Ignatius

Ig·na·tius
I1G2N1A1T1I1U1S1
/ɪɡˈneɪ.ʃəs/

proper noun

A male given name from Latin; of mostly Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox usage in English.

OriginLatin Ignātius ← Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- →
Less commonScrabble 9
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A male given name from Latin; of mostly Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox usage in English.

    ‘[…] How about Ignatius?’ Verity had got the giggles. ‘Ignatius? Where did that come from? Come along, Iggy, time for your beddie-byes.

    2012, Gloria Cook, chapter 14, in Never Let Go (A Dorrie Resterick Historical Saga; 2), Sutton, London: Severn House Publishers, →ISBN, page 70
    1. A male given name of historical usage, notably borne by Saint Ignatius of Antioch (died c. 108/140 CE)
    2. A male given name of historical usage, notably borne by Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556)

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ǵenh₁-“to give birth, produce”
  2. LatinIgnātius
  3. EnglishIgnatius

From Latin Ignātius, variant of gens name Egnātius, altered to resemble ignis (“fire”), establishing a folk etymology meaning akin to “Fiery One”. Of uncertain origin, perhaps originally borrowed from Etruscan. It might be related to Ancient Greek ἴγνης (ígnēs, “indigene”), ἴγνητος (ígnētos), from *ἔν-γνη-τες (*én-gnē-tes), formed from έν (én) + Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to give birth, produce”), also seen in γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “to come into being”).

More words from Latin, Proto-Indo-European

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic إِغْنَاطِيُوس
  • إِغْنَاطِيُوس (ʔiḡnāṭiyūs)male given name
Basque Inazio, Iñaki
  • Inaziomale given name
  • Iñakimale given name
  • Inaxiomale given name
Bulgarian Игнатий
  • Игнатий (Ignatij)male given name
Catalan Ignasi
  • Ignasimale given name
Chinese Mandarin 依納爵 /依纳爵
  • 依納爵 /依纳爵 (Yīnàjué)male given name
Czech Ignác
  • Ignácmale given name
Dutch Ignatius
  • Ignatiusmale given name
Esperanto Ignaco
  • Ignacomale given name
Finnish Ignatios, Ignatius
  • Ignatiosmale given name
  • Ignatiusmale given name
French Ignace
  • Ignacemale given name
German Ignaz, Ignatz
  • Ignazmale given name
  • Ignatzmale given name
Greek Ιγνάτιος
  • Ιγνάτιος (Ignátios)male given name
Hungarian Ignác
  • Ignácmale given name
Irish Iognáid
  • Iognáidmale given name
Italian Ignazio
  • Ignaziomale given name
Latin Ignatius
  • Ignatiusmale given name
Latvian Ignats
  • Ignatsmale given name
Lithuanian Ignacas
  • Ignacasmale given name
Polish Ignacy
  • Ignacymale given name
Portuguese Inácio
  • Ináciomale given name
Romanian Ignațiu
  • Ignațiumale given name
Russian Игна́тий
  • Игна́тий (Ignátij)male given name
Slovak Ignác
  • Ignácmale given name
Spanish Ignacio
  • Ignaciomale given name
Swedish Ignatius
  • Ignatiusmale given name
Ukrainian Ігнатій, Ігна́т
  • Ігнатій (Ihnatij)male given name
  • Ігна́т (Ihnát)male given name
Vietnamese Inhaxiô, Y Nhã
  • Inhaxiômale given name
  • Y Nhãmale given name
Cite this entry
APA

Ignatius. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ignatius

MLA

“Ignatius.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ignatius. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Ignatius,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ignatius.

Source: Ignatius on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.