Boy · Latin
Magnus
Say it: MAHG-nus
Meaning
From Latin magnus 'great', taken from the epithet of Charlemagne (Carolus Magnus).
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
First given to Magnus the Good in the 11th century, reportedly after Charlemagne, and common across Scandinavia since.
Its wave through time
Rising now
In the United States
- 4,464 babies given this name since 1890
- At its height in 2017, about 1 in 5,500 boys
- 285 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Renaissance1400 to 1600
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
The family of the name
| Icelandic | Magnús |
|---|---|
| Danish | Mogens |
| Swedish | Måns |
| Irish | Manus |
Famous bearers
- Magnus the Good, king of Norway and Denmark
- Saint Magnus, Earl of Orkney
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Royal and noble genealogies
- The Icelandic sagas and other Old Norse literature
- Calendars of saints and name days
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.