Inge is a given name in various Germanic language-speaking cultures. In Swedish and Norwegian, it is mostly used as a masculine, but less often also as a feminine name, sometimes as a short form of

Ingeborg Ingeborg is a Germanic feminine given name, mostly used in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, derived from Old Norse ''Ingiborg, Ingibjǫrg'', combining the theonym ''Ing'' with the element ''borg'' "stronghold, protection". Ingebjørg is the No ...

, while in Danish, Estonian, Frisian, German and Dutch it is exclusively feminine. The feminine name has the variant '' Inga''. The name is in origin a

hypocorism A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for I ...

of names beginning in the element ''Ing-'' (such as

Ingar Hinqar ( hy, Հնղար, Hnghar or ''Henghar'', also hy, Ինգար, Ingar and ''Incha'') is a village in the Agsu District of Azerbaijan. The village forms part of the municipality of Xanbulaq. The village had an Armenian population before the ...

Inger Inger may refer to: People * Inger (given name), a list of people * Inger, the main character of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale ''The Girl Who Trod on a Loaf'' * Robert F. Inger (1920–2019), American herpetologist * Stella Inger, America ...

Ingrid Ingrid may refer to: * Ingrid (given name) * Ingrid (record label), and artist collective * Ingrid Burley, rapper known mononymously as Ingrid * Tropical Storm Ingrid, various cyclones * 1026 Ingrid, an asteroid * InGrid, the grid computing project ...

, Ingram, Ingvild,

Ingunn Ingunn is a given name. Notable people with the given name include: *Ingunn Arnórsdóttir (12th century), Icelandic scholar * Ingunn Bollerud (born 1972), Norwegian cyclist * Ingunn Thomassen Berg, Norwegian handball player *Ingunn Foss (born 1960 ...

etc.). These

Germanic name Germanic given names are traditionally dithematic; that is, they are formed from two elements, by joining a prefix and a suffix. For example, King Æþelred's name was derived from ', for "noble", and ', for "counsel". However, there are al ...

s made reference to either the god

Ing Ing, ING or ing may refer to: Art and media * '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film * i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group * The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' * "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...

or to the tribe of the Ingvaeones (who were presumably in turn named for the god). Inge is also encountered as a surname in the

English-speaking world Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the '' Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest languag ...

; the surname is usually pronounced in England to rhyme with "ring"; alternatively (especially in the United States) some families pronounce it to rhyme with "hinge."

People called Inge

Masculine given name

Scandinavian royalty

* Inge the Elder (died c. 1110) * Inge the Younger, king of Sweden c. 1110–1125 *

Inge I of Norway Inge Haraldsson (Old Norse language, Old Norse: ''Ingi Haraldsson''; 1135 – 3 February 1161) was king of Norway (being Inge I) from 1136 to 1161. Inge’s reign fell within the start of the period known in Norwegian history as the civil war era ...

(died 1161) * Inge Magnusson (died 1202), pretender to the Norwegian throne *

Inge II of Norway Inge II (Norwegian: ''Inge Bårdsson'', Old Norse: ''Ingi Bárðarson''; 1185 – 23 April 1217) was King of Norway from 1204 to 1217. His reign was within the later stages of the period known in Norwegian history as the age of civil wars. Inge w ...

(died 1217)

Modern

* Inge Danielsson (1941–2021), Swedish footballer * Inge Edler (1911–2001), Swedish cardiologist * Inge Ejderstedt (born 1946), Swedish footballer * Inge Hammarström (born 1948), Swedish ice hockey player * Inge Hansen (born 1946), Norwegian handball player * Inge Krokann (1893–1962), Norwegian writer * Inge Lønning (1938–2013), Norwegian theologian and politician * Inge Steensland (1923–2010), Norwegian resistance member * Inge Thulin (born 1953), Swedish chief executive * Inge Thun (1945–2008), Norwegian football goalkeeper *

Kjell Inge Røkke Kjell Inge Røkke (born 25 October 1958) is a Norwegian billionaire businessman. Røkke launched his business career with the purchase of a trawler in the United States in 1982, and gradually built a leading worldwide fisheries business. In 1 ...

(born 1958), Norwegian businessman *

Stig Inge Bjørnebye Stig Inge Bjørnebye (born 11 December 1969) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played in Norway, England, and Denmark, most notably for Liverpool, and is currently the sports director of the Danish football club AGF Aarhus. His p ...

(born 1969), Norwegian footballer

Feminine given name

Inge Bauer Ingeborg "Inge" Bauer, née Exner (born 24 June 1940, in Dittmannsdorf) is a retired East German pentathlete. She won the bronze medal at the 1966 European Championships with 4713 points and finished seventh at the 1968 Summer Olympics wi ...

