Gustavus is the
Latinised form of the male
given nameGustav or Gustaf, of likely
Old Swedish origin, used mainly in
Scandinavian countries,
German-speaking countries, and the
Low Countries, possibly meaning "staff of the
Geats or
Goths or gods", possibly derived from the
Old Norse elements Gautr ("Geats"), Gutar/Gotar ("Goths") or goð ōs ("gods"), and stafr ("staff"). Another etymology speculates that the name may be of Medieval
Slavic origin, from the name Gostislav, a compound word for "glorious guest", from the Medieval Slavic words gosti ("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, including the 16th-century
Gustav Vasa and the current king,
Carl XVI Gustaf. It is a common name for Swedish monarchs since the reign of Gustav Vasa. The name has entered other languages as well. In
French it is Gustave; in
Italian,
Portuguese and
Spanish it is Gustavo. 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.
Gustavus is the
Latinised form of the male
given nameGustav or Gustaf, of likely
Old Swedish origin, used mainly in
Scandinavian countries,
German-speaking countries, and the
Low Countries, possibly meaning "staff of the
Geats or
Goths or gods", possibly derived from the
Old Norse elements Gautr ("Geats"), Gutar/Gotar ("Goths") or goð ōs ("gods"), and stafr ("staff"). Another etymology speculates that the name may be of Medieval
Slavic origin, from the name Gostislav, a compound word for "glorious guest", from the Medieval Slavic words gosti ("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, including the 16th-century
Gustav Vasa and the current king,
Carl XVI Gustaf. It is a common name for Swedish monarchs since the reign of Gustav Vasa. The name has entered other languages as well. In
French it is Gustave; in
Italian,
Portuguese and
Spanish it is Gustavo. 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.