UK boy's name
Jaroslav
Of Slavic origin, meaning "gloriously fierce" or "gloriously brave".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2020. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Jaroslav is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Jaroslav popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2020 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3334, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2010, with 8 births.
This profile covers 70 England and Wales registrations across 14 recorded years from 2005 to 2020. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 63% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 70 living people in the UK are called Jaroslav. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2021 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Jaroslav ranked #3334 for boys in England and Wales in 2020, with 5 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2010, when 8 boys were registered as Jaroslav.
- • About 70 living people in the UK are estimated to have Jaroslav as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3334
2020
Births in 2020
5
Latest year
Peak year
2010
8 births
Estimated living
70
2026
Meaning
What does Jaroslav mean?
The name Jaroslav is of Slavic origin, deriving from the combination of the Slavic roots "jar" meaning "spring" or "vigor" and "slav" meaning "glory" or "fame". It can be translated to mean "glorious spring" or "vigorous glory". The name has been in use since at least the 9th century AD among Slavic peoples in Central and Eastern Europe.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Jaroslav is found in the Czech Ducal Dynasties, where Jaroslav I ruled as Duke of Bohemia from 1003 to 1034. He was a member of the Premyslid dynasty and played a key role in the establishment of the Kingdom of Bohemia.
In Russia, one of the most notable bearers of the name was Yaroslav I the Wise (978-1054), Grand Prince of Kyiv and a prominent figure in the establishment of the Rus' state. He is credited with the construction of the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv and the promotion of literacy and legal reforms.
Another famous Jaroslav was Jaroslav of Opava (c. 1230-1297), a Franciscan friar and theologian from Silesia. He was a prominent scholastic philosopher and author of several works on logic and theology.
In Serbia, Jaroslav I Shishman (c. 1280-1322) was the last Tsar of the Second Bulgarian Empire, ruling from 1318 to 1322. He played a significant role in the defense of Bulgarian lands against the advancing Ottoman Turks.
A more recent historical figure with the name Jaroslav is Jaroslav Heyrovský (1890-1967), a Czech chemist and inventor of the polarographic method of chemical analysis. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1959 for his contributions to the field of electrochemistry.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Jaroslav over time
The chart below shows babies named Jaroslav registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2005 to 2020. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Jaroslav, the clearest high point is 2010. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2020, compared with 8 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jaroslav by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Jaroslav was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3334 | 5 | 1 |
| 2010s | #3262 | 51 | 9 |
| 2000s | #3913 | 14 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Jaroslav
- Jack 188,738
- Joshua 145,192
- James 141,878
- Joseph 102,259
- Jacob 93,754
- Jake 66,896
- Jamie 41,243
- Jordan 36,750
- Jayden 28,921
- Jude 24,156
- John 22,240
- Joe 19,164
FAQ
Jaroslav: questions and answers
How popular is the name Jaroslav in the UK right now?
In 2020, Jaroslav was ranked #3334 for boys in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.
When was Jaroslav most popular?
The peak year on record was 2010, with 8 babies registered as Jaroslav in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Jaroslav?
Of Slavic origin, meaning "gloriously fierce" or "gloriously brave".
How many people are called Jaroslav in the UK?
A total of 70 babies have been registered as Jaroslav across the 14 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.