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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 people who lived in Stykkishólmur in 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".

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 Magnus IV of Sweden (1316–1374)

Kings of Sweden

* Magnus I of Sweden (c. 1106–1134)
* Magnus II of Sweden (died 1161)
* Magnus III of Sweden (1240–1290)
* Magnus IV of Sweden (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

* Magnus of Anagni (died 2nd century)
* Magnus of Cuneo (died 3rd century)
* Magnus of Milan, bishop of Milan from 518 to c. 530
* Magnus of Avignon (died 660), bishop and governor of Avignon
* Magnus of Füssen, missionary saint of southern Germany, seventh or eighth century
* Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney

Family name

* Albertus Magnus (died 1280), German theologian and philosopher
* 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, a pioneer of mechatronics
* Kurt Magnus (radio personality) (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"
* 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, the antagonist in the M.R. James story "Count Magnus."
*Jonah Magnus, founder of the titular institute in the horror fiction podcast ''The Magnus Archives''
River Magnus
the magical deity narrator from the River Magnus cinematic universe
* Magnus au Grimmus, a character in the ''Red Rising'' series
* Magnus, a deity in the Elder Scrolls video game universe

See also

*
* Manus (disambiguation)
* Magnes (disambiguation)
* Magnusson (disambiguation)
* List of people known as The Great

References

{{Given name, type=both

Masculine given names
German masculine given names
Latin masculine given names
Norwegian masculine given names
Swedish masculine given names
Estonian masculine given names