István
A Hungarian name with a Greek root, stephanos, the word for the garland or crown laid on a victor's head. Fewer than 300 men in Poland carry it, so most Poles will go a lifetime without meeting one.
István Pronunciation
What István means
Where István comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
The name István reached Polish ears from far away. Its root is Greek, stephanos, the word for a crown or garland set on a victor's head. That older sense of the wreath, korona in Polish, is the part the name has held onto longest.
The most famous person to carry it was István I, the ruler who unified Hungary around the year 1000 and was canonized decades after his death. His name stayed common in Hungary for a thousand years, and it crossed borders with families who moved. A Polish teacher reading a class register might pause on it once before saying it right.
The meaning has not drifted. Stephanos gave us the garland, and the garland gave us the name. To carry István is to carry an old word for korona, a crown.
How many people are named István
1 in 79354 men in Poland is named István. 269 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #1859 among male names.
István's popularity over time
3 boys were given the name in 2025, ranking #1257 among newborns. It has been climbing since 2022.
István as a middle name
István is a first name for 269 men in Poland and a middle name for another 45, an 86/14 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 1156th, between Honoriusz (45) and Jasper (45).
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#1154 Gérard45
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#1155 Honoriusz45
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#1156 István45
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#1157 Jasper45
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#1158 Jerome45