Napoleon

One of the greatest figures of French history was Napoleon Bonaparte. He rose to fame as military leader of France during the French Revolution. Napoleon then conquered most of Europe and became Emperor. 

When hearing the name Napoleon, many would think of Bonaparte. While the name is strongly associated with the historical figure, it originated long before Bonaparte was born. Napoleon comes from the Old Italian "Napoleone". Further originations aren't quite clear. However, Napoleon is also thought to come from the Germanic "Nibelungen," meaning "sons of mist"; or from Napoli, the Italian name for Naples, Italy. 

Napoleon actually ranked in the American top 1000 through the early 1970s while never making the top 100. Over thirty years after leaving the charts, the name connected to a movie. Napoleon Dynamite, which follows a teen of the same name, came out in 2004. For some reason, the movie did nothing to bring the name back to the top 1000. 

Napoleon didn't just rank as a given name in America. It was in moderate use in France in the early twentieth century. France was the home country of Napoleon Bonaparte even though he was born on the island of Corsica. Thus, Napoleon's historic usage makes sense there.

As it has been stated, Napoleon strongly ties to one historical figure. That might be a lot for a child to carry, but Napoleon Bonaparte's bravery and courage make him a positive association. 

STYLES:


SISTERS:

Theodosia, Guinevere, Juno, Morgana, Lilith, Artemisia, Ophelia, Evangeline

BROTHERS:

Constantine, Romeo, Evander, Augustus, Lancelot, Ferdinand, Horatio, Nicodemus

ALTERNATIVES:

Balthazar, Bastion, Cyprian, Hannibal, Lafayette, Oberon, Septimus, Severus

FURTHER RESOURCES:

"Napoleon." Names, Behind the Name, 7 Dec. 2022, https://www.behindthename.com/name/napoleon. 

What do you think about Napoleon? Do you think it's usable for a child?

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