Norman

Where Norman comes from

From Middle English Norman, from Old English Norman (a variant of Norþman) and Old French Normant. It is certain that the word is derived from the base of the Germanic words for north and the Germanic base of the words for man. However, given the frequent movement of Germanic groups especially into and out of Britain in the post-classical world, it is unclear in what tongue it came to be used first. In addition, the generally accepted meaning, a person from Normandy or one of the many French-speaking invaders to Britain, was used chiefly by Anglo-Norman and Old French, though it originally referred to any Scandinavian of the time. See also Northman.
— Wiktionary's entry for Norman
  • Old English
  • 2 syllables
Along the way
  1. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #131 among boys — 102 babies in the first year on record.
  2. 1914
    Norman Borlaug born
    American biologist
  3. 1923
    Norman Mailer born
    American writer
  4. 1931
    Peak, #36
    5,426 babies named Norman — more than any year before or since.
  5. 1960
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #132.
In the dictionary
  • A male given name from Old English used in the Middle Ages and revived in the 19th century.
Namesakes
  • Norman Mailer · American writer, 1923–2007
  • Norman Borlaug · American biologist, 1914–2009
  • Norman Foster · British architect, born 1935
  • Norman Foster Ramsey · American physicist, 1915–2011
  • Norman Angell · English politician, 1872–1967

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.