Sven

Sven
Gender	Male
Origin
Word/Name	Old Norse
Meaning	Young man young warrior
Other names
Variant form(s)	Svend, Svein, Sveinn
Related names	Svenja (female form)

Green indicates nations in which the name Sven is commonly found.

Sven (in Danish and Norwegian also Svend and in Norwegian also "Svein") is a Nordic first name which is used throughout Scandinavia, Estonia and Germany. The name itself is Old Norse for "Young man" or "Young warrior." The original spelling in Old Norse was sveinn (whence Eng swain, 'servant boy' [1]). Over the centuries, many northern European rulers have carried the name including Sweyn I of Denmark (Sven Gabelbart), who established Danish rule over Norway and successfully invaded England in the year 1002. 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 Scandinavian, is not common anywhere outside of German-speaking countries.

The Icelandic and Faroese version of Sven/Svend is Sveinn (pronounced Svay-dn in Icelandic).

Entertainment, Music

• Sven Einar Englund, Finnish composer
• Sven August Körling, composer (Swedish)
• Sven Lõhmus, composer, producer and lyricist (Estonian)
• Sven Maes, Belgian producer
• Sven Martin, Keyboardist (German)
• Sven Regener, musician and writer (German)
• Sven-Bertil Taube, singer and actor (Swedish)
• Sven Vath, Electronic music DJ/Producer (German)
• Sven Wollter, actor (Swedish)
• Svein Berge, Electronic music/Royksopp (Norwegian)

Politics

• King Sven
• Sven Alkalaj, Bosnian foreign minister
• Sven Arrestad, Norwegian temperance campaigner
• Sven Lindgren, politician (Swedish)
• Sven Otto Littorin, Swedish Moderate Party politician and government minister
• Sven Ranck, statesman (Swedish)
• Sven Rydenfelt, Swedish economist and political writer
• Sveinn Björnsson, Iceland's first president

Sport

• Sven-Göran Eriksson, Swedish football (soccer) manager
• Sven-Ole Thorsen, Danish actor, stuntman and athlete
• Sven Bartschi, Swiss ice hockey player (playing in CHL)
• Sven Butenschön, German ice hockey player
• Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen, Norwegian chess player
• Sven Coster, Dutch sailor
• Sven Davidson, Swedish tennis player
• Sven Fischer, German biathlete
• Sven Habermann, German-Canadian football (soccer) player
• Sven Hannawald, German ski jumper
• Sven Kramer, Dutch speed skater
• Sven Loll, East German judoka
• Sven Meinhardt, German field hockey player
• Sven Nylander, Swedish hurdler
• Sven Nys, Belgian cyclist
• Sven Ottke,German boxer
• Sven Riederer, Swiss athlete
• Sven Rydell, Swedish football (soccer) player
• Sven Vermant, Belgian footballer

Fictional

• Sven Vollfied, a sweeper (bounty hunter) in the manga and anime Black Cat
• Sven Hjerson, fictional Finnish detective
• "Svën Höek", an episode of Ren and Stimpy (Swedish)
• Sven Holgersson, a member of the Voltron Lion Force (original pilot of Blue Lion). (Norwegian)
• Sven the Berserk, a character in the 1989 film Erik the Viking, played by Tim McInnerny
• Sven, the silent scorer sometimes appearing on the BBC radio show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
• "Sven from Swiss Cottage" was a character used by Peter Cook when participating in radio phone-ins
• Sven - Rogue Knight, one of the many heroes featured in the custom Warcraft III custom map, Dota Allstars. He is a strength based hero which is known for his powerful ultimate which increases his attack by 150%.
• Sven Bømwøllen, the protagonist black sheep in a self-titled series of German computer games
• Sven Bianchi, a character from the web-comic Questionable Content
• Sven Cal Payang, a character in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer
• Sven "The Governator", a character in the movie Cars voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Sven, a Nintendo character from the game "Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia"
• Sven, from the Georgia Nicolson book series, by Louise Rennison.
• Sven, from How I Met Your Mother on CBS. Episode Aired November 17, 2008. Sven was a fictional architectural collective.

Other

• Sven Hassel, Danish-born soldier and writer
• Sven Hedin, explorer and geographer (Swedish)
• Sven O. Høiby, father of Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway
• Sven Jaschan, German computer programmer
• Sven Lidman (clergyman)
• Sven Markelius, architect (Swedish)
• Sven Nykvist, cinematographer (Swedish)
• Sweyn I "Forkbeard" (Danish: Svend Tveskæg) [pronounced Sven], king of Denmark 986-1014
• Sweyn II of Denmark (Danish: Svend Estridsen), King of Denmark 1047-1074.

Institutions

• Sven and Ole, a type of joke told by Scandinavian-Americans
• Sven Co-op, a modification for the computer game Half-Life (Swedish)
• Sven Eriksonsgymnasiet, a school in Borås, Sweden

See also

• Son
• Swain (name)
• Swanson (surname)
• Svensson (son of Sven)
• Svante (name)
• Svendborg (city in Denmark)
• Swedenborg (Svendberg - surname)