Norman

Meaning of Norman

Norman drifts into the modern nursery on a breeze stiff with history: born of the Old Norse norðmaðr, “north-man,” the word first tagged the Viking settlers who lent Normandy its name before sailing across the Channel in 1066, where it soon evolved from ethnic label to given name. In Anglo-American hands it prospered, climbing to a U.S. Top-50 staple in the Jazz Age, and though its numbers have since ebbed to a steady trickle—roughly 150 newborns a year—it remains, like a well-cut tweed jacket, too solid to vanish altogether. Cultural echoes amplify its character: Norman Rockwell’s nostalgic canvases whisper dependability, actor Norman Reedus lends contemporary grit, and Hitchcock’s enigmatic Norman Bates reminds us every classic can carry an unexpected plot twist. Two brisk syllables, a reassuring NOR at the front, and a friendly -man at the finish mean the name is as easy to pronounce as it is to spell—refreshingly free of the linguistic gymnastics that dominate today’s baby-name scrimmage. For parents seeking a choice both grounded and quietly distinctive, Norman stands ready, steadfast as ever.