Gender Masculine
Pronounced Pron. ZEEK-freet(German)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Derived from the Old German elements sigu "victory" and fridu "peace". Siegfried was a hero from German legend, the chief character in the Nibelungenlied. He secretly helped the Burgundian king Gunther overcome the challenges set out by the Icelandic queen Brunhild so that Gunther might win her hand. In exchange, Gunther consented to the marriage of Siegfried and his sister Kriemhild. Years later, after a dispute between Brunhild and Kriemhild, Siegfried was murdered by Hagen with Gunther's consent. He was stabbed in his one vulnerable spot on the small of his back, which had been covered by a leaf while he bathed in dragon's blood. He is a parallel to the Norse hero Sigurd. The story was later adapted by Richard Wagner to form part of his opera The Ring of the Nibelung (1876).

Related Names

DiminutiveSigi(German)
Other Languages & CulturesSigifrid(Germanic) Sigfrido(Italian) Sigifriþuz(Old Germanic) Sigfrøðr(Old Norse) Zygfryd(Polish) Sigfrido(Spanish) Sigfrid, Sigge(Swedish)

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   wholesome   strong   refined   strange   serious  

Name Days

Austria: February 15
Germany: February 15

Images

Siegfried and Brunnhilde by Charles Ernest Butler (1909)Siegfried and Brunnhilde by Charles Ernest Butler (1909)

Categories

Entry updated December 7, 2022