Włada
Just 14 women in Poland carry it, and no girl has been given it this century: most Poles will never meet one. It's a short form of Władysława, from Slavic roots that read as "glorious ruler".
Włada Pronunciation
Włada is pronounced VWAH-dah (/ˈvwada/).
What Włada means
Where Włada comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Włada grows from Old Slavic roots. The element vold- meant to rule, and slav meant glory or fame. Bring them together and you reach Władysław, the fuller name that gave Włada its short form. The Polish reading stays close: włada sławą, she rules with fame. The same vold- root sits in Włodzimierz and in the Russian Vladimir.
For a girl the longer form is Władysława, and Włada nests inside it as an everyday shortening. The cross-gender Władysław belonged to Polish kings and to Władysław Reymont, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1924 for Chłopi.
Name-days fall in June. In a school register the short Włada can sit beside the official Władysława, one child under two spellings, both meaning glorious ruler.
How many people are named Włada
1 in 1610274 women in Poland is named Włada. 14 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #13085 among female names.