A name. A world of connections.

Boleslav

“great glory”

masculineLatin script

[ˈbolɛslaf] · Czech

Origin: Old Czech
5 language contexts: Czech Slovak Slovene +2 more
Follow the evidence: 7 cited sources Source-reported

01 / Meaning & origin

About Boleslav

Boleslav is a masculine given name documented in Czech, Slovak, Slovene and 2 other languages. English Wiktionary traces it to Old Czech Boleslav. English Wikipedia gives the meaning “great glory”.

Old Czech origin

Source-reported

Meaning: “great glory”

Inherited from Old Czech Boleslav, from Proto-Slavic *boľьjь + -slav (with the same meaning as Václav).

Sources for this account (5)

Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
French Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Polish Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia: Bolesław (given name)CC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Documented usage

View usage notes (6)

Masculine usage · Wikidata Q20354469
Masculine usage in Czech · Wiktionary: Boleslav
Masculine usage in Slovak · Wiktionary: Boleslav
Masculine usage in Old Czech · Wiktionary: Boleslav
Masculine usage in Old Slovak · Wiktionary: Boleslav
Masculine usage in Slovene · Greek Wiktionary: Boleslav

Explore all 5 language contexts

Linguistic usage labels come from name dictionaries. They are separate from the sex categories recorded in statistical files.

Spelling and script

Written form “Boleslav” in the Latin script. Wikidata item Q20354469.

All pronunciation details (5)

[ˈbolɛslaf] — Czech
/\bɔlɛslaf\/ — Czech
/ˈbɔlɛslau̯/ — Slovak
/ˈbolɛslaf/ — Old Czech (15ᵗʰ CE)
/ˈbolɛsɫaʋ/ — Old Czech (13ᵗʰ CE)

02 / Across borders

Where Boleslav is used

Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.

The name atlas

Across borders

countries in our sources

Select a country to follow Boleslav’s connections around the world.

0 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.

Selected country

Explore a country

Our sources do not yet connect this name with a country. New records will appear here as coverage grows.

No country coverage is recorded yet.

03 / By the numbers

Popularity over time

Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.

No official statistics are imported for this spelling. No statistical dataset covering this spelling has been imported yet. See data coverage.

04 / Through time

History

Historical scholarship

Passages quoted verbatim from public-domain reference works. They reflect the scholarship of their time, not current consensus, and may use obsolete spellings.

1884From the archives
BOLESLAV— “strong glory”
_Boleje_, strong or great, answers to the Teuton _mer_, and Boleslav is great glory. Boleslav Chrobry, the second Christian prince of Poland, was a devout savage and great conqueror, both in Russia and Bohemia. He was the first Pole to assume the title of king; and after his death, in 1025, there are many instances of his name in both Poland and Bohemia.
Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Part VII (Names From The Slavonic), Section IV (Names of Might) · Public domain (Project Gutenberg)

Notable bearers

People recorded with this given name in Wikidata. Their names may use a different spelling, or include it as a middle or baptismal name.

Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia
died 972
Duke of Bohemia from 935 to 972
Recorded as a middle or baptismal name
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Boleslaus II, Duke of Bohemia
died 999
Duke of Bohemia from 972 to 999
Recorded as a middle or baptismal name
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Boleslaus III, Duke of Bohemia
died 1037
Duke of Bohemia
Recorded as a middle or baptismal name
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Aurel Stodola
1859–1942
Slovak scientist (1859–1942)
Recorded as a middle or baptismal name
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Bolek Polívka
born 1949
Czech actor, comedian and scriptwriter
Recorded as a middle or baptismal name
Wikipedia Wikidata source

A little story to keep

A name worth keeping.

Take the story of Boleslav with you. Create a personal name passport with its meaning, roots and connections.

06 / Behind the facts

Sources for this page

Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-15.

Name origins & languageDictionaries, name records and related forms6

Wikidata Q20354469CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
French Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Polish Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia: Bolesław (given name)CC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Historical referencesOriginal texts and their publication details1

Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Part VII (Names From The Slavonic), Section IV (Names of Might)Public domain (Project Gutenberg) · rev. 2023-03-30 · retrieved 2026-10-14

Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.

