Name of the Week: Magnus

Origin:

Magnus derives from the Latin magnus "great, mighty, important."  Magnus was used in ancient times originally as a cognomen: a nickname which eventually became hereditary, often used much like a surname to distinguish a certain branch of a Roman clan (gens).  Magnus was also used to Latinise the Old Norse name Magni, derived from the Old Norse magn "might, strength." In Norse mythology, Magni was a son of the god Thor.

Usage:

A famous early example is Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (106 BC -148 BC), whom we know as Pompey the Great. Magnus "the great" was added in adulthood by Roman statesman Sulla as an honorific surname after Pomepey's victory in Africa.  In later centuries, we find it more as an established hereditary name, as with Flavius Magnus Maximus (c.335-388 AD), the Roman Emperor of the Western Empire. In the post-Roman period, the first attested use of it as a given name was when King Olaf II of Norway (c. 995-1030) gave the name to his son, King Magnus I of Norway and Denmark. It is said that he was named after Olaf's idol, Charlemagne — Karla Magnus "Charles the Great." However, the Norse name Magni, from the Old Norse magn "might, strength," was already in use, so Magnus may have served as a Latinised form of Magni.  There are some early saints with the name Magnus but most had their hagiographies recorded after the 10th century.  From Magnus I followed seven medieval kings of Norway, four kings of Sweden, one Danish king and Dukes of Saxony and became an established name across Scandinavia.  From Scandinavia, the name passed to Scotland via the Shetland islands. The Shetlands are 168 km from the British mainland and 280 km from the Faroe Islands and its early history was dominated by Norse influence. They only officially became a part of Scotland in 15th century. Even today, Nordic names such as Magnus, Thorfinn and Signe are still in use in Shetland. The surname Magnusson became Manson in the Shetlands. In Scotland, Magnus developed the Scots Gaelic form Manas/Manus, creating the surname McManus.  At the same time, the Normans introduced the name to England as well. A Magnus de Weitecroft is recorded in The Social and Economic Documents of the Danelaw around 1100, and a Hugo Magnus appears in The Burton Chartulary of Staffordshire c.1114.  St Magnus-the-Martyr is a church in London which was established shortly after the Norman Conquest and may explain some of the later use in London. Over the centuries, Magnus remained in good use in Shetland and the North of Scotland and in some pockets of Northern England. Elsewhere, it was much rarer, as we can see from data from the 1881 UK census (see image, right). By 1900, Magnus was #93 in Scotland, but dropped below the top 100 by 1950.  In England and Wales, Magnus was much lesson common, and only really established itself in the 1960s. Births in England and Wales:  1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 1970s: 25 births 48 births 30 births 50 births 53 births 53 birth 65 births 37 births 38 births 20 births 18 births 19 births 98 births 166 births In Scotland, Magnus was in the top 200 from 1974 to 1980 after which it ranked consistently between #190-#300 up until 2014.  In 2016, Magnus ranked #143 (41 births) in Scotland which rose to #136 with 43 births in 2017.  In England and Wales, Magnus has been gradually rising over the last 20 years. It entered the top 1000 in 1998 and rose steadily (if a little intermittently) from that point.  In 2014, Magnus moved into the top 500 at #489 (80 births) and it has continued to rise.  In 2017, Magnus ranked #397 in England and Wales with 111 births.

Famous Bearers:

Royalty: * Magnus I of Norway (1024–1047), King of Norway. * Magnus II of Norway (1048–1069), King of Norway. * Magnus the Good of Denmark (1042-1047), King of Denmark. * Magnus, Duke of Saxony (c. 1045–1106). * Magnus III of Norway (1073–1103), King of Norway. * Magnus I of Sweden (c. 1106–1134), King of Sweden. * Magnus IV of Norway (c. 1115–1139), King of Norway. * Magnus II of Sweden (died 1161), King of Sweden. * Magnus V of Norway (1156–1184), King of Norway. * Magnus VI of Norway (1238–1280), King of Norway. * Magnus III of Sweden (1240–1290), King of Sweden. * Magnus VII of Norway (1316–1374), King of Norway and Sweden (as Magnus IV of Sweden). * Magnus the Pious (c.1318–1369), Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. * Magnus II (1324–1373),  Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. * Magnus I (1488–1543), Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg. * Magnus of Livonia (1540–1583), also Duke of Holstein. History: * Saint Magnus of Avignon (died 660), bishop and governor of Avignon. * Saint Magnus Erlendsson (1080-1115), Earl of Orkney. * Magnus Beronius (1692-1775), Swedish Archbishop. Contemporary: * Magnus Arvedson, Swedish ice hockey player. * Magnus Bahne, Finnish footballer. * Magnus Bäckstedt, a Swedish road cyclist. * Magnus Betnér, a Swedish comedian. * Magnus Carlsen, Norwegian chess grandmaster. * Magnus Larsson, former professional tennis player from Sweden. * Magnus Lekven, Norwegian footballer. * Magnus Magnusson, Icelandic-born BBC personality and Mastermind quiz-master. * Magnus Samuelsson, a Swedish strongman and former World's Strongest Man. Literature and Other Media: * Magnus Bane, a character in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. * Magnus Chase, the main protagonist in the fantasy series Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. * Magnus Pym, the central character of A Perfect Spy. * Magnus, a character in The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. * Magnus Honey, a character in the film Matilda, based on the book by Roald Dahl.

Variants:

Manus, Manas (Scots Gaelic), Måns (Swedish), Magne (Norwegian), Mogens (Danish), Maunu (Finnish)

Pronunciation:

MAG-nəs [key]

Possible diminutives:

Gus, Mag, Mags, Mack, Max

Sibling Names:

Astrid     Evelina     Aurelia     Linnea     Athena     Ophelia  Barnaby     Jasper     Benedict     Evander     Rhoderick     Raphael

Name Lists:

Upright Elegance   Slickly Continental   Scandi Familiars

 

If you like Magnus you may also like:   Fergus, Linus, Xavier, Casper, Lucian, Rasmus, Willem, Laurence, Otto, Ralph

Thanks to ccmdjdonoho for requesting this name.