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Origin: Swedish

Meaning: Staff of the Geats

Gustaw is a charming name derived from Gustav and Gustaf, which is particularly popular in Poland. This refashioned version has roots in Old Norse, coming from Gautstafr, which combines gautr, meaning "Goth," and staff, meaning "staff," with the combined meaning "staff of the Geats." The Geats were a group of North Germanic settlers in Götaland in southern Sweden, who later became one of the major demographic groups in the country. In fact, these very people appear in the epic poem Beowulf, the oldest existing piece of English literature in the world. Speaking of surviving legacies, the late Gustaw Teofil Holoubek was a renowned actor, director, and politician in Poland.