Maciej is a popular Polish masculine given name. Its origin can be traced back to the Latin name Magnus, which means "great." The name Maciej is a direct derivative of this Latin name and has been used in Poland for centuries.
The name Maciej was particularly common during the Middle Ages, when it was often used as a shortened form of names like Makary or Makaryusz. During this time, many Polish nobles adopted the name Maciej as their given name.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Maciej. One such figure is Maciejowski, who was a 15th-century bishop of Cracow and a prominent patron of arts and culture in Poland. Another well-known Maciej is Maciej Berdechowski, a 16th-century Polish nobleman and military commander.
Today, Maciej remains a popular given name in Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe. It has also gained some international recognition in recent years due to the increasing popularity of Polish culture and language around the world. Overall, Maciej is a strong, distinctive name with a rich history and a meaningful origin story.
The name Maciej experienced a gradual increase in popularity from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, with a peak of 18 births in 1996. However, it has since fluctuated, with periods of decline and stability, reaching as low as 5 births in recent years (2018, 2019). Overall, there have been 315 Maciej births from 1982 to 2020.