Vadzim
A Slavic name meaning "ruler". Only about 3,000 men in Poland carry it and new ones are hardly ever registered, so most Poles have never met a Vadzim.
Vadzim Pronunciation
What Vadzim means
Where Vadzim comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Vadzim is the Belarusian spelling of a name that Slavic tradition better knows as Vadim. Its origin is Slavic, and its sense splits two ways. One reading ties it to a root for ruling, which gives the Polish gloss władca, pan. Another links it to an old verb meaning to accuse, or to stir up a quarrel. Both readings have shadowed the name for a long time.
The most cited early bearer is Vadim the Bold, Vadzim Chrabry in Belarusian. According to the Nikon Chronicle, he led a revolt against Rurik in Novgorod around 864 and was killed for it. The story sits between history and legend.
A boy named Vadzim hears his name read from the class register, one letter apart from the Russian Vadim. That letter carries the whole difference. Whichever root a family leans toward, the name still arrives meaning władca, pan.
How many people are named Vadzim
1 in 6899 men in Poland is named Vadzim. 3,094 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #581 among male names.
Vadzim's popularity over time
Fewer than 2 boys were given the name in 2025. It has been stable for a decade.