Gustav, also spelled Gustaf (, ), is a male

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...

of likely

Old Swedish Old Swedish (Modern Swedish: ) is the name for two distinct stages of the Swedish language that were spoken in the Middle Ages: Early Old Swedish (), spoken from about 1225 until about 1375, and Late Old Swedish (), spoken from about 1375 unti ...

origin, used mainly in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...

n countries,

German-speaking countries The following is a list of the countries and territories where German is an official language (also known as the Germanosphere). It includes countries that have German as (one of) their nationwide official language(s), as well as dependent terr ...

, and the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

, possibly meaning "staff of the

Geats The Geats ( ; ang, gēatas ; non, gautar ; sv, götar ), sometimes called ''Goths'', were a large North Germanic tribe who inhabited ("land of the Geats") in modern southern Sweden from antiquity until the late Middle Ages. They are one of t ...

Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Euro ...

or gods", possibly derived from the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...

elements ("Geats"), / ("Goths") or ("gods"), and ("staff"). Another etymology speculates that the name may be of Medieval Slavic origin, from the name ''Gostislav'', a compound word for "glorious guest", from the Medieval Slavic words ("guest") and ("glory") and was adopted by migrating groups north and west into

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

and

. This name has been borne by eight

Kings of Sweden This is a list of Swedish kings, queens, regents and viceroys of the Kalmar Union. History The earliest record of what is generally considered to be a Swedish king appears in Tacitus' work ''Germania'', c. 100 AD (the king of the Suiones). Howe ...

, including the 16th-century Gustav Vasa and the current king,

Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973. He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, D ...

. It is a common name for Swedish monarchs since the reign of Gustav Vasa. The name has entered other languages as well. In

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

it is ; in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish it is ''

Gustavo Gustavo is the Latinate form of a Germanic male given name with respective prevalence in Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian. It has been a common name for Swedish monarchs since the reign of Gustav Vasa. It is derived from Gustav /ˈɡʊstɑːv/, ...

''. The

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

ised form is '' Gustavus''. A side form of the name in Swedish is '' Gösta''. The name in Finnish is , while in Icelandic it is written or .

People

Royalty and nobility

Sweden

Gustav I Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföre ...

(1496–1560), King of Sweden 1523–1560, whose reign marked the end of the

Kalmar Union The Kalmar Union ( Danish, Norwegian, and sv, Kalmarunionen; fi, Kalmarin unioni; la, Unio Calmariensis) was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden, that from 1397 to 1523 joined under a single monarch the three kingdo ...

and the beginning of Swedish independence; founder of the Vasa dynasty * Gustav of Sweden (1568–1607), son of Eric XIV and Karin Månsdotter * Gustav II Adolf (1594–1632), or Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden 1611–1632, praised military leader during the

Thirty Year War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

, sometimes referred to as the "Father of modern warfare" or "The Lion of the North" * Gustav of Vasaborg, (1616–1653), Swedish noble and military officer *

Karl X Gustav Charles X Gustav, also Carl Gustav ( sv, Karl X Gustav; 8 November 1622 – 13 February 1660), was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. Afte ...

(1622–1660), King of Sweden 1654–1660 *

Gustav III Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...

(1746–1792), King of Sweden 1771–1792, who highly influenced the arts of Sweden during the Neo-Classical era and who temporarily reinstated absolute monarchy * Gustav, Prince of Vasa (1799–1877), Crown Prince of Sweden * Gustav IV Adolf (1778–1837), King of Sweden 1792–1809 * Prince Gustaf, Duke of Uppland (1827–1852), second son of Oscar I and Josephine of Leuchtenberg * Gustaf V (1858–1950), King of Sweden 1907–1950 * Gustaf VI Adolf (1882–1973), King of Sweden 1950–1973 *

Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (Gustaf Adolf Oscar Fredrik Arthur Edmund; 22 April 1906 – 26 January 1947) was a Swedish prince, who for most of his life was second in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. He was the eldest ...

(1906–1947) *

(born 1946), King of Sweden 1973–

Other places

* Gustav of Saxe-Lauenburg (c. 1570–1597) *

Gustav, Duke of Zweibrücken Count Palatine Gustav Samuel Leopold of the House of Wittelsbach (12 April 1670, Stegeborg Castle near Söderköping, Sweden – 17 September 1731, Zweibrücken, Germany) was the Palatinate-Kleeburg, Count Palatine of Kleeburg from 1701 until 1731 ...

(1670–1731) *

Gustav, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg , title = , image = Porträt Gustav Adolph Prinz zu Hessen-Homburg.jpg , caption = , reign = December 15th 1846–September 8th 1848 , coronation = , predecessor = Philip , successor = ...

(1781–1848) * Count Gustav Kálnoky (1832–1898), Austro-Hungarian diplomat and statesman *

Gustav, 7th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Gustav, 7th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-BerleburgIn 1919 royalty and nobility were mandated to lose their privileges in Germany, hereditary titles were to be legally borne thereafter only as part of the surname, according tArticle 109of the Weima ...