Loading your next page…

About Boleslav

Old Czech origin

Source-reported

Meaning: “great glory”

Inherited from Old Czech Boleslav, from Proto-Slavic *boľьjь + -slav (with the same meaning as Václav).

Sources for this account (5)

Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
French Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Polish Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia: Bolesław (given name)CC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Documented usage

View usage notes (6)

Masculine usage · Wikidata Q20354469
Masculine usage in Czech · Wiktionary: Boleslav
Masculine usage in Slovak · Wiktionary: Boleslav
Masculine usage in Old Czech · Wiktionary: Boleslav
Masculine usage in Old Slovak · Wiktionary: Boleslav
Masculine usage in Slovene · Greek Wiktionary: Boleslav

Explore all 5 language contexts

Linguistic usage labels come from name dictionaries. They are separate from the sex categories recorded in statistical files.

Spelling and script

Written form “Boleslav” in the Latin script. Wikidata item Q20354469.

All pronunciation details (5)

[ˈbolɛslaf] — Czech
/\bɔlɛslaf\/ — Czech
/ˈbɔlɛslau̯/ — Slovak
/ˈbolɛslaf/ — Old Czech (15ᵗʰ CE)
/ˈbolɛsɫaʋ/ — Old Czech (13ᵗʰ CE)

Where Boleslav is used

Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.

The name atlas

Across borders

countries in our sources

Select a country to follow Boleslav’s connections around the world.

0 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.

Selected country

Explore a country

Our sources do not yet connect this name with a country. New records will appear here as coverage grows.

No country coverage is recorded yet.

History

Historical scholarship

Passages quoted verbatim from public-domain reference works. They reflect the scholarship of their time, not current consensus, and may use obsolete spellings.

1884From the archives
BOLESLAV— “strong glory”
_Boleje_, strong or great, answers to the Teuton _mer_, and Boleslav is great glory. Boleslav Chrobry, the second Christian prince of Poland, was a devout savage and great conqueror, both in Russia and Bohemia. He was the first Pole to assume the title of king; and after his death, in 1025, there are many instances of his name in both Poland and Bohemia.
Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Part VII (Names From The Slavonic), Section IV (Names of Might) · Public domain (Project Gutenberg)

Notable bearers

People recorded with this given name in Wikidata. Their names may use a different spelling, or include it as a middle or baptismal name.

Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia
died 972
Duke of Bohemia from 935 to 972
Recorded as a middle or baptismal name
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Boleslaus II, Duke of Bohemia
died 999
Duke of Bohemia from 972 to 999
Recorded as a middle or baptismal name
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Boleslaus III, Duke of Bohemia
died 1037
Duke of Bohemia
Recorded as a middle or baptismal name
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Aurel Stodola
1859–1942
Slovak scientist (1859–1942)
Recorded as a middle or baptismal name
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Bolek Polívka
born 1949
Czech actor, comedian and scriptwriter
Recorded as a middle or baptismal name
Wikipedia Wikidata source

Sources for this page

Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-15.

Name origins & languageDictionaries, name records and related forms6

Wikidata Q20354469CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
French Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Polish Wiktionary: BoleslavCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia: Bolesław (given name)CC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Historical referencesOriginal texts and their publication details1

Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Part VII (Names From The Slavonic), Section IV (Names of Might)Public domain (Project Gutenberg) · rev. 2023-03-30 · retrieved 2026-10-14

Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.

A story to pass on.

About Boleslav

Old Czech origin

Where Boleslav is used

Across borders

Explore a country

Popularity over time

History

Historical scholarship

Notable bearers

Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia

Boleslaus II, Duke of Bohemia

Boleslaus III, Duke of Bohemia

Aurel Stodola

Bolek Polívka

Related names

Different forms. Shared stories.

Meet the family

Related names in the catalogue

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page

A story to pass on.

About Boleslav

Old Czech origin

Where Boleslav is used

Across borders

Explore a country

Popularity over time

History

Historical scholarship

Notable bearers

Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia

Boleslaus II, Duke of Bohemia

Boleslaus III, Duke of Bohemia

Aurel Stodola

Bolek Polívka

Related names

Different forms. Shared stories.

Meet the family

Related names in the catalogue

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page