Show ContentsMagnüs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Magnüs family

The surname Magnüs was first found in Shetland where they held a family seat in their territories in the Orkneys. The Viking influence of northern Scotland developed as a stepping stone to Iceland from Scandinavia. Many Viking expeditions were started from the Orkneys and the northern tip. Rollo, first Duke of Normandy, started his conquest of that part of France as an expeditionary from here. Hugo Magnus was found at 1114. 1 Later the name was found in Cortance, Aberdeen in the 17th century.

Early History of the Magnüs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Magnüs research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1047, 1420, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Magnüs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Magnüs Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Magnus, Manus, MacVanish, Magnusson, Magnuson, Magnos, Magnes, Magnusson, Magnuss, MacVinish, McWeynish and many more.

Early Notables of the Magnüs family

More information is included under the topic Early Magnüs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Magnüs Ranking

In the United States, the name Magnüs is the 13,720th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


United States Magnüs migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Magnüs Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Jonas Magnus, who landed in New York City in 1660
Magnüs Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Henrich Magnus, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 3
  • Charles Magnus, who was recorded in 1782 as being a British deserter in the American Revolution
  • Charles Magnus, who landed in America in 1782 3
Magnüs Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Alexander Magnus, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1806
  • Samuel Magnus, who settled in New York, NY in 1834
  • John Magnus, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1839 3
  • Frederick Magnus, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 3
  • Godfrey Magnus, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Magnüs migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Magnüs Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Maurice Magnus, British convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 29th September 1831, settling in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • Susannah Magnus, aged 31, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "William Money" 5
  • Susannah Magnus, aged 31, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "William Money" in 1849 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Magnüs (post 1700) +

  • Sandra H. Magnus PH.D. (b. 1964), American engineer and NASA Astronaut with over 22 days in space 6
  • Paul Wilhelm Magnus (1844-1914), German botanist and mycologist
  • Ludwig Immanuel Magnus (1790-1861), German Jewish mathematician
  • Heinrich Gustav Magnus (1802-1870), German experimental scientist who discovered the Magnus effect
  • Wilhelm Magnus (1907-1990), German mathematician
  • Hans Magnus Enzensberger (1929-2022), German author, poet, translator and editor who also wrote under the pseudonyms Andreas Thalmayr, Elisabeth Ambras, Linda Quilt and Giorgio Pellizzi. Enzensberger
  • Erik Magnus Madsen (1903-1968), Norwegian chess player
  • Erik Magnus Lindberg (1952-2019), Swedish musician, singer and composer
  • Geir Magnus Nyborg (1951-2018), Norwegian media scholar and theologian
  • Robert Magnus Martinson (1927-1979), American sociologist, best known for his 1974 study "What Works?"


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1831
  5. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) "WILLIAM MONEY" 1848-49. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849WmMoney.htm
  6. NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Sandra Magnus. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/magnus.html


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