Dzierżysław
Only 14 men in Poland carry it, and no boy has been given it in over two decades. A Slavic name built to mean "to hold glory," pairing the old verb dzierżyć, to hold, with sława, fame.
Dzierżysław Pronunciation
Dzierżysław is pronounced jer-ZHIHS-wahf (/d͡ʑɛrˈʐɨswaf/).
What Dzierżysław means
Where Dzierżysław comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
The name splits into two Slavic parts. "Dzierżyć" means to hold or grasp, and "sława" means glory. Together they give the short meaning, to hold glory, "dzierżący sławę" in Polish. The origin is Slavic and old.
Documented from the 13th century. A charter from 1224 records it as "Dzirżysław," and by 1391 the sound had worn down to "Dziersław." Short forms multiplied: Dziech, Dzierzek, Dzieszek. A daughter could carry the variant Dzierżysława.
"To hold glory" is a compound, not a forecast about the child. A boy given the name held nothing yet except the name itself. Both roots stayed legible to anyone who spoke the language, which is why it reads as old Polish rather than borrowed.
It is rare now. The PESEL register counted 14 men carrying it as a first name in January 2025. Imieniny fall on 24 March. Two more dates follow, 16 July and 1 September. A teacher working through a class register today would slow at the full form, then find the shorter Dzierzek underneath.
How many people are named Dzierżysław
1 in 1524728 men in Poland is named Dzierżysław. 14 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #12596 among male names.
Dzierżysław as a middle name
Dzierżysław is a first name for 14 men in Poland and a middle name for another 13, a 52/48 split, almost evenly. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 2609th, between Dušan (13) and Edem (13).
-
#2607 Denys13
-
#2608 Dušan13
-
#2609 Dzierżysław13
-
#2610 Edem13
-
#2611 Edoardo13