(born 1940), East German pentathlete *

Inge Bödding Inge Bödding, née Eckhoff (born 29 March 1947 in Hamburg) is a retired German athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres. She competed for West Germany at the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich where she won the bronze medal in the women's ...

(born 1947), West German middle distance runner *

Inge Borkh Inge Borkh (born Ingeborg Simon, 26 May 1921 – 26 August 2018) was a German operatic dramatic soprano. She was first based in Switzerland, where she received international attention when she appeared in the first performance in German of Meno ...

(1921–2018), German soprano *

Inge Brück Inge Brück (born 12 October 1936) is a German singer and actress, best known internationally for her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 1967. Brück began her singing career with the Erwin Lehn Dance Orchestra, where she was noticed b ...

(born 1936), German singer and actress *

Inge de Bruijn Inge de Bruijn (; born 24 August 1973) is a Dutch former competitive swimmer. She is a four-time Olympic champion and a former world record-holder. Personal De Bruijn was born in Barendrecht, Netherlands. Inge is the sister of Olympic water ...

(born 1973), Dutch swimmer *

Inge Dekker Inge Dekker (born 18 August 1985) is a Dutch former competitive swimmer who specialised in butterfly and freestyle events. She won the bronze medal with the Dutch women's 4×100-metre freestyle relay team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, ...

(born 1985), Dutch swimmer * Inge Deutschkron (1922–2022), German-Israeli journalist and author *

Inge Eriksen Inge Marie Eriksen (22 October 1935 – 13 March 2015) was a Danish writer and political activist. She became involved in Danish public debate in the 1960s and helped to the left-wing Left Socialists political party establish that she left in 1969 ...

(1935–2015), Danish writer and political activist * Inge Faes (born 1973), Belgian politician * Inge Feltrinelli (1930–2018), German-born Italian photographer and director *

Inge Garstedt Inge Garstedt (born 1947) is a Swedish politician of the Moderate Party. She has been a member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical ...

(born 1947), Swedish politician *

Inge Genefke Inge Genefke (born 1938) is a Danish campaigner and worker on behalf of torture victims. She received the Right Livelihood Award in 1988 "for helping those whose lives have been shattered by torture to regain their health and personality." Work Bo ...

(born 1938), Danish torture victim activist *

Inge Görmer Inge Görmer (born 11 April 1934) is a former East-German speedskater. She took part in five international championships. Four times as East-German at the World Allround Championships (1956, 1957, 1958 and 1959) and once, as member of the Germ ...

(born 1934), East German speed skater *

Inge Gräßle Inge is a given name in various Germanic language-speaking cultures. In Swedish and Norwegian, it is mostly used as a masculine, but less often also as a feminine name, sometimes as a short form of Ingeborg, while in Danish, Estonian, Frisian, Ge ...

(born 1961), German politician and MEP *

Inge Helten Ingeborg "Inge" Helten (born 31 December 1950) is a former athlete from West Germany, who competed mainly in the 100 metres. She was born in Westum, Sinzig, Rhineland-Palatinate. Biography She won her first international Gold medal at the 1971 ...

(born 1950), West German sprinter *

Inge Heybroek Carl Erik "Inge" Heijbroek (12 October 1915 – 9 February 1956) was a Dutch field hockey player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was born in Hilversum and died in Dublin, Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scot ...

(1915–1956), Dutch field hockey player *

Inge Hornstra Inge Hornstra (born 21 May 1974) is an Australian-born stage and television actress. She is best known for her roles on ''Heartbreak High'' and ''McLeod's Daughters''. Early life Hornstra was born in 1974 in the Netherlands to Dutch parents. ...

(born 1974), Dutch-born Australian television and stage actress *

Inge Höger Inge Dora Minna Höger (born 29 October 1950) is a German politician. From 2005 to 2006, she was a deputy chair of The Left (Germany), The Left ("Die Linke") parliamentary group in the Bundestag. Early life and education After attending eleme ...

(born 1950), German politician * Inge Janssen (born 1989). Dutch rower * Inge Keller (1923–2017), German actress *

Inge Kilian Inge Offermann (née Kilian, born 3 June 1935) is a retired German high jumper, who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics. Born in Geisenheim, Kilian moved to Braunschweig as a child, where she took up athletics at the age of 12. She competed for ...

