VAR

Origin and Meaning

The female equivalent name element is VÖR

In some combinations, the name element might be just a variant of VARD or be taken from other names ending with -var, where the V originally belongs to the first name element (which means the last element is really HER). ^[1] ^[2] ^[3] ^[4]

It might be related to Old High German wàr, wàri, Old Saxon wâr = 'true' ^[4]

Ancient Germanic

*wara- = 'alert', 'wary' ^[3]
*waraz- = 'defender', 'protector' ^[5]
-wari = 'warrior' ^[3]
*wariaR = 'warrior' ^[3]
*warijaR = 'defender' ^[3]
*warjan = 'to protect' ^[1] ^[6] ^[5] ^[7]
*warjaz = 'defender', 'protector' ^[5] ^[7]
*warōn = 'alert', 'wary' ^[1] ^[6] ^[5]

Proto-Norse

*-warjan = 'to defend', 'to protect' ^[7]
*-warjaR = 'defender' ^[2] ^[8] ^[9]
*-warjaz = 'defender', 'protector' ^[7]

Old Norse

varinn = 'watchful', 'alert'; 'careful', 'cautious'; 'faithful', 'loyal' ^[10]
varr = 'attentive' ^[11] ^[1]
varr = 'attentive', 'shy', 'aware', 'wise' ^[12]
verja = 'to defend', 'protect' ^[1] ^[7]
verja = 'to defend' ^[13]
vǫrr = 'careful' ^[14]

Gothic

war = 'attentive', 'shy', 'aware', 'wise' ^[12]
wars = 'alert', 'wary' ^[15] ^[3]
-ṷara = 'defender', 'protector' ^[8]

Old High German

giwar = 'attentive', 'shy', 'aware', 'wise' ^[12]
warnôn = 'to watch out', 'to be careful' ^[16]

Old English

gewær = 'attentive', 'careful', 'ready' ^[15]
wær = 'attentive', 'careful', 'ready' ^[15]
wær = 'attentive', 'shy', 'aware', 'wise' ^[12]

Related Names

See Varr and Verna, Werneke

Combinations

Name Element	Example
AGI	see *Agvarr
ALA	see Alvaro
AS	see Var-Ási and Ásvar
AST	see Ástvar
BEIÐ	see Bidawarjaz
BIÐ	see Bidawarjaz
BÍÐ	see Bīdawarjaz
BIND	see Bindawarjaz
E	see Evar
EI	see Eivar
EY	see Eyvar
FJALL	see *Felzawarjaz (Norse)
FJÖL	see Fiǫlvarr (Norse)
FOLK	see *Fulkawarjaz (Norse)
FREJ	see *Fraujawaru (Norse) and Frēawaru (English)
GAIL	see Guilvira
GEIR	see GæiRvarr (Norse) and Gerwer (German) and Guilvira (Gothic)
GUD	see Guðvarr
GUNN	see Gunnvarr
HA	see Havar
HEIM	see *Haimawarjaz (Norse)
HER	see Warinheri (German) and Hervar
HJALM	see *Helmawarjaz (Norse) and Helmwar (German)
HJÖR	see Hjörvar
HJÖRT	see Hjartvar
HREID	see *Hraiþwarjaz
HROD	see *Hrōþiwarjaz (Norse) and Hruodwar (German)
JÓ	see Jovar
JON	see Jonvar
KETILL	see Kjellvar
KRIST	see Kristvar
LAND	see Landawarjaz (Norse) and Lantwari (German)
LYD	see *Leudiwarjaz (Norse)
MAGN	see Magnvar
MAR	see Varmar
MYRK	see Myrkvar
NIL	see Nilvar
ODD	see Uddvarr
OL	see Olvar
RAGN	see Ragnvar
RAND	see Randver
SE	see Sǽvarr
SIG	see *Sigi-waruR
SKIP	see *Skipa-warjaR
SOL	see Sǫlvarr
STEIN	see *StainawarijaR
SUNN	see Sunnvar
TEIN	see Teinar
UNN	see Unnvar
VAGN	see Vagnar
VIK	see *Wīkuwarjaz
ÞING	see Thingvar
ÞJOÐ	see Þiúðvarr
ÞOR	see Þórarinn and Þorvar
Ørlygr	see Ǫrvar

