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Surname Etymology and Meaning of MAGNUS

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Name meanings and etymologies are often disputed. The information here is compiled from freely available sources, and no claims whatsoever are made for accuracy, either historical or etymological.

English, Scottish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, German, and Dutch: from the Scandinavian personal name Magnus. This was borne by Magnus the Good (died 1047), king of Norway, who was named for the Emperor Charlemagne, Latin Carolus Magnus ‘Charles the Great’. The name spread from Norway to the eastern Scandinavian royal houses, and became popular all over Scandinavia and thence in the English Danelaw. It has also been adopted as a Jewish name.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names (2003)