Wiesław is a Polish masculine given name, the contracted form of Wielisław. It is derived from the Slavic elements velĭ "great" and slava "glory", thus meaning "great glory" or "all glory". The name is pronounced [ˈvjɛswaf] and is sometimes transliterated as 'Wieslaw' in the absence of the Polish letter Ł (L with stroke). It is one of many Slavic names built on the root *slava (glory), such as Slava and Velislav.
History and Usage
Wiesław emerged as a shortened, more common form of the older name Wielisław, which was used in medieval Poland. The trend of contracting longer Slavic compound names into simpler forms is common in Polish onomastics. The feminine counterpart is Wiesława [vjɛˈswava]. Name days associated with Wiesław are celebrated on May 22, June 7, November 21, or December 9.
Notable Bearers
Several notable Poles bear the name Wiesław, including:
- Wiesław Jaguś (born 1975), Polish speedway rider
- Wiesław Michnikowski (1922–2017), Polish cabaret performer
- Wiesław Myśliwski (1932–2026), Polish writer
- Wiesław Ochman (born 1937), Polish tenor
- Wiesław Perszke (born 1960), Polish long-distance runner
- Wiesław Rosocha (1945–2020), Polish graphic designer
- Wiesław Tarka (born 1964), Polish ambassador to Croatia
- Wiesław Żelazko (1933–2025), Polish mathematician
Variants and Related Forms
A variant of Wiesław is Wisław. Cognates in other Slavic languages include Viachaslau (Belarusian), Slava (Ukrainian), Velislav and Ventseslav (Bulgarian), and Višeslav (Serbian).
- Meaning: "Great glory" or "all glory"
- Origin: Slavic
- Type: Masculine given name
- Usage: Polish
Variants
Feminine Forms
Other Languages & Cultures
Sources: Wikipedia — Wiesław