Sven
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Old Norse |
| Meaning | Young man young warrior |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Svend, Svein, Sveinn |
| Related names | Stephen, Svenja (female form) |
Sven (in Norwegian and Danish, also Svend and also in Norwegian most commonly Svein) is a Scandinavian first name which is also used in Estonia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, South Africa, Germany, and Austria. 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"). Over the centuries, many northern European rulers have carried the name including Sweyn I of Denmark (Sven Gabelbart). 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.
The Icelandic and Faroese version of Sven/Svend is Sveinn (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈsveitn̥]).
Entertainment and music
- Sven Einar Englund, Finnish composer
- Sven Epiney, Swiss television, radio host and editor
- Sven August Körling, Swedish composer
- Sven Lõhmus, Estonian composer, producer and lyricist
- Sven Maes, Belgian producer
- Sven Martin, German keyboardist and sound-director
- Sven Regener, German musician and writer
- Sven-Bertil Taube, Swedish singer and actor
- Sven Väth, German electronic music DJ/producer
- Sven Wollter, Swedish actor
- Svein Berge, Norwegian electronic musician, half of the duo Royksopp
Politics
- Sven Alkalaj, Bosnian politician
- Sven Arrestad, Norwegian temperance campaigner
- Sven Lindgren, Swedish politician
- Sven Otto Littorin, Swedish Moderate Party politician and government minister
- Sven Mikser, Estonian politician
- Sven Ranck, Swedish statesman
- Sven Rydenfelt, Swedish economist and political writer
- Sveinn Björnsson, Iceland's first president
Sports
- Sven-Göran Eriksson, Swedish football (soccer) manager
- Sven-Ole Thorsen, Danish actor, stuntman and athlete
- Sven Andrighetto, Swiss ice hockey player (playing in NHL)
- Sven Bartschi, Swiss ice hockey player (playing in NHL Vancouver Canucks)
- Sven Bender, German footballer (playing in Borussia Dortmund)
- Sven Butenschön, German ice hockey player
- Sven Magnus Carlsen, Norwegian chess Grandmaster
- 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 Kaldre, Estonian basketball player
- Sven Kramer, Dutch speed skater
- Sven Loll, East German judoka
- Sven Lundgren, Swedish athlete
- 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 footballer
- Sven Schultze, German basketball player
- Sven Thorgren, Swedish snowboarder
- Sven Vermant, Belgian footballer
Other
- Sven Hassel, Danish-born soldier and writer
- Sven Hedin, Swedish explorer and geographer
- Sven O. Høiby, father of Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway
- Sven Jaschan, German computer programmer
- Sven Lidman (clergyman)
- Sven Markelius, Swedish architect
- Sven Nykvist, Swedish cinematographer
Fictional characters
- Sven Vollfied, a sweeper (bounty hunter) in the manga and anime Black Cat
- Sven Hjerson, fictional Finnish detective
- "Svën Höek", an episode of The Ren & Stimpy Show (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, Defense of the Ancients and its sequel Dota 2
- Sven, a pixie from Álfheim in the Witches of East End novel series by Melissa de la Cruz.
- 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 Jess Harnell
- Sven, a Nintendo character from the game Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia
- Sven, from the Georgia Nicolson book series, by Louise Rennison
- Sven, Kristoff's pet reindeer in the movie Frozen
- Sven, the name of a puffin in Happy Feet Two
- Sven, a Nord character who plays a role in Skyrim
- Sven and Ole, a character in a type of joke told by Scandinavian-Americans
- Sven Jogenson, Sven Pilson and Sven Johansson. The three Swedish architects from the series How I Met Your Mother
See also
- Son
- Swain (name)
- Swen
- Sweyn, a given name
- Swanson (surname)
- Svens
- Svensson (son of Sven)
- Svante (name)
- Svendborg (city in Denmark)
- Swedenborg (Svendberg – surname)
This page or section lists people that share the same given name.
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