Inge

Inge

Inge is a first name in Scandinavia, Dutch-speaking countries and German-speaking speaking countries and a last name in English-speaking countries.

In most of Scandinavia the name is mostly used as a boys name, but in Denmark, Dutch-speaking countries and German-speaking countries it is used for girls. It is derived from Ing which is an alternative name for the norse god Freyr. Ing was one of the three sons of Mannus and the legendary ancestor of the Ingaevones. Since the Ingaevones form the bulk of the Anglo-Saxon settlement in Britain, they were speculated by Noah Webster to have given England its name. Thus the name Inge could have the same root as the name England. In England, where the surname "Inge" is usually pronounced to rhyme with "ring," the pronunciation of the two are the same even though the spelling is slightly different. In the USA the surname is pronounced to rhyme with "hinge."

Some related names are Inga, Ingar, Yngve, Inger, Ingrid, Ingeborg, Ingvild and Ingunn.

A number of famous people are named Inge:

• Scandinavian royalty
  • Inge I of Norway (d. 1161)
  • Inge II of Norway (d. 1217)
  • Inge I of Sweden (d. ca. 1100)
  • Inge II of Sweden (12th century)

• Modern
  • Inge Lehmann (d. 1993), Danish seismologist
  • Inge Krokann (d. 1962), Norwegian writer
  • Kjell Inge Røkke (b. 1958), Norwegian businessman
  • Stig Inge Bjørnebye (b. 1969), Norwegian soccer player

• as a surname
  • William Ralph Inge (d. 1954), English clergyman
  • Field Marshal Peter Anthony Inge, Baron Inge, KG, GCB, PC, DL, Chief of the Defence Staff
  • William Motter Inge (d. 1973), American playwright
  • Brandon Inge - Detroit Tigers Third Baseman
  • M. Thomas Inge, American author

Also see International Noble Gas Experiment (INGE)