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Just to give a few examples from the United States:
Napoleon Murphy Brock, born 1943, San Jose, California; musician, singer, songwriter, record producer.
Napoléon "Nap" Lajoie, born 1874, Woonsocket, Rhode Island; professional baseball player; died 1959.
Napoleon Harris III, born 1979, Chicago, Illinois; professional football player and Illinois state senator.
Napoleon "Nip" Kaufman, born 1973, Kansas City, Missouri; professional football player.
Further examples can be found on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_(given_name)
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Napoleon Murphy Brock, born 1943, San Jose, California; musician, singer, songwriter, record producer.
Napoléon "Nap" Lajoie, born 1874, Woonsocket, Rhode Island; professional baseball player; died 1959.
Napoleon Harris III, born 1979, Chicago, Illinois; professional football player and Illinois state senator.
Napoleon "Nip" Kaufman, born 1973, Kansas City, Missouri; professional football player.
Further examples can be found on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_(given_name)
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Definitely too pretentious and over-the-top for a real child, plus it's too heavily associated with Bonaparte.
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Also used among the English Romani community in the 1800s:
https://rtfhs.org.uk/the_rtfhs_baptism_index/ -- YOUNG Napoleon, Bp 3 October 1886, Holy Trinity, South Shore, Blackpool, Lancashire, son of Alfred and Derelia Young, of Gipsies’ camp, South Shore, Hawker.
https://www.geocities.ws/seraphim_angel_2002/HeronPedigree.html -- George Napoleon Gray, b. Circa 1876 Bloxwich Stf
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https://rtfhs.org.uk/the_rtfhs_baptism_index/ -- YOUNG Napoleon, Bp 3 October 1886, Holy Trinity, South Shore, Blackpool, Lancashire, son of Alfred and Derelia Young, of Gipsies’ camp, South Shore, Hawker.
https://www.geocities.ws/seraphim_angel_2002/HeronPedigree.html -- George Napoleon Gray, b. Circa 1876 Bloxwich Stf
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Too associated with Napoleon Bonaparte.
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I kinda like it, but I would use it on a pet or as a second name.
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I genuinely love this name, but I’d never use it because there are way too many associations. It would be okay on a pet?
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Although it sounds nice, it's maybe a little too...ostentatious?
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I like the etymology comments, some interesting possibilities there. Being totally uneducated on the matter, I’d assumed the name meant ‘Lion of Naples’. In relation to N’ Bonaparte, I'd always assumed, being somewhat wealthy, his parents (even though they lived on the coast) decided to summer in beautiful Napoli. Under the thrall of Neapolitan magic they did the Boom-Boom then nine months later back in Corsica out pops young Neo, a screaming bundle of noisy energy and called him Lion of Naples.
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Too associated with the historical figure.
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My name is William Napoleon S. I love my middle name and am so in love with it. It makes me feel unique and special.
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While I think this is a bad real name for a child, especially outside of France, it's a cute nickname I use for my boyfriend whose name is Leo and who is very short, five foot tall. We sure got a laugh at Versailles...
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Don't forget Napoleon the Savage Warlord from The Get Down, so cute!
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My given first name is Napoléon & from thorough lifelong research I understand the name to be of Classical Greek origin, after the coastal town of Nafplion; its meaning = 'lion of the woods.' (For whatever it's worth, I studied linguistics & philology @ New York University, where my nickname was 'Nap Chomsky.') Thank you for this opportunity to comment ~ Best, Napoléon Nikolai Živković, Acting Paterson [New Jersey] Historian.
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Leon is a better name. Napoleon, Cleopatra and Charlemagne should all be relegated to names for pets and human historical figures.
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I think that the etymology is not right. I always heard that the etymologies must be very similar and have an appropriate meaning. For me the most possible etymology of Napoleon, Napoleone in Italian derives from Apollone the Latin name of the god Apollo. Corsica had an old Greek colony. "Ne apollone" (Some Apollo) could derive in Napolleone.
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You might want to include in this entry that Napoleon is the English spelling of Napoléon. You see, the proper French spelling of the name includes an 'e' with an acute accent. In turn, the French name is a gallicized form of the Italian name Napoleone, which is the name that Napoleon (who was of Italian descent) was actually given at his birth and baptism. Napoleone is an old Italian name that has been around since at least the Renaissance.
So, in short: Napoleone (Italian) ---> Napoléon (French) ---> Napoleon (English)
For more information, see:
- entry for Napoleon at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon (in English)
- popularity statistics for Napoleone in Renaissance Italy: http://www.behindthename.com/name/napoleone/top (in English). [noted -ed]
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So, in short: Napoleone (Italian) ---> Napoléon (French) ---> Napoleon (English)
For more information, see:
- entry for Napoleon at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon (in English)
- popularity statistics for Napoleone in Renaissance Italy: http://www.behindthename.com/name/napoleone/top (in English). [noted -ed]
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A perfect name for a class clown.
