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

cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became her ...

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 Magnus Maximus (; cy, Macsen Wledig ; died 8 August 388) was Roman emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 383 to 388. He usurped the throne from emperor Gratian in 383 through negotiation with emperor Theodosius I. He was made emperor in ...

. 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

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 Swe ...

n royalty and nobility. As a Scandinavian forename, it was extracted from the Frankish ruler

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...

's Latin name "Carolus Magnus" and re-analyzed as

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is 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 of Scandinavia and t ...

''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 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 Albertus Magnus (c. 1200 – 15 November 1280), also known as Saint Albert the Great or Albert of Cologne, was a German Dominican friar, philosopher, scientist, and bishop. Later canonised as a Catholic saint, he was known during his li ...

(died 1280), German theologian and philosopher * Désiré Magnus, Belgian pianist * Elisabeth von Magnus, Austrian singer * Finn Magnus, Danish-American founder of

Magnus Harmonica Corporation The Magnus Harmonica Corporation (originally the International Plastic Harmonica Corporation) was founded in 1944 in New Jersey by Danish immigrant Finn Magnus (1905–1976). First supplying American troops in World War II, and later ma ...

* 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 Applied mechanics is the branch of science concerned with the motion of any substance that can be experienced or perceived by humans without the help of instruments. In short, when mechanics concepts surpass being theoretical and are applied and e ...

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

Ancient Romans

* Pompey Magnus, Roman consul and general who was given the honorific "Magnus" *

, 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 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 ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (T ...

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 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 ''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 '' 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 ''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 ''The Elder Scrolls'' is a series of action role-playing video games primarily developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The series focuses on free-form gameplay in an open world. '' Morrowind'', '' Oblivion' ...

'' 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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