Gustav (name)

Gustav, also spelled Gustaf (pronounced or in English; Swedish: [ˈɡɵ̂sːtav] for both spellings), is a male given name of Old Swedish origin, used mainly in Scandinavian countries, German-speaking countries, and the Low Countries. The origin of the name is debated. The name was first recorded in 1225 in Västergötland, Sweden, in the Latin form Gostauus. Other 13th-century variants include Gødstaui, Gøstaf and Gøzstaf . Linguist Otto von Friesen suggested that it may derive from a byname meaning "staff of the Göta people" or "support of the (Väst)göta people". Another theory speculates that the name is of Medieval Slavic origin, from Gostislav, a compound word meaning "glorious guest", derived from the Slavic words gostь ("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, starting from Gustav Vasa in the 16th century and including the current king, Carl XVI Gustaf. 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 (Kustaa) has a name day on June 6 in Swedish and Finnish calendars, in commemoration of Gustav Vasa's election as King of Sweden on June 6, 1523.