Fabian
From the Roman family name Fabius, itself grown from faba, the bean: at root it means bean-grower. The name rings familiar in Poland today, but it peaked back in the 2010s and fewer boys carry it each passing year.
Fabian Pronunciation
Fabian is pronounced FAHB-yahn (/ˈfabjan/).
What Fabian means
Where Fabian comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Fabian comes from Latin, from the Roman family name Fabius, which grew out of faba, the word for a bean. So the plain sense is bean-grower, uprawiający bób. The Romans drew several surnames from crops, Lentulus from the lentil and Cicero from the chickpea. Fabian belongs to that farming company, tied to a plant that fed ordinary households across the ancient world.
The name gained a Christian bearer in the third century. Fabian became bishop of Rome and died a martyr in 250, under the emperor Decius. Because of him, Polish calendars mark his imieniny on 20 January, shared with Saint Sebastian.
The feminine form is Fabiana. In a Polish class register you might find a Fabian seated near a boy called Sebastian, a pairing older than either of them. The bean stays in the root.
How many people are named Fabian
1 in 595 men in Poland is named Fabian. 35,904 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #226 among male names.
Fabian's popularity over time
564 boys were given the name in 2025, ranking #100 among newborns. It has been climbing since 2000.
Where Fabian is most popular
Fabian is most popular in Subcarpathian, 47% above the national average (603 boys born 2019–2025), followed by Świętokrzyskie (+33%) and Warmian-Masurian (+30%). It is least common in Masovian and Podlaskie, 30% and 14% below average respectively.
-
Subcarpathian603 boys born+47%
-
Świętokrzyskie252 boys born+33%
-
Warmian-Masurian318 boys born+30%
-
Łódź556 boys born+29%
-
Opole184 boys born+17%
-
Kuyavian-Pomeranian433 boys born+16%
-
West Pomeranian327 boys born+14%
-
Lublin394 boys born+13%
-
Lubusz187 boys born+11%
-
Greater Poland719 boys born−2%
-
Pomeranian477 boys born−5%
-
Lower Silesian504 boys born−6%
-
Lesser Poland705 boys born−9%
-
Podlaskie192 boys born−14%
-
Silesian667 boys born−14%
-
Masovian843 boys born−30%
Fabian as a middle name
Fabian is a first name for 35,904 men in Poland and a middle name for another 5,361, an 87/13 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 127th, between Kajetan (5,396) and Ernest (5,284).
-
125
5,466Ksawery
-
126
5,396Kajetan
-
1275,361Fabian
-
128
5,284Ernest
-
129
5,041Lesław
When Fabian celebrates name day
Fabian appears 1 time in the Polish name day calendar. The main date is 20 January.