Magnus

Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wider popularity in the Middle Ages among various European peoples and their royal houses, being introduced to them upon being converted to the Latin-speaking Catholic Christianity. This was especially the case with Scandinavian royalty and nobility.

As a Scandinavian forename, it was extracted from the Frankish ruler Charlemagne's Latin name "Carolus Magnus" and re-analyzed as Old Norse magn-hús = "power house".^[1]

People

Given name

Kings of Hungary

Géza I (1074–1077), also known by his baptismal name Magnus

Kings of Denmark

Magnus the Good (1042–1047), also Magnus I of Norway

King of Livonia

Magnus, Duke of Holstein (1540–1583)

King of Mann and the Isles

Magnús Óláfsson (died 1265)

Kings of Norway

Magnus I of Norway (1024–1047)
Magnus II of Norway (1048–1069)
Magnus III of Norway (1073–1103)
Magnus IV of Norway (c. 1115–1139)
Magnus V of Norway (1156–1184)
Magnus VI of Norway (1238–1280)
Magnus VII of Norway, also known as Magnus Eriksson (1316–1374)

Kings of Sweden

Magnus the Strong (c. 1106–1134)
Magnus Henriksson (died 1161)
Magnus Ladulås (1240–1290)
Magnus Eriksson (1316–1374), also Magnus VII of Norway

Dukes

Magnus, Duke of Saxony (c. 1045–1106)
Magnus the Pious, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (before 1318–1369)
Magnus II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1324–1373), also known as Magnus with the Necklace
Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (1488–1543)

Saints

Albert Magnus (c.1200–1280), German bishop, philosopher, theologian and scientist
Magnus (bishop of Milan), bishop of Milan from 518 to c.530
Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney, Earl of Orkney 1106–c.1117)
Magnus of Anagni (2nd century)
Magnus of Avignon (died 660), bishop and governor of Avignon
Magnus of Cuneo (3rd century)
Magnus of Füssen, missionary saint of southern Germany, seventh or eighth century

Family name

Ailsa Magnus (born 1967), Scottish sculptor
Désiré Magnus, Belgian pianist
Elisabeth von Magnus, Austrian singer
Finn Magnus, Danish-American founder of Magnus Harmonica Corporation
Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist who discovered the Magnus effect
Kurt Magnus (1912–2003), German scientist, expert in the field of applied mechanics, a pioneer of mechatronics
Kurt Magnus (radio personality) (1887–1962), German lawyer and politician, a pioneer of German radio broadcasting
Laurie Magnus (1872–1933), English author, journalist, and publisher
Laurie Magnus (executive) (born 1955), British executive, appointed UK Prime Minister's Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests in 2022
Ludwig Immanuel Magnus, German mathematician
Philip Magnus (1906–1988), British historian
Paul Wilhelm Magnus, German botanist
Siobhan Magnus, American singer
Thomas Magnus (d. 1550), English churchman and diplomat
Wilhelm Magnus, German mathematician

Ancient Romans

Pompey Magnus, Roman consul and general who was given the honorific "Magnus"
Magnus Maximus, Roman usurper and Western Roman Emperor (died 388)
Montius Magnus, 4th-century Roman quaestor

Pseudonyms, pen names and ring names

Magnus, pseudonym of American magician Jeff McBride
Magnus, pen name of Italian comic book artist Roberto Raviola
Magnus (formerly Brutus Magnus), ring name of English professional wrestler Nick Aldis (born 1986)

Fictional characters

Magnus Bane, in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, and character in the TV Series Shadowhunters
Magnus Burnsides, one of the main protagonists in The Adventure Zone Dungeons & Dragons podcast
Magnus Chase, the main protagonist in the fantasy series Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
Magnus Eisengrim, in the Deptford Trilogy
Magnus Gallant, a main character in Ogre Battle 64
Magnus Greel, a villain in the 1977 Doctor Who serial The Talons of Weng-Chiang
Magnus Hammersmith, an antagonist in Metalocalypse
Magnus Murchie, Margaret's insane uncle and advisor in Muriel Spark's Symposium
Magnus Pym, the protagonist of John le Carré's novel A Perfect Spy
Magnus Powermouse, the title character of the children's book of the same name
Magnus, Robot Fighter, a comic book character published by Gold Key and Valiant comics
Magnus von Grapple, a boss in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Magnus (The Vampire Chronicles), in The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice
Magnus, the real name of the Doctor Who character the Master
Ultra Magnus, several characters in the Transformers universe
Magnus Lehnsherr, an alternate reality Marvel Comics character; son of Rogue and Magneto
Magnus the Red, Primarch of the Thousand Sons Space Marines in the Warhammer 40,000 universe
Magnus the Sorcerer, a Marvel Universe character
Magnus, in the video game Kid Icarus: Uprising
Magnus Fossbakken, in the Norwegian TV show Skam
Magnus Nielsen, a character from the TV series Dark
Magnus the Rogue, a supporting character in the video game Minecraft Story Mode
Magnus, the mascot of the Cleveland State Vikings
Magnus, the god of magic from The Elder Scrolls universe
Will Magnus, a DC Comics scientist
Count Magnus, title character in the M.R. James story
Jonah Magnus, founder of the titular institute in the horror fiction podcast The Magnus Archives
Magnus au Grimmus, a character in the Red Rising series
Ultra Magnus, a supporting character in Transformers: Animated, in which "magnus" is a high rank amongst Autobots; he also appears in Transformers: Prime
Magnus Honey, Miss Honey's dad in Matilda (novel)

References

^ "Scandinavian Names". BehindTheName.com. 2007. Retrieved 2019-07-19.

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