Gustav (name)

Masculine given name

Gustav, also spelled Gustaf (pronounced /ˈɡʊstɑːv/ or /ˈɡʊstɑːf/ in English; Swedish: [ˈɡɵ̂sːtav] (both spellings)), is a male given name of likely Old Swedish origin, used mainly in Scandinavian countries, German-speaking countries, and the Low Countries, possibly meaning "staff of the Geats or Goths or gods", possibly derived from the Old Norse elements Gautr ("Geats"), Gutar/Gotar ("Goths") or goð ōs ("gods"), and stafr ("staff"). Another etymology speculates that the name may be of Medieval Slavic origin, from the name Gostislav, a compound word for "glorious guest", from the Medieval Slavic words gosti ("guest") and slava ("glory") and was adopted by migrating groups north and west into Germany and Scandinavia. This name has been borne by eight Kings of Sweden, including the 16th-century Gustav Vasa and the current king, Carl XVI Gustaf. It is a common name for Swedish monarchs since the reign of Gustav Vasa. The name has entered other languages as well. In French it is Gustave; in Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish it is Gustavo. The Latinized form is Gustavus. A side-form of the name in Swedish is Gösta. The name in Finnish is Kustaa, while in Icelandic it is written Gústav or Gústaf.

Gustav
GenderMale
Origin
Language(s)Germanic or Slavic
Meaning"gods staff" or "famous guest"
Other names
Related namesGustaf, Gustavo, Gistav, Gostislav, Gustl, Kustas, Kustaa

People

Royalty and nobility

Sweden

Other places

Others

In fiction

  • Gustav (Zoids), transportation mecha from the Zoids fictional universe
  • Gustav Graves, villain in the James Bond series
  • Gustavo Fring, businessman and major narcotics distributor in the Breaking Bad franchise
  • Gustav "Gus" Griswald, one of the six main characters of the 1990s show Recess and its three movies.

Other uses

  • Gustave (crocodile), a large Nile crocodile in Burundi

See also

References

Name list
This page or section lists people that share the same given name.
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