Knut (
Norwegian and
Swedish), Knud (
Danish), or Knútur (
Icelandic) is a
Scandinavian and
German first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany both "Knut" and "Knud" are used. In Spanish and Portuguese Canuto is used which comes from the Latin version Canutus, and in Finland, the name Nuutti is based on the name Knut.
The name is derived from the
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 ...
Knútr meaning "knot". In English the ''K'' is not mute, so the name is not properly pronounced ''nut'' or ''nute''.
It is the name of several medieval kings of Denmark, two of whom also reigned over England during the first half of the 11th century.
People
*
Harthaknut I of Denmark (Knut I, Danish: Hardeknud) (b. c. 890), king of Denmark
*
Knut the Great (Knut II, Danish: Knud den Store or Knud II) (d. 1035), Viking king of England, Denmark and Norway
**Subject of the apocryphal
King Canute and the waves
*
Harthaknut (Knut III, Danish: Hardeknud or Knud III) (d. 1042), king of Denmark and England
*Saint
Knud IV of Denmark (Danish: Knud IV), king of Denmark (r. 1080–1086) and martyr
*
Knud Lavard (d. 1131), Danish prince and saint
*
Knud V of Denmark (Danish: Knud V), king of Denmark (r. 1146–1157)
*
Canute I of Sweden (Swedish: Knut Eriksson) (king 1173–1195)
*
Canute II of Sweden (Swedish: Knut Långe) (king 1229–1234)
*
Knud VI of Denmark (Danish: Knud VI), king of Denmark (r. 1182–1202)
*
Knut Wicksell
Johan Gustaf Knut Wicksell (December 20, 1851 – May 3, 1926) was a Swedish economist of the Stockholm school. He was professor at Uppsala University and Lund University.
He made contributions to theories of population, value, capital and mon ...
(1851–1926), Swedish economist
*
Knut Wallenberg (1853–1938), Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs and banker
*
Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun (4 August 1859 – 19 February 1952) was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to conscio ...
(1859–1952), Norwegian author
*
Knud Rasmussen (1879–1933), Greenlandic polar explorer and anthropologist
*
Knute Rockne (1888–1931), American football player and coach
*
Knute Cauldwell (1896–1952), American football player
*
Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark (1900–1976), younger son of King Christian X
*
Knud Reimers (1906–1987), Danish yacht designer
*
Knut Haukelid (1911–1994), American-born Norwegian soldier and resistance fighter
*
Knut Schmidt-Nielsen (1915–2007), Norwegian-born American biologist
*
Knut Haugland (1917–2009), Norwegian resistance fighter and explorer
*
Knut Risan
Knut Risan (19 February 1930 – 1 February 2011) was a Norwegian actor.
He was born in Trondheim, and made his stage debut at Nationaltheatret in 1956. He was employed here until 1998, and had guest appearances at the Norwegian National Opera, D ...
(1930–2011), Norwegian actor
*
Knud Heinesen
Knud Heinesen (26 September 1932 – 8 January 2025) was a Danish economist and politician who held various cabinet posts, including the minister of education and minister of finance. In 1985 he retired from politics and was involved in business ...
(1932–2025), Danish politician
*
Knut Hergel
Knut Hergel (27 November 1899 – 2 September 1982) was a Norwegian actor and theatre director
A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production ...
(1899–1982), Norwegian actor
*
Knut Frydenlund (1927–1987), Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs
*
Knut Engdahl (born 1933), Norwegian politician
*
Knut Vollebæk (born 1946), Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs
*
Knut Knudsen (born 1950), Norwegian cyclist, Olympic and World Champion
*
Knut Hamre (born 1952), Norwegian Hardanger fiddle player
*
Knut Fleckenstein (born 1953), German politician
*
Knut Petter Torgersen (born 1955), Norwegian politician
*
Knut Storberget (born 1964), Norwegian politician and former Minister of Justice
*
Knut Abraham (born 1966), German politician
*
Knut Reinhardt (born 1968), German footballer
*
Knut Arild Hareide (born 1972), leader of Norway's Christian Democratic Party, and a former Minister of the Environment
*
Knut Schreiner (born 1974), Norwegian guitarist for Turbonegro, Euroboys, Mirror Lakes, and music producer
Fictional characters
* Adonis Cnut, Rik Mayall's character in the sitcom ''
Believe Nothing''
See also
*
Knudsen (disambiguation)
*
Knutsford
*
Knuth
*
Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics (KNUTE)
*
Nuuttipukki
References
{{reflist
Masculine given names
Norwegian masculine given names
Swedish masculine given names
Danish masculine given names
German masculine given names
ang:Cnut
sr:Knut