Gaweł
Greek at root, but the sense it settled on points west: a galijczyk, an inhabitant of Gaul, the land the French later filled. Fewer than 300 Polish men carry it today, so meeting one is memorable, and fewer boys get it each year.
Gaweł Pronunciation
Gaweł is pronounced GAH-vew (/ˈgavɛw/).
What Gaweł means
Where Gaweł comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Gaweł grows from a Greek root, though the meaning it settled on points west, toward Gaul. In Polish that older sense is galijczyk, an inhabitant of Gaul, the Roman land the French would later fill. A boy given this name wore the label of a whole people.
The name reached Poland through a saint. Gaweł, known in Latin as Gallus, was a monk born around 550, most likely of Irish or Welsh stock, who settled with his followers in what is now Switzerland. An abbey rose on the site of his hermitage and took his name, Sankt Gallen. His feast fixed the imieniny of every Polish Gaweł on 16 October, deep in autumn.
Still, most Poles first meet him in a rhyme. Aleksander Fredro set two neighbours, Paweł and Gaweł, one living above the other, each plaguing the other in turn. That verse keeps the name alive long after the Frenchman inside it has faded.
How many people are named Gaweł
1 in 81164 men in Poland is named Gaweł. 263 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #1885 among male names.
Gaweł's popularity over time
2 boys were given the name in 2025, ranking #1577 among newborns. It has been stable for a decade.
Where Gaweł is most popular
Gaweł is most popular in Masovian, 336% above the national average (5 boys born 2019–2025), followed by Greater Poland (+187%).
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Masovian5 boys born+336%
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Greater Poland2 boys born+187%
Gaweł as a middle name
Gaweł is a first name for 263 men in Poland and a middle name for another 151, a 64/36 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 568th, between Colin (151) and Sylwiusz (151).
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#566 Symeon152
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#567 Colin151
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#568 Gaweł151
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#569 Sylwiusz151
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#570 Dyonizy150