Gunther

Gender Masculine
Usage German, Germanic Mythology
Pronounced Pron. GUWN-tu(German)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

From the Old German name Gundahar, derived from the elements gunda "war" and heri "army" (making it a cognate of Gunnar). This was the name of a semi-legendary 5th-century Burgundian king. He appears in the medieval German saga the Nibelungenlied, which has him wooing the Icelandic queen Brunhild. He wins her hand in marriage with the help of the hero Siegfried. He ultimately betrays Siegfried, but Siegfried's widow Kriemhild (Gunther's sister) takes her revenge upon him.

This was also the name of an 11th-century saint who was a hermit in Bavaria and Bohemia.

Related Names

VariantsGünter, Gunter, Günther(German) Gundahar(Germanic Mythology)
Other Languages & CulturesGunnar(Danish) Gunner(English) Gundahar(Germanic) Gunnar(Icelandic) Gunārs(Latvian) Gunnar, Gunnarr(Norse Mythology) Gunder, Gunnar(Norwegian) Gunþīharjaz(Old Germanic) Gunnarr(Old Norse) Gunder, Gunnar(Swedish)
Same SpellingGünther

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   wholesome   strong   rough   strange   serious  

Name Days

Austria: November 28

Categories

Attack on Titan characters, Dharma and Greg characters, Friends characters, ProZD characters, Sims 3 characters, Sims 4 characters, Stardew Valley characters, The Golden Girls characters, war
Entry updated December 7, 2022