Leif

Leif is a male given name of Scandinavian origin, which is derived from the Old Norse word leifr ( Icelandic : leifur ) and means "heir" or "descendant". Other, rarer spellings of the name are Lejf ( Denmark , Sweden ) and Leiv ( Norway ). The name is also common as a surname , especially in Sweden .

Spread as a first name

The first name Leif is currently the most common in Sweden (69,716 times, statistics 2006), followed by Denmark (18,675 times, statistics 2007), Norway (15,490 times, statistics 2007) and Finland (4,521 times, statistics 2007).

The popularity of this first name in German-speaking countries shows a clear north-south divide due to its frequency in Scandinavia: while it is generally known and relatively common in Schleswig-Holstein , the majority of the population in southern Germany is not familiar with it. In the statistics of the most popular male first names in Germany, Leif ranked 138th from 1990–1999, and 169th from 2000 to 2009. The trend is constantly downward. In 2007 he was still on rank 212 and in 2010 on rank 247 and 2013 only in place 260.

Well-known namesake

The Icelandic- born Viking Leif Eriksson (around 970 to around 1020) was the first documented discoverer of America . His voyages of discovery described in the Vinland sagas only became known on the European continent after Columbus rediscovered America . According to him, the Icelandic international transfers Keflavik Airport the nickname airport Leifur Eiriksson .

First name

• Leif Andersson (ice hockey player) (born 1940), Swedish ice hockey player
• Leif Andersson (rower) (* 1944), Finnish rower
• Leif Andersson (wrestler) (born 1949), Swedish wrestler
• Leif Andersson (geneticist) (* 1954), Swedish geneticist
• Leif Andersson (biathlete) (born 1961), Swedish biathlete
• Leif Andersson (volleyball player) (* 1963), German volleyball player
• Leif Erland Andersson (1943–1979), Swedish astronomer
• Leif Andrée (* 1958), Swedish actor
• Leif Ove Andsnes (* 1970), Norwegian pianist
• Leif Aune (1925–2019), Norwegian politician
• Leif Carlsson (* 1965), Swedish ice hockey player
• Leif Davidsen (* 1950), Danish writer
• Leif Eriksson (* around 970; † around 1020), Icelandic explorer
• Leif Eriksson (* 1942), Swedish football and bandy player
• Leif Erlsboe (1943–2000), Danish-Norwegian film editor, director and screenwriter
• Leif Frey (* 1979), German ski jumper
• Leif Garrett (born 1961), American actor
• Leif Geiges (1915–1990), German photographer and reporter
• Leif Grane (1928–2000), Danish church historian
• Leif Haraldseth (1929–2019), Norwegian politician and trade unionist
• Leif Kristian Haugen (* 1987), Norwegian ski racer
• Leif Arne Heløe (* 1932), Norwegian politician of the conservative Høyre
• Leif-Erik Holm (* 1970), German politician from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
• Leif Holmgren (* 1953), Swedish ice hockey player and coach
• Leif Hoste (* 1977), Belgian racing cyclist
• Leif Jensen (* 1948), Norwegian weightlifter and Olympic champion
• Leif Kobbelt (* 1966), German professor of computer science specializing in computer graphics
• Leif Lampater (* 1982), German racing cyclist
• Leif Miller (* 1967), German biologist and nature conservationist
• Leif Nordgren (* 1989), American biathlete
• Leif Øgaard (* 1952), Norwegian chess grandmaster
• Timothy Leif "TJ" Oshie (* 1986), American ice hockey player
• Leif Panduro (1923–1977), Danish writer
• Leif Randt (* 1983), German author
• Leif Roar (1937-2003), Danish opera singer ( baritone )
• Leif Rohlin (* 1968), Swedish ice hockey player
• Leif Schrader (* 1969), German politician
• Leif Segerstam (* 1944), Finnish composer and conductor
• Leif Silbersky (* 1938), Swedish defense attorney and writer
• Leif Skagnæs (1903–1956), Norwegian skier
• Leif Skiöld (1935–2014), Swedish football, ice hockey and bandy player
• Leif Trenkler (* 1960), German painter
• Leif Uvemark (1939–1996), Swedish trumpeter and band leader
• Leif Wennerström (* 1937), Swedish modern jazz drummer
• Leif Zern (* 1939), Swedish writer and theater critic

Surname

• Thomas Leif (1959–2017), German journalist

Names that sound similar

The similar-sounding Russian given name Lev (in another transcription also Lew ) goes back etymologically to the Roman name Leo . It has not yet been established whether the Scandinavian Varangians introduced the name Leif to parts of Russia in the Middle Ages .

The Hebrew first name Levi , however, goes back to the biblical Levi, the ancestor of the Levites .

There is a close etymological relationship between the first names Leif and Olaf (Old Norse Áleifr ), as this is derived from the same root word.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Nordic Names (accessed October 30, 2011)
2. ↑ Sweden, Staatl. Statistics Office
3. ^ Denmark, Staatl. Statistics Office
4. ^ Norway, Staatl. Statistics Office
5. ↑ Finland, Staatl. Statistics Office ( Memento of the original from October 9, 2006 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ↑ The most popular first names in the years 1990–1999
7. ↑ The most popular first names in the years 2000 to 2009
8. ↑ Top 250 of the most common first names in 2007
9. ↑ Top 500 of the most common first names in 2010
10. ↑ Top 500 of the most common first names in 2013
11. ↑ Website Behind the name (accessed October 30, 2011)