UK boy's name
Zbigniew
A masculine Polish given name derived from an Old Slavic word meaning "benefactor" or "bringer of good news".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2018. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Zbigniew is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Zbigniew popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2018 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4749, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 3 births.
This profile covers 3 England and Wales registrations across 1 recorded years from 2018 to 2018. 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.
Zbigniew is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 3 living people in the UK are called Zbigniew. 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 2019 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Zbigniew ranked #4749 for boys in England and Wales in 2018, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2018, when 3 boys were registered as Zbigniew.
- • About 3 living people in the UK are estimated to have Zbigniew as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4749
2018
Births in 2018
3
Latest year
Peak year
2018
3 births
Estimated living
3
2026
Meaning
What does Zbigniew mean?
Zbigniew is a Polish male given name derived from the Slavic elements "zbyh" meaning "surplus" or "remaining" and "gniew" meaning "anger" or "wrath". The name can be interpreted as "one who remains angry" or "one who overcomes anger". It dates back to the early Middle Ages in Central and Eastern Europe.
The name Zbigniew first appeared in written records during the 11th century AD. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Zbigniew, a Polish prince and son of Mieszko I, the first historical ruler of Poland. Zbigniew lived from around 965 to 1027 AD.
In the 12th century, another notable figure named Zbigniew was Zbigniew of Poland, who served as the Bishop of Wrocław from 1149 to 1155. He played a significant role in the ecclesiastical affairs of the region during that time period.
During the Renaissance, a prominent bearer of the name was Zbigniew Oleśnicki (1389–1455), a Polish cardinal and statesman who served as the Bishop of Kraków and had a significant influence on the politics of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
In more recent history, Zbigniew Brzezinski (1928–2017) was a Polish-American diplomat and political scientist who served as the National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981. He was a prominent figure in shaping American foreign policy during the Cold War era.
Another notable individual with the name Zbigniew was Zbigniew Religa (1938–2009), a Polish cardiac surgeon who performed the first successful heart transplant in Poland in 1987 and later served as the Minister of Health from 2005 to 2007.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Decades
Zbigniew by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Zbigniew 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4749 | 3 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Zbigniew
- Zachary 29,362
- Zak 9,988
- Zain 7,620
- Zac 7,272
- Zack 7,101
- Zakariya 5,447
- Zach 4,754
- Zayn 4,326
- Zachariah 3,234
- Zion 3,141
- Zane 2,818
- Zayd 2,609
FAQ
Zbigniew: questions and answers
How popular is the name Zbigniew in the UK right now?
In 2018, Zbigniew was ranked #4749 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Zbigniew most popular?
The peak year on record was 2018, with 3 babies registered as Zbigniew in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Zbigniew?
A masculine Polish given name derived from an Old Slavic word meaning "benefactor" or "bringer of good news".
How many people are called Zbigniew in the UK?
A total of 3 babies have been registered as Zbigniew across the 1 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.