Rościsław
A Slavic name meaning "growing glory". It's genuinely rare: only about 140 men in Poland carry it, and most Poles have never met one.
Rościsław Pronunciation
Rościsław is pronounced rosh-CHEES-wahf (/rɔɕˈt͡ɕiswaf/).
What Rościsław means
Where Rościsław comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Rościsław comes from Slavic roots. The first part means "to grow," the second means "glory," and together they give "growing glory," in Polish "rosnąca sława." This is a word built for fame that keeps increasing.
The eastern Slavic lands kept the same name as Rostislav. One documented bearer was Rostislav of Great Moravia, a prince who ruled from 846 to 870 and invited Saints Cyril and Methodius to bring a Slavic liturgy. That invitation seeded the alphabet many Slavs would later write in.
In Poland the name belongs to the old Piast stock of two-part noble names, the kind that joined a verb with a word for renown. It stayed rare. On a school register today a Rościsław sits apart from the Jakubs and Kacpers, and the roots inside the name still say what they always said.
The imieniny falls on 17 January. Whatever glory the bearer grows into, the meaning stays fixed as "rosnąca sława."
How many people are named Rościsław
1 in 155812 men in Poland is named Rościsław. 137 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #2820 among male names.
Rościsław's popularity over time
Fewer than 2 boys were given the name in 2025. It has been climbing since 2025.
Rościsław as a middle name
Rościsław is a first name for 137 men in Poland and a middle name for another 53, a 72/28 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 1036th, between Renato (53) and Achilles (52).
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#1034 Moises53
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#1035 Renato53
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#1036 Rościsław53
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#1037 Achilles52
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#1038 Atanazy52