(born 1935), German high jumper * Inge King (1915–2016), German-born Australian sculptor *

Inge Koch (figure skater) Inge Koch was a German figure skater who competed in pair skating. With partner Günther Noack, she won bronze medals at two World Figure Skating Championships (in 1938 and 1939) and two European Figure Skating Championships (also in 1938 and 1 ...

(born 1910s), German figure skater *

Inge Lange Ingeburg "Inge" Lange (24 July 1927 – 13 July 2013) was an East German politician. Along with Margarete Müller and Margot Honecker she was one of a small number of women to reach the higher ranks in the country's power structure. She was ...

(1927–2013), East German politician * Inge Lehmann (1888–1993), Danish seismologist *

Inge Meysel Inge Meysel (; 30 May 1910 – 10 July 2004) was a German actress. From the early 1960s until her death, Meysel was one of Germany's most popular actresses. She had a successful stage career and played more than 100 roles in film and on televisio ...

(1910–2004), German actress * Inge Morath (1923–2002), Austrian-born American photographer *

Inge Müller Inge Müller (born Inge Meyer) (13 March 1925 – 1 June 1966) was an East German author and the second wife of East German playwright Heiner Müller. Life Inge Müller was born in Berlin in 1925. During World War II, she participated in the Reic ...

(1925–1966), East German author *

Inge Scholl Inge Aicher-Scholl (11 August 1917 – 4 September 1998), born in present-day Crailsheim, Germany, was the daughter of Robert Scholl, mayor of Forchtenberg, and elder sister of Hans and Sophie Scholl, who studied at the University of Munich ...

(1917–1998), German resistance member *

Inge Sørensen Inge Sørensen (18 July 1924 – 9 March 2011), later Inge Tabur, sometimes known as "Lille henrivende Inge" ("Little Lovely Inge") was a Danish swimmer, who at age 12 won a bronze medal in 200 meter breaststroke at the 1936 Summer Olympics i ...

(1924–2011), Danish swimmer * Inge Stoll (1930–1958), German motorcycle racer * Inge Vermeulen (1985–2015), Brazilian-born Dutch field hockey player * Inge Vervotte (born 1977), Belgian government minister *

Inge Viermetz Inge Viermetz (7 March 1908 – 23 April 1997Präzise Lebensdaten nacJDG-Datenbank/ref>) was responsible for the Lebensborn in Nazi Germany. As an assistant to Max Sollmann, head of the Lebensborn, she was acquitted at the RuSHA Trial. Biograph ...

(1908–1997), German Nazi official *

Inge von Wangenheim Ingeborg "Inge" von Wangenheim (née Franke; 1 July 1912 – 6 April 1993) was a German actress who married actor Gustav Von Wangenheim and joined the Communist Party. After the war, she became a successful East German writer. She also had ...

(1912–1993), German actress, writer and communist *

Inge Wersin-Lantschner Inge Wersin-Lantschner, née ''Inge Lantschner'' (26 January 1905 in Innsbruck – 16 June 1997 in Innsbruck) was an Austrian alpine skier and world champion. Wersin-Lantschner received three gold medals at the 1933 World Championships ...

(1905–1997), Austrian alpine skier

Surname

Peter Inge, Baron Inge Field Marshal Peter Anthony Inge, Baron Inge, (5 August 1935 – 20 July 2022) was a senior British Army officer. He was the Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, from 1992 to 1994 and then served as Chief of t ...

(1935–2022), British soldier; Baron Inge, KG, GCB, PC, DL, former chief of the UK Defence Staff * Brandon Inge (born 1977), American athlete ( baseball),

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

third baseman (1998–2012)Detroit Free Press, page B1, Friday April 27, 2012 *

M. Thomas Inge M. Thomas Inge (March 18, 1936 – May 15, 2021) was an American academic. He was the Robert Emory Blackwell Professor of Humanities at Randolph–Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, where he taught, edited, and wrote about Southern literat ...

(1936–2021), American author *

Samuel Williams Inge Samuel Williams Inge (February 22, 1817 – June 10, 1868) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama. Early life Samuel Williams Inge was born on February 22, 1817, in Warren County, No ...

(1817–1868), U.S. Congressman *

William Inge (disambiguation) William Inge may refer to: * William Motter Inge (1913–1973), American playwright and novelist. * William Inge (judge) (c. 1260–1322), English attorney * William Marshall Inge (1802–1846), American legislator and attorney * William M. Inge ...

, several people known by that name, including the 20th-century American playwright

References

{{given name, type=both Scandinavian masculine given names Dutch feminine given names Estonian feminine given names German feminine given names Norwegian masculine given names Swedish masculine given names Hypocorisms