Origin: |
Victor derives directly from the Latin agent noun victor, the nominative form of victorem meaning " a conqueror". |
Usage: |
Victor was borne by an early pope and saint, Pope Victor I (d.199) who served as Bishop of Rome. Saint Victor of Marseilles (d.c.290), Saint Victor Maurus (d.303) and Saint Viktor of Xanten (d. 4th-century) are were also early saints to bear the name and all three were said to have been Roman soldiers before they were martyred for renouncing the worship of pagan idols. The name was also borne by two other popes later in the 11th century, as well as two antipopes in the 12th century. The term "Victorids" was coined for the powerful family in the Frankish province of Rhaetia who controlled the diocese of Chur in the 7th and 8th centuries, many of whom were named Victor, including its founder, Victor I, bishop of Chur. Despite this use by popes and saints, Victor was not especially common in Europe up until the 16th century. There are a handful of early examples (pre-1000) in France, and later 14th-century examples crop up in France and Germany. In England, Victor can be found in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1200 and 1203 and there are then only a small number of records from the 16th century. Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy (1587-1637) brought the name into royal use, and three more dukes of Savoy named Victor Amadeus followed. Victor became more common in France in the 18th century, but didn't gain favour in Britain until the late 19th century during Queen Victoria's reign. In 1860, Victoria ranked at #153 in England and Wales, while Victor was marginally behind at #194. By 1870, however, Victoria has declined slightly to #168 while Victor had trebled in use, ranking at #111. From then on, Victor continued to rise and consistently eclipsed Victoria in use. Perhaps one of the key reasons for Victor's rise in the 1870s (clearly nothing to do with the feminine form Victoria, as that remained uncommon) was the birth of Prince Albert Victor in January 1864, the eldest child of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII). Queen Victoria named this new heir to the throne after her beloved husband Albert and herself, announcing his name as "Albert Victor" publicly before even consulting his parents. The Prince and Princess of Wales added Christian and Edward to the baby's names, but it was the double name "Albert Victor" by which he was officially known until his untimely death in 1892. Perhaps in some form of protest at being denied choosing their eldest son's names, his parents always called him"Eddy" throughout his life. In 1863, five boys in total were registered with the name "Albert Victor". In 1864, following the birth of the prince, a huge figure of 146 boys were given the combo. Even by 1880, 130 boys were named "Albert Victor" as it continued to be a highly popular pairing. This rising use as a middle name undoubtedly gave rise to Victor being used more as a first name, as registration records for Victor (as a first name) in the England and Wales Birth Index shows:
Victor remained in good use during the first half of the 20th century until it eventually fell below the top 100 in 1964. It had a spurt of use at the end of World War I (formally ending on 11 November 1918), thanks to the name's meaning, which we can see clearly from the quarterly birth records in 1918: Oct-Dec 1917: 428 records A similar situation occurred following the end of World War II in Europe in May 1945: Jul-Sep 1944: 600 records British born Hollywood actor Victor McLagen (1886-1959) was a prolific actor who won an Oscar for Best Actor in 1935 for his role in The Informer. He was frequently mentioned in British newspapers, especially in the late 1930s/early 1940s, which may have prolonged the name's use in the inter-war period—it looked to be on the decline by 1934 but picked up a bit by 1944.
In 2017, Victor ranked #227 with 236 births in England and Wales. Regionally, it was most common in London, where it ranked #135, followed by #201 in the South East, #215 in the East and #220 in the South West. In Scotland, Victor ranked #361 with 9 births in 2018. |
Famous Bearers: |
Royalty: * Victor Amadeus I (1587–1637), Duke of Savoy. History: * Pope Victor I (died 199), Bishop of Rome. Contemporary: * Victor French (1934-1989), American actor. Literature and Other Media: * Victor Frankenstein, the main character in the 1818 novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. |
Variants: |
Viktor (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian), Vittore (Italian), Wiktor (Polish), Gwythyr (Welsh), Bittor (Basque) |
Pronunciation: |
VIK-tə [key] |
Possible diminutives: |
Vic, Vito |
Sibling Names: |
Sylvie Josephine Olive Pearl Audrey Lillian |
Name Lists: |
Resonant Roman Royal European Names Victorian Darling Roaring Twenties Upright Elegance Vintage Names Disney Names |
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Thanks to Bridget for requesting this name.