Valdemar

The first name Valdemar is a Scandinavian variant of Waldemar and appears in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Its literal meaning is "the famous ruler" as well as "the esteemed ruler."

What does the name Valdemar mean?

Valdemar is the Scandinavian form of the name Waldemar and literally means "the famous ruler" or "the esteemed ruler." The origins of the name lie in Old High German and consist of the terms waltan, which means "to rule," "to manage," or "to govern," and mari, which means "famous," "esteemed," or "great." The popularity of the name Waldemar grew in the Middle Ages, particularly in the North Germanic regions, where numerous Danish kings bore this name, including King Waldemar I and King Waldemar IV Atterdag. Other variants include Waldomar, Woldemar, Valdemaras, Valdemaro, Valdas, Valdis, and Valto. In the Slavic regions, forms such as Wladimir, Wladimiro, Vladimir, Vladimiras, Vladimirus, Vladimiros, Wlodzimierz (Polish), Voldemar, Voldemaras, Voldemars, Volodimeri, Volodya (Russian), Volodymyr, Wolodja, and Wolodymyr (Ukrainian) can be found. Short forms include Vlatko (Serbian), Vladan, Vlado, Vladas, Lado (Georgian), and Wlodek (Polish).

Where does the name Valdemar come from?

Valdemar is a masculine first name with Old High German origins that means "the famous ruler" or "the esteemed ruler." The word components come from Old High German: waltan for "to rule," "to manage," or "to govern" and mari for "famous," "esteemed," "known," or "great." It appears in the languages of Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish.

How do you pronounce Valdemar?

The pronunciation of Valdemar is three syllables and powerfully structured, characterized by the emphasis "Val-de-mar" [ˈvaldemar]. This even syllable structure creates a stable and resonant sound. The ending "-mar" provides a full, slightly elongated closing note that gives the name a certain depth. Thus, Valdemar radiates strength and tradition and is sonorous as well as historically present.

When is the name day of Valdemar?

The name day for Valdemar is celebrated on July 15.

Popularity

In Germany, Valdemar is a rather rare first name. In 2022, it reached the 5,453rd place in the list of the most common male first names. Its best ranking was in 2012 at 3,479. In the last ten years, Valdemar has been given as a first name less than 10 times, placing it at 7,203 in the ten-year statistics. Between 2010 and 2024, it ranks 7,040.

Nicknames & pet names

Vlad

Famous people

• Carl Gustav Valdemar Raeder (writer from Denmark)
• Erik Valdemar Bergman (American composer)
• Knud Valdemar Engelhardt (Danish architect)
• Valdemar Adolph Thisted (Danish writer)
• Valdemar Antonio Almeida (footballer from Portugal)
• Valdemar Bandolowski (Danish sailor)
• Valdemar Borovskij (Lithuanian footballer)
• Valdemar Christoffer Nielsen (Danish cyclist)
• Valdemar Eiberg (musician from Denmark)
• Valdemar Heinrich Nicolaus Irminger (artist from Denmark)
• Valdemar Ingemann (Danish architect)
• Valdemar Jirus (Czech ice hockey player)
• Valdemar Kendzior (footballer from Denmark)
• Valdemar Koch (Danish architect)
• Valdemar Langlet (Swedish publisher)
• Valdemar Laursen (footballer from Denmark)
• Valdemar Lindholm (writer from Sweden)
• Valdemar Nielsen (Danish cyclist)
• Valdemar Poulsen (physicist from Denmark)
• Valdemar Psilander (Danish actor)