Wodan

The first name Wodan (Wôdan) has its roots in the Old High German language and represents the form of the Germanic name Wodanaz. Wodan is directly regarded as the pagan godfather in Germanic mythology.

What does the name Wodan mean?

The name Wodan (Wôdan) comes from Old High German and corresponds to the Germanic Wodanaz. He is considered a pagan godfather. Furthermore, the meaning of the name can be interpreted as 'the Inspired', 'the Furious', 'the Madman', or 'the Raging'. The origins are found in the Old Germanic *wōdaz, which means 'possessed', 'excited', 'fury', or 'manic inspiration', as well as in the Indo-European *wat or *weht, which means 'to blow', 'to kindle', 'to inspire', 'excited', 'possessed', or 'angry'. In Germanic and Norse mythology, Wodan is regarded as the highest god and is also associated with poetry, war, wisdom, and death. The names Wodan and Wotan were particularly used in the southern Germanic region. Other variants include Woden, Wuotan, and Woutan.

Where does the name Wodan come from?

The first name Wodan has Old Germanic and Indo-European origins and means 'the Inspired'. The Old Germanic root *wōdaz stands for terms like possessed, excited, fury, and manic inspiration. The Indo-European root *wat or *weht refers to the concepts of blowing, kindling, inspiring, as well as excited, possessed, and angry. The language from which this name originates is Old High German.

How do you pronounce Wodan?

Vo-dan

Popularity

In Germany, Wodan is a common first name. In 2021, it ranked 3,549th on the list of most common male first names. Its best ranking was in 2015, when it reached 2,705th place. Over the last ten years, Wodan has been given as a first name about 30 times, placing it 4,712th in the ten-year statistics. From 2010 to 2024, the name is ranked 4,886th.

Nicknames & pet names

Wednesday / Wohnstag