Sven

Swedish: [ˈsvɛ̌nː]GenderMaleOriginWord/nameOld NorseMeaningYoung man
young warriorOther namesVariant form(s)Svend, Svein, SveinnRelated namesSvenja (female form)

Sven (in Danish and Norwegian, also Svend, in Norwegian Svein) is a Scandinavian first name which is also used in the Low Countries and German-speaking countries, and is cognate with the English name Swain. The name itself is Old Norse for "young man" or "servant". The original spelling in Old Norse was sveinn.[1]

Many northern European rulers have carried the name including Sweyn Forkbeard (Sven Gabelbart, died 1017). An old legend relates the pagan king Blot-Sven ordered the execution of the Anglo-Saxon monk Saint Eskil.

In medieval Swedish, sven or sven av vapen "sven of arms", is a term for squire. The female equivalent, Svenja, though seemingly Dutch and Scandinavian, is not common anywhere outside of German-speaking countries. Sven can also be spelled with W, Swen, but is pronounced as Sven.

The Icelandic version is Sveinn (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈsveitn̥]); the Faroese version is Sveinur (Faroese pronunciation: [ˈsvaiːnʊɹ]).

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References

  1. ^ Litteraturselskab, Det Danske Sprog- og. "Dansk Navneleksikon". ordnet.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2024-02-04.
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