Bronisława
A Slavic name meaning "protector of glory". Roughly 20,000 Polish women carry it and no men, but you'd remember meeting one: newborns are few and getting fewer.
Bronisława Pronunciation
Bronisława is pronounced bro-nyees-WAH-vah (/brɔɲisˈwava/).
What Bronisława means
Where Bronisława comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Bronisława is Slavic in origin. It joins two old roots: bron-, to defend or guard, and sław, glory. Together they give the short meaning recorded for the name, "protector of glory," in Polish broniąca sławy. The sense comes straight from those roots, so the name says plainly what it is built to say.
In daily life the full form steps back. A girl written down as Bronisława at the urząd answers to Bronia at home and to Bronka among friends. The masculine counterpart is Bronisław, made from the very same pair of words.
Poland gives the name a real bearer in Blessed Bronisława of the Odrowąż family, a Norbertine nun who entered the convent at Zwierzyniec near Kraków around 1220 and lived there some forty years. Her feast falls on the first of September, which fixes her as the patron on that day of the calendar. Bronisława is an old name. Whoever carries it still carries broniąca sławy.
How many people are named Bronisława
1 in 1138 women in Poland is named Bronisława. 19,808 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #277 among female names.
Bronisława's popularity over time
3 girls were given the name in 2025, ranking #1213 among newborns. It has been climbing since 2023. Still the #277 name among living women, even as it slips to #1213 among newborns.
Where Bronisława is most popular
Bronisława is most popular in Łódź, 210% above the national average (2 girls born 2019–2025), followed by Silesian (+159%) and Lower Silesian (+150%).
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Łódź2 girls born+210%
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Silesian3 girls born+159%
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Lower Silesian2 girls born+150%
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Lesser Poland2 girls born+73%
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Masovian2 girls born+11%
Bronisława as a middle name
Bronisława is a first name for 19,808 women in Poland and a middle name for another 24,310, a 45/55 split — almost evenly. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 78th, between Franciszka (24,600) and Alina (23,919).
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76
24,728Henryka
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77
24,600Franciszka
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7824,310Bronisława
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79
23,919Alina
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80
23,460Maja