Rostyslav
A Slavic name meaning "growing glory", carried in Poland almost entirely by Ukrainian families. It stays exclusively male and uncommon enough that meeting a Rostyslav here is memorable.
Rostyslav Pronunciation
What Rostyslav means
Where Rostyslav comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Rostyslav comes from Old Slavic, built from two pieces: rosti, to grow, and slava, glory. Together they give the short meaning most Polish sources record, growing glory. The Polish form of the same name is Rościsław, and once you notice the shared roots the two read like siblings.
History hands the name an early bearer. Rostislav ruled Great Moravia in the ninth century, and in 862 he asked Constantinople for missionaries who could teach in a Slavic tongue. That request brought Cyril and Methodius north, and with them the first alphabet shaped for Slavic speech.
Today the spelling Rostyslav belongs mostly to Ukrainian. On a Polish urząd form it reads as a near cousin of Rościsław. The glory in it means growth.
How many people are named Rostyslav
1 in 3489 men in Poland is named Rostyslav. 6,118 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #447 among male names.
Rostyslav's popularity over time
9 boys were given the name in 2025, ranking #750 among newborns. It has been climbing since 2020. Still the #447 name among living men, even as it slips to #750 among newborns.
Where Rostyslav is most popular
Rostyslav is most popular in Łódź, 184% above the national average (4 boys born 2019–2025), followed by Masovian (+154%) and Lower Silesian (+129%). It is least common in Lesser Poland and Greater Poland, 21% and 16% below average respectively.
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Łódź4 boys born+184%
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Masovian10 boys born+154%
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Lower Silesian4 boys born+129%
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Pomeranian2 boys born+22%
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Greater Poland2 boys born−16%
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Lesser Poland2 boys born−21%
Rostyslav as a middle name
Rostyslav is a first name for 6,118 men in Poland and a middle name for another 7, a 100/0 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 4019th, between Rodolphe (7) and Rudy (7).
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#4017 Richárd7
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#4018 Rodolphe7
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#4019 Rostyslav7
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#4020 Rudy7
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#4021 Ryong7