Axel (name)

Axel
Gender	Male
Origin
Word/name	conflation of Absalom with Askel
Region of origin	Scandinavia

Axel (also Aksel) is a Scandinavian masculine given name. In Denmark and Norway the spelling form Aksel is more common.^[1] The Finnish form of the name is Akseli. A French feminine form is Axelle.

Due to the Danish archbishop Absalon (1128–1201) being also known as "Axel of Lund", the name has been interpreted as a corruption of the Hebrew name Absalom. Axel arose via Axelen from Absalon, possibly by conflation with the existing name Askel, Askil, medieval forms of the Old Norse name Ásketill, from ans "god" and ketill "cauldron".^[2]

As a given name

• The Danish archbishop Absalon (1128–1201) is also known as Axel of Lund
• Axel Oxenstierna (1583–1654) Swedish statesman
• Prince Axel of Denmark (1888–1964)
• Axel Wilhelm Eriksson (1846–1901), Swedish trader and settler in south west Africa
• Axel Munthe (1857–1949), Swedish physician and psychiatrist
• Axel Paulsen (1855–1938), Norwegian skater
• Aksel Sandemose (1899-1965), Norwegian novelist
• Axel Springer (1912–1985), German publisher
• Axel A. Weber (born 1957), German economist, professor and banker
• Axel Kicillof (born 1971), Argentine economist and politician
• Aksel Hennie (born 1975), Norwegian actor
• Axel Coon (born 'Axel Broszeit'), former member of the popular German techno band Scooter
• Aksel Lund Svindal, Norwegian alpine ski racer
• Axel Witsel (born 1989), Belgian football player
• Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865-1931), Finnish painter
• Axel Kurck a.k.a. Akseli Kurki (1555-1630), Finnish warlord
• Axel Brauns (born 1963), German writer and filmmaker
• Axel Rodrigues de Arruda (born 1970), Brazilian footballer
• Axel Merckx (born 1972), Belgian former cyclist

Fictional characters

• Axel, a protagonist in Jules Verne's A Journey to the Center of the Earth
• Axel Rex, a character in Vladimir Nabokov's novel Laughter in the Dark
• Akseli Koskela, fictional character in the Finnish novel "Täällä Pohjantähden alla" by Väinö Linna
• Axel Foley, a leading character in the film Beverly Hills Cop
• Axel Thurston, a character in the anime series Eureka Seven
• Axel (The Walking Dead), a former prisoner and member of the group of survivors on the TV series The Walking Dead
• Axel, a character from the Kingdom Hearts video game series
• Axel Hawk, a character from the video game series Fatal Fury
• Axel Steel, a character in the Guitar Hero video game series
• Axel Stone, a character from the Streets of Rage video game series
• Axel the Water Buffalo, a villain from the Sonic the Hedgehog comic from Archie Comics.
• Axel Jordache, a character in Irwin Shaw's novel Rich Man, Poor Man; a German immigrant baker in upstate New York who was the father of the three leading characters, Gretchen, Rudolph and Thomas Jordache
• Axl, a protagonist in Kazuo Ishiguro's The Buried Giant

As a surname

Axel also appears as a Jewish surname in the United States, e.g.

• Gabriel Axel (1918–2014), Danish film director, actor, writer and producer
• Krister Axel, American musician and poet
• Richard Axel, American scientist
• see also: Axelrod, surname common in Jewish households

Pseudonyms:

• Curtis Axel (born 1979), ring name of American professional wrestler Joe Hennig

References

1. "Hvor mange hedder... - Danmarks Statistik". Dst.dk. Retrieved 2013-10-21. Jørgen Ouren (2013-01-23). "Navn - SSB". Ssb.no. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
2. Också förväxlingar mellan Askil och Absalon samt Askil och Asgut har skett i fda. Om man nu vill hänvisa till rundanskans askil — i rundanskan finns således formen — borde man ha skrivit 'Fda. Eskil', ty det är i denna spalt man finner askil. Namn och bygd 62 (1974), p. 183.