First Element Forms

Var-
Warin-
Venn-
Veer- Ver- Wer-
Veern- Vern- Wern-
Vänn-
Vær-
Värn- Väärn-

Last Element Forms

-a -ar -arin -arinn -arna -arr
-er
-var -war
-wara
-wari
-warijaR
-warjaz
-varo
-varr
-waru -waruR (?)
-ver -wer
-vi
-viira -vir -vira -vire
-vy
-vurr (?)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 Lena Peterson: Nordiskt runnamnslexikon (2007)
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Kristoffer Kruken og Ola Stemshaug: Norsk Personnamnleksikon (1995)
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 ^3.5 Roland Otterbjörk: Svenska förnamn (1979)
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Dr. Ernst Förstemann: Altdeutsches namenbuch (1856)
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 Eva Brylla: Förnamn i Sverige (2004)
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 Per Vikstrand: Förkristna sakrala personnamn i Skandinavien (Studia anthroponymica Scandinavica 27 (2009), 5–31)
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 ^7.3 ^7.4 Lena Peterson: Lexikon över urnordiska personnamn (2004)
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 Guðrún Kvaran: Nöfn Íslendinga (2011)
↑ Kristian Hald: Personnavne i Danmark - Oldtiden (1971)
↑ Árni Dahl: Navnabókin (2005)
↑ Leiv Heggstad, Finn Hødnebø og Erik Simensen: Norrøn Ordbok (1997)
↑ ^12.0 ^12.1 ^12.2 ^12.3 Ferdinand Holthausen: Vergleichendes und Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altwestnordischen (1948)
↑ Geir T. Zoëga: A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic (1910)
↑ Rudolf Simek: Dictionary of Northern Mythology (1993)
↑ ^15.0 ^15.1 ^15.2 Günther Drosdowski: Duden Etymologie - Herkunftswörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (1997)
↑ Wilfried Seibicke: Historisches Deutsches Vornamenbuch (Band 1-4)

[pet-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 Lena Peterson: Nordiskt runnamnslexikon (2007)

[nper-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Kristoffer Kruken og Ola Stemshaug: Norsk Personnamnleksikon (1995)

[ott-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 ^3.5 Roland Otterbjörk: Svenska förnamn (1979)

[foe-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Dr. Ernst Förstemann: Altdeutsches namenbuch (1856)

[bry-5] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 Eva Brylla: Förnamn i Sverige (2004)

[sak-6] 6.0 ^6.1 Per Vikstrand: Förkristna sakrala personnamn i Skandinavien (Studia anthroponymica Scandinavica 27 (2009), 5–31)

[urn-7] 7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 ^7.3 ^7.4 Lena Peterson: Lexikon över urnordiska personnamn (2004)

[kva-8] 8.0 ^8.1 Guðrún Kvaran: Nöfn Íslendinga (2011)

[halo-9] Kristian Hald: Personnavne i Danmark - Oldtiden (1971)

[dah-10] Árni Dahl: Navnabókin (2005)

[nord-11] Leiv Heggstad, Finn Hødnebø og Erik Simensen: Norrøn Ordbok (1997)

[awn-12] 12.0 ^12.1 ^12.2 ^12.3 Ferdinand Holthausen: Vergleichendes und Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altwestnordischen (1948)

[zoe-13] Geir T. Zoëga: A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic (1910)

[sim-14] Rudolf Simek: Dictionary of Northern Mythology (1993)

[her-15] 15.0 ^15.1 ^15.2 Günther Drosdowski: Duden Etymologie - Herkunftswörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (1997)

[sei1-16] Wilfried Seibicke: Historisches Deutsches Vornamenbuch (Band 1-4)

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VAR

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