Ludwika
A Germanic name that means "famous warrior". Only about 6,000 Polish women carry it, and it goes exclusively to girls, so meeting one tends to stick in memory.
Ludwika Pronunciation
Ludwika is pronounced lood-VEE-kah (/ludˈvika/).
What Ludwika means
Where Ludwika comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Ludwika is the feminine form of Ludwik. Both descend from the old Germanic name Hludwig, which joins hlut, meaning famous, with wig, meaning war. That pairing gives the meaning the name still keeps in Polish, sławny wojownik, a famous warrior. The same root branched into Ludwig in German and Louis in French.
Poland gave the name to a queen. Ludwika Maria Gonzaga, born in 1611, married two Polish kings in turn, Władysław IV and later his brother Jan Kazimierz. In 1661 she founded the country's first newspaper, Merkuriusz Polski. A warrior's name fit a woman who ran much of the state.
Today a girl named Ludwika might hear it called from a class register on her first day of school, one name among many. On her imieniny she shares the calendar with Ludwik, the masculine form of the very same name.
When Ludwika celebrates name day
Ludwika appears 3 times in the Polish name day calendar, 2 of them as a main name, the first on 31 January.
The days Polish calendars list this name on. By custom you celebrate one of them, usually the first after your birthday.
Rarer dates. Only the most complete calendars add this name on these days. Most skip them, so hardly anyone celebrates then.
How many people are named Ludwika
1 in 3521 women in Poland is named Ludwika. 6,402 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #440 among female names.
Ludwika's popularity over time
7 girls were given the name in 2025, ranking #820 among newborns. It is making a comeback after a low in 2007. Still the #440 name among living women, even as it slips to #820 among newborns.
Where Ludwika is most popular
Ludwika is most popular in Masovian, 249% above the national average (16 girls born 2019–2025), followed by Greater Poland (+43%) and Łódź (+22%). It is least common in Lesser Poland and Lower Silesian, 32% and 2% below average respectively.
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Masovian16 girls born+249%
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Greater Poland4 girls born+43%
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Łódź2 girls born+22%
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Pomeranian2 girls born+5%
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Lower Silesian2 girls born−2%
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Lesser Poland2 girls born−32%
Ludwika as a middle name
Ludwika is a first name for 6,402 women in Poland and a middle name for another 8,080, a 44/56 split, almost evenly. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 119th, between Karina (8,817) and Daniela (8,071).
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#117 Celina8,843
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#118 Karina8,817
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#119 Ludwika8,080
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#120 Daniela8,071
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#121 Marcelina7,844