Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Napoleon

 A highly uncommon name almost exclusively associated with the 19th century French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821). Born Napoleone di Buonaparte on the island of Corsica, Napoleon was Italian. In fact, Napoleon is actually a rare Italian name of Germanic origin. It comes from the word Nibelungen meaning “children of the mist” – a word derived from Old Norse and Germanic mythology. The Nibelungs were a race of dwarves who lived in Norway and were associated with a hoard of gold and a magic ring. Ironically, the term “Napoleon complex” refers to overly-aggressive short people, not because of these ancient mythological dwarves, but rather because Napoleon himself was a mere 5’6” tall (considered short by today’s standards, but actually the average height for a man of his day). 

All About the Baby Name – Napoleon

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME NAPOLEON

The number 11 is a Master Number, and embodies heightened traits of the Two. This personality is on a life journey to find spiritual truth. They are extremely idealistic and intuitive. Elevens have a rare and exceptional spiritual energy that brings a sense of obligation to illuminate the world around them. It's a very powerful responsibility, but these people have far more potential than they know. It's important that they surrender to higher ideals. They have the capacity to see the bigger picture, and they possess the skills to inspire others spiritually. Elevens have strong diplomatic skills and can become great peacemakers. Master numbers can be both a blessing and a curse, as they walk the fine line between greatness and the potential for self-destruction.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME NAPOLEON

 We were surprised to see Napoleon on the Top 1000 list for baby boys on the U.S. charts from the 19th century on up through the early 1970s. The name reached its height of usage in 1887 at position #297.  Though not many boys/men in America can claim the name Napoleon, it does indeed exist on American soil. Some people perhaps believe this to be a haughty name given Napoleon Bonaparte’s military and political achievements post-French Revolution, but the film Napoleon Dynamite (2004) brought this name back down to earth (or at least to Idaho) in the form of a socially awkward yet charmingly real teenager.

Quick Facts

ON NAPOLEON

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

German

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

4

RANKING POPULARITY:

N/A

PRONUNCIATION:

nə-PO-lee-ən

SIMPLE MEANING:

Sons of mist

Characteristics

OF NAPOLEON

Inspirational

Highly Intuitive

Spiritual Teacher

Extremely Bright

Uplifting

Truth-seeker

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Napoleon

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME NAPOLEON

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME NAPOLEON

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Napoleon


Popular Songs

ON NAPOLEON

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Napoleon


Famous People

NAMED NAPOLEON

We cannot find any famous people with the first name Napoleon.

Children of Famous People

NAMED NAPOLEON

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Napoleon

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME NAPOLEON

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Napoleon