Władysława
Around 34,000 Polish women carry it, almost all of an older generation: hardly any newborns take it now. A Slavic name at root, from *władać* "to rule" and *sława* "glory", read as "she who rules with renown".
Władysława Pronunciation
Władysława is pronounced vwah-dihs-WAH-vah (/vwadɨsˈwava/).
What Władysława means
Where Władysława comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Władysława is the feminine form of Władysław, and both grow from two old Slavic roots. One is władać, to rule or to hold power. The other is sława, glory and renown. Together they give the short meaning that Polish states as ta, która włada sławą, in English to rule with glory. In daily speech the name softens to Władek, the diminutive it shares with its masculine variant.
The name belongs to an old layer of Polish naming, the sort once carried by dukes and kings before it settled onto girls as well. A woman called Władysława holds a claim to rule inside her own name. That is uncommon among the traditional female names, which lean toward grace and light more than command.
On a school register the name runs its full length, and a teacher reads out all four syllables: Wła-dy-sła-wa. At home it is simply Władek. The roots hold whatever the form: władać, to rule, and sława, glory.
How many people are named Władysława
1 in 655 women in Poland is named Władysława. 34,441 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #229 among female names.
Władysława's popularity over time
Fewer than 2 girls were given the name in 2025. It has been climbing since 2025.
Władysława as a middle name
Władysława is a first name for 34,441 women in Poland and a middle name for another 32,619, a 51/49 split, almost evenly. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 66th, between Aneta (32,885) and Mariola (31,537).
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#64 Aniela33,616
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#65 Aneta32,885
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#66 Władysława32,619
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#67 Mariola31,537
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#68 Bogumiła31,326