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

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 leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

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 Stykkishólmur () is a town and municipality situated in the western part of Iceland, in the northern part of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. It is a center of services and commerce for the area. Most of the people make their living from fishing and ...

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 Magnus ( – 23 August 1106) was the duke of Saxony from 1072 to 1106. Eldest son and successor of Ordulf and Wulfhild of Norway, he was the last member of the House of Billung. Rebellion In 1070, before he was duke, he joined Otto of Nordhei ...

(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 Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney, sometimes known as Magnus the Martyr, was Earl of Orkney from 1106 to about 1115. Magnus's grandparents, Earl Thorfinn and his wife Ingibiorg Finnsdottir, had two sons, Erlend and Paul, who were twi ...

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 (1912 - 2003), German scientist, expert in the field of applied mechanics, 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 Paul Wilhelm Magnus (29 February 1844 – 13 March 1914) was a German botanist and mycologist. Magnus was born in Berlin. He studied natural sciences at the Universities of Berlin and Freiburg. As a student of Alexander Braun at Berlin, he obtain ...

, German botanist *

Siobhan Magnus Siobhan Evelyn Magnus (born March 15, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter who was the sixth place finalist on the ninth season of ''American Idol''. Biography Early life Siobhan Magnus was born on March 15, 1990, to parents Alan and Collee ...

, American singer *

Thomas Magnus Thomas Magnus (1463/4–1550) was an English churchman, administrator and diplomat. Life Archdeacon of the East Riding of Yorkshire 1504, Magnus was employed on diplomatic missions 1509–19 and 1524–7. He was present at the Field of the Cloth ...

(d. 1550), English churchman and diplomat * Wilhelm Magnus, German mathematician

Ancient Romans

Pompey Magnus Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

, Roman consul and general who was given the honorific "Magnus" * Magnus Maximus, Roman usurper and Western Roman Emperor (died 388) *

Montius Magnus Montius Magnus (flourished 4th century AD, died 354) was a Roman politician. Little is known of his origins, although he may have originated in Africa.Martindale, Jones & Morris (1971), pp. 535–536 At some point before 351 he served as a proconsu ...

, 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 This is a list of the main characters from ''The Mortal Instruments'' series by Cassandra Clare, including the novels '' City of Bones'', ''City of Ashes'', '' City of Glass'', ''City of Fallen Angels'', '' City of Lost Souls'', and ''City of He ...

, 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 ''The Adventure Zone'' is a weekly comedy and adventure actual play podcast based loosely upon the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' game series, along with other role-playing games. The show is distributed by the Maximum Fun network and hosted by bro ...

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 ''Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber'' is a real-time tactical role-playing game developed by Quest Corporation and localized by Atlus USA for the Nintendo 64. Though conceptually similar to '' Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen'', sig ...

, a main character in ''Ogre Battle 64'' * Magnus Greel, a villain in the 1977

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

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 In ancient Greece, the symposium ( grc-gre, συμπόσιον ''symposion'' or ''symposio'', from συμπίνειν ''sympinein'', "to drink together") was a part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was acc ...

'' * Magnus Pym, the protagonist of John le Carré's novel ''

A Perfect Spy ''A Perfect Spy'' (1986) is a novel by British author John le Carré about the mental and moral dissolution of a high-level intelligence-officer. Major aspects of the novel are lifted from the real life of the author, including the relationsh ...

'' * 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 ''

'' character the Master * Ultra Magnus, several characters in the ''Transformers'' universe *

Magnus Lehnsherr '' Exiles'' and ''New Exiles'' were comic book series which featured an ensemble cast of Marvel Comics characters. ''Exiles'' vol. 1 featured the fictional teams of the eponymous Exiles and rival Weapon X, both of which had a revolving cast, most ...

, an alternate reality Marvel Comics character; son of Rogue and Magneto *

Magnus the Red ''Warhammer 40,000'' is a miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop. It is the most popular miniature wargame in the world, and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom. The first edition of the rulebook was published in September 1987, ...

, 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

References

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