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Gender Masculine
Pronounced Pron. es-ca-nor  [key]

Meaning & History

This name seems to be comprised of Irish/Norse.
Esca is Irish, from old Irish Escae, from Proto-Celtic Eskyom, from Proto-Indo-European H,eysk which means "to shine, glitter" and is associated to the moon primarily.
Nor is an element used with verients and deminutives of old Norse and old High Germanic, meaning "North".
Both together making up the name Es-ca-nor meaning "North Shine".

The first recorded use is thought to be Arthurian Legend. His name in full is Escanor the Large, or de la Montagne which translates from Italian meaning "of the mountain". He hailed from a mountainous region making an appearance in legend where he was the antagonist and killed by King Arthur's newphew, Gawaine.
His father was a giant and his mother was a witch.
Escanor's nephew bore the same name with a different title, Escanor the Handsom and in his own legend became King of the White Mountains.
People often confuse both characters because of their similar names, although their places in legend differ.


"killed by Gawaine" is another claim to the name's meaning. However with little to no evidence supporting this, and having his name exist before his death, as well as his newphew having the same name, this meaning makes little sense.
Fewer claims have been made that the name Escanor is of Italian origin with reference to Sun and/or Sunlight, but is difficult to prove, as Sunlight in Italian translates to "Luce de Sole" and in Latin translates to "Solis".
Furthermore you can see the name in part used in names such as; Escadour, Esclarimonde and Escavalon.

With all this information we can assume both Escanors hailed from the mountains North of Italy, bordering Switzerland, Austria, but most likely France as to link with the origin of Arthurian legend. Which helps summerise what languages this names cultural and lingual ties.

With the Sun/Star giving off sun rays, and the Moon reflecting them, this would tie in with how in legend his ability grows stronger from the sunlight, an ability which he has in common with Gawaine. Escanor de la Montagne would ultimately translate to North Shine of the Mountains.

Possible variants to the meaning of Escanor could include; North Glitter, North Moon, North Sun and North Star.
Added 5/2/2021 by Liam
Edited 5/7/2024 by onomabot