(born 1969)

Others

Gustav Åbergsson Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...

(1775-1852), Swedish stage actor * Gustav Elijah Åhr (1996–2017), known as Lil Peep, American rapper and singer * Gustav von Alvensleben (1803–1881), Prussian General der Infanterie * Gustav A. Anderson (1893-1983), American farmer and politician * Gustaf Andersson (1884–1961), Swedish politician *

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer Gustavo Adolfo Claudio Domínguez Bastida (17 February 1836 – 22 December 1870), better known as Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (), was a Spanish Romantic poet and writer (mostly short stories), also a playwright, literary columnist, and talented ...

(1836–1870), Spanish poet * Gustav Bauernfeind (1848–1904), German painter famous for his Orientalist paintings * Gustave Biéler (1904–1944), Swiss-born Canadian

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its p ...

agent during World War II * Gustavo Charif (born 1966), writer, visual artist and film director * Gustave Colin (1814–1880), French politician * Gustave-Henri Colin (1828–1910), French painter * Gustav Hesselblad (1906–1989), Swedish military doctor * Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis (1792–1843), scientist for whom the Coriolis effect is named * Gustaf Dalén (1869–1937), Swedish inventor and Nobel Prize laureate * Gustave Doré (1832–1883), French artist, engraver, and illustrator *

Gustave Eiffel Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (born Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; ; ; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway ...

(1832–1923), French engineer, designer of the Eiffel Tower *

Gustav Fechner Gustav Theodor Fechner (; ; 19 April 1801 – 18 November 1887) was a German physicist, philosopher, and experimental psychologist. A pioneer in experimental psychology and founder of psychophysics (techniques for measuring the mind), he ins ...

(1801–1887), German philosopher, physicist, and scientist *

Gustav Fehn __NOTOC__ Gustav Fehn (21 February 1892 – 5 June 1945) was a German general during World War II. Fehn served in the Afrika Korps from November 1942 to January 1943, LXXVI Panzer Corps from July–August 1943, the XXI Army Corps from October 19 ...

(1892–1945), German general during World War II * Gustav A. Fischer (1848–1886), German explorer *

Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , , ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flauber ...

(1821–1880), French writer best known for '' Madame Bovary'' * Gustaf Fröding (1860–1911), Swedish author and poet *

Gustav Fröhlich Gustav Fröhlich (21 March 1902 – 22 December 1987) was a German actor and film director. He landed secondary roles in a number of films and plays before landing his breakthrough role of Freder Fredersen in Fritz Lang's 1927 film ''Metropoli ...

(1902–1987), German actor * Gustaf Gründgens (1899–1963), German actor * Gustav Hamel (1889–1914), British aviation pioneer * Gustav A. Hedlund (1904–1993), American mathematician * Gustav Heinse (1896–1971) (real name Josef Klein), Bulgarian poet of Austrian origin * Gustav Anders Hemwall (1908–1998), American physician and pioneer in Prolotherapy * Gustav Henriksen (1872–1939), Norwegian businessman * Gustav Ludwig Hertz (1887–1975), German physicist and

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

laureate * Gustav Heynhold (1800–1860), German botanist * Gustav Holst (1874–1934), British composer * Gustáv Husák (1913–1991),

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

* (1842–1908), German painter *

Gustav Jäger (naturalist) Gustav Jäger (June 23, 1832 – May 13, 1917) was a German naturalist and hygienist. Biography He was born at the historic Pfarrhaus in the village of Bürg, Neuenstadt am Kocher in Württemberg. After studying medicine at Tübingen, he beca ...

(1832–1917), German naturalist and doctor * Gustav Jäger (painter) (1808–1871), German painter * (1865–1938), Austrian physicist and lecturer * Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961), Swiss psychoanalyst and father of analytical psychology * Gustav Ritter von Kahr (1862–1934), German right-wing politician in Bavaria * Gustaf Kalliokangas (1873–1940), Finnish president * Gustav Kirchhoff (1824–1887), German

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

who contributed to the fundamental understanding of electrical circuits, spectroscopy, and black-body radiation *

Gustav Klimt Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 – February 6, 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's pr ...

(1862–1918), Austrian symbolist painter of the

Vienna Secession The Vienna Secession (german: Wiener Secession; also known as ''the Union of Austrian Artists'', or ''Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs'') is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austri ...

