Gustav

How many boys were given this name in 2009?

543

Meaning

Gustav is an old Nordic name. It is perhaps a byname meaning 'the staff of the Gauts', i.e. 'he who supports the tribe of the Gauts'. It may alternatively be a Nordic form of the Slavic name Gotislav, which is a compound of the words goti (‘guest’) and slav (‘honour’).

Popularity

The name began to be popular in the middle of the 1990s, and its popularity has since continued to increase.

Well-known bearers of the name

In 1523 Gustav Vasa became king of Sweden and since then Gustav has been a king's name in Sweden.