Namedays are celebrated much the way birthdays are with one exception: no numbers are mentioned, displayed or hinted at in any way. So nobody would think of asking “Which nameday is this?”, and there are no greeting cards saying “Best wishes on your 10th or 21st Nameday!” Neither is there any set number of candles to blow out, so this celebration would seem to have a lot going for it among age-conscious Americans.
Arriving guests wish the solenizant or solenizantka (person celebrating a nameday) something like: “Wszystkiego najlepszego w dniu imienin” (“All the best on your nameday”) or elaborate on that general theme with: “Dużo zdrowia, szczęścia i pomyślności” (“Lots of health, luck and success”). Guests usually present the host or hostess with cut flowers and a gift. For men it is often a bottle, book, fishing equipment, etc. and for women – perfume, clothing or something for the home. Guests can expect to find tables laden with cold meats, aspic dishes, eggs in sauce, salads, relishes, pickles, etc.
Some namedays are extremely popular, meaning that on certain days every third or fourth flat in an apartment building and every fourth or fifth house in the village are celebrating. When Windows are open in warmer whether, the laughter, clinking of glasses and strains of “Sto Lat” carry far and wide. Among the older generation, extremely popular namedays include Andrzej, Jan, Józef, Jerzy, Wojciech, Stanisław, Michał and Zygmunt for men and Maria, Barbara, Zofia, Katarzyna, Krystyna, Anna, Jadwiga and Wanda for women.
Polish nameday listing
Compiled by Rob Strybel, Polish/Polonian Affairs Writer
If you, a relative or friend is expecting a blessed event and wondering what name to give the child, why not look through the following list. Presented below is a fairly extensive alphabetical listing of most of
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Adam – Dec. 24 Agata – Feb. 2 Albina – Dec. 16 Albina – Mar. 1 Alicja – June 21 Alina – June 17 Alfons – Aug. 1 Alojzy – June 21 Ambroży – Dec. 12 Anatol – July 3 Andrzej – Feb. 4, May 16, July 13, Nov. 30 Aniela – Jan. 4, Jan. 27 Anna July 26 Antoni – Jan. 17, June 13, Oct. 24 Antonina – Mar. 1 Arkdadiusz – Jan. 12 Artur – Oct. 6 Aurelia – Dec. 2 Balbina – Dec. 21 Baltazar – Jan 6 (one of the Three Kings) Balbina – Mar. 31 Bartłomiej – Aug. 24 Bartosz – Apr. 21, Aug. 24 Barbara – Dec. 4 Beata – Mar. 8, Sept. 6 Benedykt – Mar. 21, July 11, July 13 Benon – June 16 Benigna – June 20 Bernard – Mar. 12, Aug. 20 Bernadeta – April 16 Blanka – Dec. 1 Błażej -Feb. 3 Bohdan – Aug. 31 Bogna – June 20 Bogdan – July 17 Bogumił – June 6 Bogumiła – Jan 13 Bogusz – Feb. 24 Bogusław – Mar. 22, Sept. 23, Dec. 18 Bogusława – May 29 Bolesław – Aug. 19 Bolesława – July 22 Bożena – Mar. 13 Bronisław – Aug. 18 Bronisława – Sept. 1 Brunon – Oct. 6, Oct. 11 Brygida – Feb. 1 Cecylia – Nov. 22 Celestyna – April 6 Celina Oct. 21 Cezary – Feb. 25, Aug. 27, Dec. 28 Cyprian – Sept. 16 Cyryl – Feb. 2, March 18, June 27, Sept. 16 Czesław – July 20 Czesława – Jan. 12 Damian – Feb. 23 Daniel – Oct. 10 Danuta – Jan. 3, June 24 Dariusz – Dec. 19 Dobrosław – Jan. 10 Dobrosława – Apr. 9 Dominik – Aug. 8 Donat – Feb. 25, Apr. 30, Oct. 22 Dorota – Feb. 6, June 25 Edmund – Nov. 11 Edward – March 18, Oct. 13 Edyta – Sept. 16 Eleonora – Feb. 21 Elwira – Jan. 25, June 14 Elżbieta – May 11, July 4, Nov. 17 Eryk – May 18 Eryka – Feb. 9 Eugeniusz – Jan. 4, July 8 Eustachy – Sept. 9 Ewa – Dec. 24 Ewelina – May 26 Fabian – Jan. 1 Felicja – Apr. 24, Sept. 30 Felicjan – Oct. 29 Feliks – Jan. 14, May 18, June 11, Aug. 30, Nov. 20 Ferdynand – May 30 Filemon – Mar. 21 Filip – April 11, May 26, Oct. 22 Florian – May 4 Flora – Nov. 24 Franciszek – Jan. 24, April 2, June 4, Oct. 4 (of Assisi), Oct. 10, Dec. 3 Franciszka – Mar. 9 Fryderyk – July 18 Fryderyka – Mar. 5 Gabriel – Feb. 27, Mar. 24, Sept. 29 Gabriela – Dec. 19 Gaweł – Oct. 16 Genowefa – Jan. 3 Gertruda – Mar. 17, Nov. 16 Gerwazy – June 19 Grażyna – April 1 Grzegorz – Jan. 2, May 25, Sept. 3 Gustaw – Aug. 2 Halina – July 1 Halka – Oct. 22 Halszka – Mar. 2 Hanna – Jan. 1, July 26 Helena – Mar. 2, May 22, Aug. 18 Henryk – Jan. 19, July 13 Henryka – Mar. 2. Mar. 16 Hieronim – Feb. 8, Sept. 30 Hilary – Mar. 16, May 5 Honorata – Jan. 11 Hubert – Nov. 3 Hugo – Apr. 1 Hugon – Apr. 1 Idzi – Sept. 1 Ignacy – Oct. 17, July 31 Igor – Oct. 5 Ilona – Aug. 18 Ireneusz – Mar. 25, June 28 Irena – Apr. 1, Apr. 5, Oct. 20 Irma – Sept. 18 Izabela – Feb 23, Mar. 16, Sept. 3 Izydor – Apr. 4, May 10, May 19 Iwona – May 19 Jacek – Aug. 17, Sept. 11 Jacenty – Feb. 10 Jadwiga – July 17, Oct. 16 Jakub – May 6, July 25, Oct. 21 Jan – Jan. 31, Feb. 8, Mar. 8, Mar. 30, Apr. 7, Apr. 9, May 18, May 21, May 30, June 12, June 24 (the Baptist), July 12, Aug. 4, Aug. 19, Sept. 13, Oct. 3 (of Dukla), Oct. 10 (Kanty), Oct. 23, Nov. 13, Dec. 4, Dec. 27 (the Apostle) Janina – June 12 Janusz – Nov. 21 Jaromir – May 28 Jarosław – Jan. 21, Apr. 25 Jarosława – Jan. 21 Jerzy – April 24 Joanna – Feb 2, May 30, Dec. 12 Jolanta – June 15 Józef – Mar. 19 (Jesus’ guardian), May 1 (the Worker), June 23, Aug. 25 Józafat Nov. 11 Julian – Jan. 9, Feb. 13, Sept. 2, Oct. 18 Julianna – Feb. 16, Aug. Aug. 17 Julia – May 22, July 27, Dec. 10 Julita – July 30 Juliusz – Apr. 12 Jurand – May 6 Justyn – July 1 Justyna – June 16, Sept. 17. Dec. 20 Kacper – Jan. 6 (one of the Three Kings) Kajetan – Aug. 7 Kamil – July 14 Karol – Nov. 4 Karolina – July 5 Katarzyna – Mar. 9, Apr. 29, Nov. 25 Kazimierz Mar. 4 Kazimiera – Aug. 21 Kinga – July 24 Klaudia – Mar. 30 Klaudisuz – Apr. 26 Klara – Aug. 11 |
Klemens – Mar. 3, Nov. 23 Klementyna – Sept. 8 Konrad – Feb. 19, Apr. 21, Nov. 26 Konstanty – Nov. 30 Kornel – Sept. 16 Krystyna – Mar. 13, July 24, Nov. 13 Krzysztof – July 25 Ksawery – Dec. 3 Ksenia – Apr. 16 Kunegunda – Mar. 3 Larysa – Mar. 23 Laura – June 17 Lech – Aug. 12 Lechosław – Nov. 26 Leon – Feb. 20, Apr. 19, June 12, Nov. 10 Leonard – Nov. 6 Leokadia – Dec. 9 Lesław – Nov. 28 Lesława – Nov. 28 Leszek – June 3 Lidia – Mar. 27, Aug. 3 Lubomir – July 31, Nov. 10 Lucjan – Jan. 7 Lucyna – June 30 Ludwik – Apr. 28, Aug. 25 Ludwika – Aug. 25 Ładsysław – Sept. 25 Łukasz – Oct. 18 Łucja – Dec. 13 Maciej – Jan. 30, May 14 Magdalena – May 25, July 22 Maja – Apr. 9 Maksymilian (Maria Kolbe) – Aug. 14 Malwina – Dec. 4 Małgorzata – Jan. 18, Feb. 22, Oct. 16, Nov. 16 Marcel -Jan. 16, Mar. 10 Marceli – Jan. 16 Marcelina – Apr. 26 Marcin – Apr. 13, Nov. 3, Nov. 11 (of Tours) Marcelina – Apr. 26, June 2 Mariola – Mar. 25 Mariusz – Jan. 19 Marek – Apr. 25 Maria – Jan. 1, Feb. 2 (Candlemas), Feb. 11. Mar. 25, Apr. 9, May 3 (Queen of Poland), May 24, May 31, July 5, July 16, July 22, Aug. 15, Aug. 22, Aug. 26 (of Częstochowa), Sept. 8, Sept. 15, Oct. 7, Nov. 16, Nov. 21, Dec. 8 Marian – Apr. 30 Marlena – June 16, Oct. 23 Marta – July 29 Martyna – Jan. 30 Marzanna – June 2 Marzena – Apr. 26 Mateusz – Sept. 21 (Apostle), Nov. 13 Matylda – Mar. 14 Maurycy – Sept. 22 Melchior – Jan. 6 (one of the Three Kings) Metody – Feb. 14 Michał – Apr. 10, Sept. 29 (Archangel), Mieczysław, Mieszko – Jan. 1 Mikołaj – Dec. 6 Mirosław, Mirosława – Feb. 26 Monika – Aug. 27 Narcyz – Mar. 18 Natalia – July 27, Dec. 1 Nela – Nov. 10 Nikodem – Sept. 15 Nina – Dec. 15 Nora – Feb. 12 Norbert – June 6 Olgierd – Feb. 11 Olga – July 11 Onufry – June 12 Otto – July 1 Otylia – Dec. 13 Patryk – Mar. 17 Paula – Jan. 26 Paulina – Dec. 12 Paweł, Jan. 15, Jan. 25 (Apostle), Feb. 6, Mar. 2, June 26, June 29 (Feast of SS Peter & Paul), Oct. 19 Pelagia – Mar. 23, June 9, Oct. 8 Piotr – Jan. 28, Feb. 21, Feb. 22, Apr. 28, Apr. 29, May 19, June 29 (Feast of SS Peter & Paul) July 30, Sept. 9, Dec. 21 Prokop – July 8 Przemysław – Apr. 13 Rafał – Sept. 29 Rajmund – Jan. 7, Aug. 31 Regina – Sept. 7 Renata – Nov. 12 Remigiusz – Oct. 1 Robert – Apr. 17, June 7, Sept. 17 Roch – Aug. 16 Roman – Feb. 28, Aug. 9, Nov. 18 Romuald – June 19 Rozalia – Sept. 4 Róża – Mar. 6, Aug. 23 Ryszard — Feb. 7. Apr. 3, Aug. 9 Ryszarda – Sept. 7 Rudolf – Oct. 12 Sabina – Oct. 27 Sandra – May 18, Aug. 26 Sebastian – Jan. 20 Seweryn – Jan. 8, Feb. 1, June 8, Oct. 23, Nov. 8 Sławomir – May 17 Stanisław – May 8 (Bishop & Martyr), Sept. 18 (Kostka) Stanisława – Aug. 5 Stefan – Aug. 16 Stefania – Sept. 18 Sylwester – Dec. 31 (New Year’s Eve) Sylwia – Nov. 3 Szczepan – Dec. 26 Szczęsny – Aug. 30 Szymon – July 18, Oct. 28 Tadeusz (Juda) – Oct. 28 Teodor – Feb. 7, Apr. 20. Sept. 19, Nov. 9 Teodora – Apr. 1 Teofil – Apr. 27, Oct. 2 Teofilia – Dec. 28 Teresa – July 6, Oct. 1, Oct. 15 Tomes – Jan. 28, June 22, July 3 (Apostle), Sept. 22, Dec. 29 Tymoteusz – Jan. 26 Tytus – Jan. 4, Jan. 26 Urban – July 2, Oct. 31. Dec. 19 Urszula – Oct. 21 Wacław – Sept. 28 Wacława – Apr. 15 Waldemar – May 5, Dec. 11 Walenty – Feb. 14 Walery – Jan. 29, June 14 Waldemar – Jan. 16 Wanda – June 23 Wawrzyniec – July 21, Aug. 10. Sept. 5 Weronika – Jan 13, July 9 Wiktor – Feb. 25, May 21, July 28, Oct. 17 Wiktoria – Dec. 23 Wincenty – Jan. 22, Apr. 5, Sept. 27, Oct. 9 Wiesław – May 22, June 7 Wiesława – May 22 Wirgiliusz – Nov. 27 Wirginia – Dec. 8 Wit – June 15 Witold – Nov. 21 Władysław – June 25, Sept. 25 Włodzimierz – Jan. 16. July 15 Wojciech – Apr. 23 Zdzisław – Nov. 28 Zdzisława – Dec. 12 Zenon – Apr. 12, July 9, Dec. 22 Zofia – May 15 Zuzanna – May 24. Aug. 11 Zygmunt – May 2 Zyta – Apr. 27 Żaneta – Dec. 27 Żytomir – Nov. 7 |
Compiled by Robert Strybel, Polish/Polonian Affairs Writer
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