* Gustav Knittel (1914–1976), German Waffen-SS officer and convicted war criminal * Gustav Knuth (1901–1987), German actor * Gustav Landauer (1870–1919), German anarchist philosopher * Gustaf Lantz (born 1981), Swedish politician * Gustaf de Laval (1845–1913), Swedish engineer, inventor and entrepreneur * Gustave Le Bon (1841–1931), French psychologist, sociologist, and physicist * Gustav Leonhardt (1928–2012), Dutch keyboard player, conductor, musicologist, teacher, and editor * Heinrich Gustav Magnus (1802–1870), German

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

and physicist *

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

(1860–1911), Austrian composer and conductor * Gustav Meyrink (1868–1932), Austrian author, novelist, dramatist, translator, and banker *

Gustave Moreau Gustave Moreau (; 6 April 1826 – 18 April 1898) was a French artist and an important figure in the Symbolist movement. Jean Cassou called him "the Symbolist painter par excellence".Cassou, Jean. 1979. ''The Concise Encyclopedia of Symbolism.'' ...

(1826–1898), French painter * Gustaf Munthe (1896–1962), Swedish writer, art historian, and art teacher *

Gustav Nezval Gustav Nezval (18 November 1907 – 17 September 1998) by civil name Augustin Nezval, was a Czech stage and film actor. Biography Nezval was born to a locksmith family of Frantisek Nezval and his wife Aloisia. The parents wanted him to bec ...

(1907–1998), Czech actor *

Gustav Nyquist Gustav Nyquist (born 1 September 1989) is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nyquist was drafted 121st overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 200 ...

(born 1989), Swedish professional hockey player * Gustav Otto (1883–1926), German aircraft and aircraft-engine designer and manufacturer * Oscar Gustave Rejlander, pioneering Victorian art photographer and an expert in photomontage * Gustav Rochlitz (1889–1972), German art dealer * Gustav Scanzoni von Lichtenfels (1855–1924), German general * Gustav Schäfer (rower) (1906–1991), German Olympic rower *Gustav Schäfer, drummer for the German rock band

Tokio Hotel Tokio Hotel is a German pop rock band, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer, and bassist Georg Listing. Their sound encompasses multiple genres, including pop rock, alternative rock, and electro ...

* Gustav Schickedanz (1895–1977), German entrepreneur * Gustav A. Schneebeli (1853–1923), U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania * Gustav Schröder (1885–1959), German sea captain *

Gustav Schwarzenegger Gustav Schwarzenegger (17 August 190713 December 1972) was an Austrian police chief (), postal inspector, member of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA), and a military police officer. He was the father of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Biography Gustav Schwa ...

(1907–1972), Austrian police chief and Nazi German military officer *

Gustaf Skarsgård Gustaf Caspar Orm Skarsgård (born 12 November 1980) is a Swedish actor. He is known for his roles in ''Evil'' (2003), '' The Way Back'' (2010) and '' Kon-Tiki'' (2012). He also appeared in the HBO TV series ''Westworld'' (2018), as Merlin in t ...

(born 1980), Swedish actor * Gustav Spörer (1822–1895), German astronomer * Gustav Stickley (1858–1942), American furniture maker, invented the Mission style of Craftsman furniture * Gustav Sule (1910–1942), Estonian javelin thrower *

Gustavus von Tempsky Gustavus Ferdinand von Tempsky (15 February 1828 – 7 September 1868) was a Prussian adventurer, artist, newspaper correspondent and soldier in New Zealand, Australia, California, Mexico and the Mosquito Coast of Central America. He was also a ...

(1828–1868), Anglo-Prussian explorer and adventurer in New Zealand Wars *

Gustav Vigeland Gustav Vigeland (11 April 1869 – 12 March 1943), born as Adolf Gustav Thorsen, was a Norwegian sculptor. Gustav Vigeland occupies a special position among Norwegian sculptors, both in the power of his creative imagination and in his produc ...

(1869–1943), Norwegian sculptor *

Gustaf Welin Lieutenant General Nils Gustaf Axel Welin (12 July 1930 – 11 November 2008) was a senior Swedish Army officer. Welin served as head of the Swedish National Defence College (1984–1987), as Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Ob ...

(1930–2008), Swedish Army lieutenant general * Gustave Whitehead (1874–1927), German-American aviator *Gustav Wood, vocalist in British rock band Young Guns *

Gustavs Zemgals Gustavs Zemgals (12 August 1871, Džūkste parish, Courland Governorate – 6 January 1939) was a Latvian politician and the second President of Latvia. He also was twice the mayor of Riga. Zemgals was born in Džūkste, Latvia. He attended e ...

(1871–1939), Latvian president 1927–1930 * Gustav Zeuner (1828–1907), German physicist and engineer

In fiction

* Gustav (Zoids), transportation mecha from the Zoids fictional universe * Gustav Graves, villain in the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

series * Gustavo Fring, businessman and major narcotics distributor in the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise

Other uses

Gustave (crocodile) Gustave is a large male Nile crocodile from Burundi. He is notorious for being a man-eater and is rumored to have killed as many as 300 people from the banks of the Ruzizi River and the northern shores of Lake Tanganyika. Though the actual number ...

, a large Nile crocodile in Burundi