Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as

cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; : ''cognomina''; from ''co-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditar ...

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey ( ) or Pompey the Great, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman who was prominent in the last decades of the Rom ...

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 Magnus Maximus (; died 28 August 388) was Roman emperor in the West from 383 to 388. He usurped the throne from emperor Gratian. Born in Gallaecia, he served as an officer in Britain under Theodosius the Elder during the Great Conspiracy ...

. 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

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

n royalty and nobility. As a Scandinavian forename, it was extracted from the Frankish ruler

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

's Latin name "Carolus Magnus" and re-analyzed as

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

''magn-hús'' = "power house".

People

Given name

Kings of Hungary * Géza I (1074–1077), also known by his

baptismal name A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious name, religious personal personal name, name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often given by parents at birth. In Anglosphere, English-spe ...

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 Magnus Eriksson (April or May 1316 – 1 December 1374) was King of Sweden from 1319 to 1364, King of Norway as Magnus VII from 1319 to 1355, and ruler of Scania from 1332 to 1360. By adversaries he has been called ''Magnus Smek'' (). Medi ...

(1316–1374)

Kings of Sweden

* Magnus the Strong (c. 1106–1134) * Magnus Henriksson (died 1161) * Magnus Ladulås (1240–1290) *

(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 Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney, sometimes known as Magnus the Martyr, was Earl of Orkney from 1106 to about 1117. Magnus's grandparents, Thorfinn the Mighty, Jarl of Orkney and his wife Ingibiorg Finnsdottir, had two sons, Erlend an ...

, Earl of Orkney 1106–c.1117) * Magnus of Anagni (2nd century) * Magnus of Avignon (died 660), bishop and governor of Avignon *

Magnus of Cuneo Magnus of Cuneo () is venerated as a martyr and member of the legendary Theban Legion. The center of his cult is situated at the mountain sanctuary known as the Santuario di San Magno, in the Valle Grana, Castelmagno, in the province of Cuneo. Hi ...

(3rd century) * Magnus of Füssen, missionary saint of southern Germany, seventh or eighth century

Family name

*Magnus family, British Jewish ** Magnus baronets *** Philip Magnus, 1st Baronet *** Philip Magnus (historian), 2nd Baronet (1906–1988), British historian *** Laurie Magnus (executive), 3rd Baronet (born 1955), British executive, appointed UK Prime Minister's Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests in 2022 *** Laurie Magnus (1872–1933), English author, journalist, and publisher ** Katie Magnus, author and communal worker, wife of Philip Magnus, 1st Baronet ** Leonard Arthur Magnus, scholar and translator, son of Philip Magnus, 1st Baronet * 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) Kurt Magnus (March 28, 1887 – June 20, 1962) was a German lawyer and politician, best known as a pioneer in establishing radio broadcasting in Germany.

(1887–1962), German lawyer and politician, a pioneer of German radio broadcasting * Ludwig Immanuel Magnus, German mathematician * 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" *

, 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 ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...

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 Magnus, Robot Fighter is a fictional superhero who battles rogue robots in the year 4000, appearing in comic books created by writer/artist Russ Manning in 1963.Steve Holland, ''Sci-Fi Art: A Graphic History''. Lewes: ILEX, 2009. . .pp. 102–1 ...

, 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 ''The Elder Scrolls'' is a series of action role-playing games, action role-playing video games primarily developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The series focuses on Nonlinear gameplay, free-form gameplay in an ...

'' 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

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