Bartek

Meaning of Bartek

Bartek, the succinct Polish diminutive of Bartłomiej and ultimately of the Latin-rendered Bartholomæus, threads its lineage back to the Aramaic phrase bar-Talmai, “son of Talmai,” thereby anchoring the name in the apostolic narrative of Saint Bartholomew while simultaneously evoking the agrarian landscapes of Mazovia and Lesser Poland where it has long resonated. Although its etymological roots are ancient, Bartek’s phonetic profile—two percussive beats followed by a soft terminal consonant—grants it a contemporary brevity that appeals to modern ears. United States birth records reveal only a sprinkling of occurrences, never exceeding twelve in any given year between 2001 and 2011, positioning the name in the statistical penumbra yet confirming a quiet, transatlantic diffusion. Sociolinguistically, Bartek functions as both an affectionate household appellation and a standalone formal given name, illustrating the Slavic tendency toward diminutives that mature into independent identities. Thus, Bartek presents prospective parents with a compact vessel of biblical gravitas, cultural specificity, and understated rarity.

Pronunciation

Polish

• Pronunced as BAR-tek (/ˈbartɛk/)

• Bartholomew
• Bartosz
• Bartolo
• Bartlomiej