Vlad
A Slavic name that says one thing plainly: ruler, the one who rules. The same root sits inside Polish Władysław and Włodzimierz. In Poland it stays rare and boys-only, so most people here have never met one.
Vlad Pronunciation
What Vlad means
Where Vlad comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
The name Vlad grows from Slavic roots, and its meaning stays blunt: ruler, the one who rules. You can hear the same element in Polish names such as Władysław and Włodzimierz, where the piece "wład" answers to władca and to the verb panować. So Vlad is short, yet it names a whole idea about power.
History gave the name a hard-edged bearer. Vlad III, voivode of Wallachia in the fifteenth century, ruled with a cruelty that earned him the byname Vlad the Impaler, and centuries later Bram Stoker borrowed his family name, Dracula, for a novel. The man behind the legend was a genuine ruler, which suits a name that means exactly that.
In Russian and Ukrainian usage, Vlad often stands on its own today. It is brief. Read out in a school register, it fills only one beat, and still it says władca.
How many people are named Vlad
1 in 79650 men in Poland is named Vlad. 268 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #1866 among male names.
Vlad's popularity over time
Fewer than 2 boys were given the name in 2025. It has been climbing since 2025.
Where Vlad is most popular
Vlad is most popular in Greater Poland, 904% above the national average (2 boys born 2019–2025).
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Greater Poland2 boys born+904%
Vlad as a middle name
Vlad is a first name for 268 men in Poland and a middle name for another 12, a 96/4 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 2870th, between Vishnu (12) and Voytek (12).
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#2868 Valentyn12
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#2869 Vishnu12
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#2870 Vlad12
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#2871 Voytek12
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#2872 Vuong12