Hamlet as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Hamlet

What is the meaning of the name Hamlet ?

The baby name Hamlet is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈhæmlət/ (HAM-let).

Hamlet is Norse in Origin.

Hamlet is a literary given name in English, best known from Shakespeare’s tragic prince. It ultimately reflects the medieval Scandinavian Amleth (Latinized Amlethus) recorded by Saxo Grammaticus, likely from Old Norse Amlóði, a poetic term glossed as “fool” or “simpleton” and associated with feigned madness. Though it resembles the common noun hamlet “small village,” that word is unrelated, coming via Middle French hamelet from a Germanic root meaning “home.”

As a personal name, Hamlet has seen sporadic use in English since the 18th century as a cultured, theatrical choice, while enjoying steadier currency in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus (notably in Armenia and Russia). Variants and cognates include Amleth (Scandinavian), Amleto (Italian), Gamlet (Russian), and Hamletas (Lithuanian); the Spanish, French, and German forms are typically Hamlet. The name’s meaning is best taken as “the Amleth figure,” with connotations of wit, introspection, and tragic resolve.