather than the usual two lexemes in Polish names. Nasięgniew is made from ‘na’ – or ‘on’; ‘się’, meaning ‘self’; and ‘gniew’, or ‘anger’. The name can be roughly translated as ‘someone who takes on someone’s anger’.
Nasięgniew also has links to another old Polish name, Wszegniew (‘wsze’ coming from ‘wszytko’ or ‘everything’), through the variant form Sięgniew.
Written by Juliette Bretan, Nov 2020