Jaroslav (also written as Yaroslav or Jarosław) is a Slavic first name pagan in origin.
There are several possible origins of the name Jaroslav. It is very likely that originally the two elements of the name referred to Jarilo - male Proto-Slavic deity of the sun, spring, and fertility, and slav meaning glory, i.e. "glory of the sun". However, with the adoption of Christianity in the Slavic countries the name began to be commonly understood not as a reference to a pagan deity, but rather to the "fervent worship of God"1 of the Bible.
People named Jaroslav (Yaroslav):
Jaroslav is a village in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has cca 210 inhabitants.
Coordinates: 50°01′32″N 16°04′40″E / 50.02556°N 16.07778°E / 50.02556; 16.07778
It has 5000 inhabitants as of 2010, including tennis star Tomas Berdych.