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A very royal name. A good nickname would be Nap.
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Napoleon is a name that could definitely be used for a fiery and determined child with great ambitions, just as Bonaparte was. But there is the problem that Napoleon is seen as a midget tyrant (he was actually slightly taller than the average Frenchman) and that the hand-in-waistcoat gesture might be used to tease the little guy. But I think that a Napoleon wouldn't necessarily let that go off easily, and then he will be respected.
Nicknames include Leo, Leon, Bonaparte, Nabulio, etc.
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Nicknames include Leo, Leon, Bonaparte, Nabulio, etc.
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Napoleon from "Napoleon Dynamite".
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Napoleon Solo was the THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (portrayed by Robert Vaughn in the 1960s TV series and by Henry Cavill in the film of the same name currently in theaters).
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Women in the Bonaparte and Beauharnais familes were often given the feminine form of the name (Napoléone) among their baptismal names. Among them was Queen Josefina of Sweden (1807-1876), the consort of King Oscar I, who was born Princess Joséphine Maximilienne Eugénie Napoléone de Beauharnais (of Leuchtenberg).
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The name Napoleon... It immediately shouts "RARE" to me. And rare isn't too bad.
Besides, the name has several noteworthy namesakes, the Corsican-French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte being a prominent one. I have never seen Napoleon Dynamite, but it does seem to be increasing awareness of this unusual name. But the pig from Animal Farm is one namesake it would be best to forget (the pig is an analogy of Stalin after all).
But aside from these namesakes, I see it as a modestly usable name. It sticks out among the crowd.
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Besides, the name has several noteworthy namesakes, the Corsican-French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte being a prominent one. I have never seen Napoleon Dynamite, but it does seem to be increasing awareness of this unusual name. But the pig from Animal Farm is one namesake it would be best to forget (the pig is an analogy of Stalin after all).
But aside from these namesakes, I see it as a modestly usable name. It sticks out among the crowd.
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My sister named her son Napoleon, at fist I was a bit skeptical, but I've grown to love it. We call him ole, poli, and Napi for short. He is so full of light and energetic, now that I think of I don't know why I didn't like it at first and I can't think of him ever having a different name.
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The only son of Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife Marie Luise of Austria was also named Napoleon (Francois Joseph Charles). It was also the name of Napoleon's nephew (Charles Louis Napoleon), who became his heir and ruled as Napoleon III.
Napoleon III was married to famous Eugenie de Montijo and their only son was also called Napoleon (Eugene Louis Jean Joseph).
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Napoleon III was married to famous Eugenie de Montijo and their only son was also called Napoleon (Eugene Louis Jean Joseph).
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Napoléon Bonaparte was actually five feet six an a half inches tall, slightly taller than the average French man of the time. It also probable that the men of his imperial guard, with whom he "hung out," were very tall, creating the illusion that Napoléon was short.
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I don't think the name has anything at all do do with the "Nibelungenlied" but most probably derives from an Italian or Byzantine saint as there is a Saint Napoleon. The Bonapartes were actually of Italian (Genoese) origin -the family had migrated to Corsica a few generations before.
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I personally like this name, it's historic and sounds regal.
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Who wants to have a name associated with an angry short man who conquered most of Europe?
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When I hear this name, I don't think of Napoleon Bonaparte first, but rather, Napoleon Dynamite. Therefore I think this is a fairly funny name (but only if you know Napoleon Dynamite). I don't think that this is a good name for people nowadays. The name seems to only rightfully belong to historical figures, a pig from Animal Farm and Napoleon Dynamite.
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Napoleon is one of the pigs from the book Animal Farm.
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Oh please, who would use this pompous, corny name on any child today? It's associated with the historical figure and no one else.
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Napoleon means "from Naples, Italy." But we use the word Neapolitan instead.
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Great meaning, I had no idea it had anything to do with the Nibelungenlied. And Napoleon makes an interesting namesake, certainly.
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This is probably not a good name to give your kid because of the historical and pop culture references. I know if I met a Napoleon, I wouldn't be able to resist the urge to say "Gosh!" or ask about his super sweet liger artwork.
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There is a term: Napoleon complex.
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The Napoleon Complex theory has been long since disproven.
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Sweeeeeeeett.
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The name Napoleon comes from Greek, and means "Lion of the Desert" (Napoleo in Latin, Napoleone, in Italian).
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Napoleon is one of the dogs in the Disney movie "The Aristocats."
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Famous bearer of this name is the main character in Napoleon Dynamite.
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Comments are left by users of this website. They are not checked for accuracy.
While there have been thousands of people name “Napoleon Bonaparte” in the U.S. and Canada, these are from otherwise anglophone backgrounds; in francophone milieux, a person with “Napoléon” as a first name generally never has “Bonaparte” as a middle name.
In New England, we call ourselves “French” because of who we are in New England, not because of the Métropole or the Belle Province. And when a child has been named “Napoléon,” it is not because of Bonaparte, but because of pride in being French.