Sven is a Scandinavian masculine given name. In Old Norse the meaning was "young man" or "servant", and the original Old Norse spelling was sveinn.
Variants such as Svend are found in Danish and Norwegian. Another variant, Svein, is used in Norway, the Low Countries, and German-speaking countries, and is cognate with the English surname Swain.
In medieval Swedish, sven or sven av vapen ("sven of arms"), is a term for squire. The female equivalent, Svenja, though seemingly Dutch and Scandinavian, is not common anywhere outside of German-speaking countries. Sven can also be spelled with a "w" – Swen – but is pronounced as Sven.
The Icelandic version is Sveinn (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈsveitn̥]); the Faroese version is Sveinur (Faroese pronunciation: [ˈsvaiːnʊɹ]).
Contents
Entertainment and music
Sven Einar Englund (1916–1999), Finnish composer
Sven Epiney (born 1972), Swiss television, radio host, and editor
Sven Grünberg (born 1956), Estonian synthesizer and progressive rock composer and musician
Sven August Körling (1842–1919), Swedish composer
Sven Lõhmus (born 1972), Estonian composer, producer, and lyricist
Sven Maes (born 1973), Belgian producer
Sven Martin, German keyboardist and sound director
Sven Nordström (1801–1887), Swedish organ builder
Sven Regener (born 1961), German musician and writer
Sven Sachsalber (1987–2020), Italian performance artist
Sven-Bertil Taube (1934–2022), Swedish singer and actor
Sven Väth (born 1964), German electronic music DJ/producer
Sven Wollter (1934–2020), Swedish actor
Sven van Veen (DJ Sven), one half of Dutch Hip Hop duo "MC Miker G & DJ Sven"
Politics
Sven Alkalaj (born 1948), Bosnian politician
Sven Aspling (1912–2000), Swedish politician
Sven Czekalla (born 1983), German politician
Sven Hulterström (born 1938), Swedish politician
Sven Franck (born 1976), German-French politician
Sven Küntzel (born 1973), German politician
Sven Lehmann (born 1979), German politician
Sven Lindgren (born 1946), Swedish politician
Sven Olov Lindholm (1903–1998), Swedish politician
Sven Otto Littorin (born 1966), Swedish politician
Sven Mikser (born 1973), Estonian politician
Sven Ranck (1616–1684), Swedish statesman
Sven Romanus (1906–2005), Swedish civil servant, Minister for Justice
Sven Rosomkiewicz (born 1986), German politician
Sven Rydenfelt (1911–2005), Swedish economist and political writer
Sven Spengemann (born 1966), Canadian politician
Sven Svensson (1636–1696), Swedish-American politician
Sports
Sven Andrighetto (born 1993), Swiss ice hockey player (playing in NHL)
Sven Axbom (1926–2006), Swedish footballer
Sven Bärtschi (born 1992), Swiss ice hockey player (playing in NHL Vancouver Canucks)
Sven Barth (born 1980), German racing driver
Sven Bender (born 1989), German footballer (playing in Borussia Dortmund)
Sven Butenschön (born 1976), German ice hockey player
Sven Magnus Carlsen (born 1990), Norwegian chess Grandmaster
Sven Coster (born 1978), Dutch sailor
Sven Davidson (1928–2008), Swedish tennis player
Sven-Göran Eriksson (1948–2024), Swedish football (soccer) manager
Sven Fischer (born 1971), German biathlete
Sven Habermann (born 1961), German-Canadian football (soccer) player
Sven Hannawald (born 1974), German ski jumper
Sven Kaldre (born 1991), Estonian basketball player
Sven Kramer (born 1986), Dutch speed skater
Sven Lindman (1942–2025), Swedish footballer
Sven Loll (born 1964), East German judoka
Other
Sven Tito Achen (1922–1986), Argentine-Danish writer and author on heraldry
Sven Allard (1896–1975), Swedish diplomat
Sven Backlund (1917–1997), Swedish diplomat
Sven Dahlvig, Swedish philatelist
Sven Grafström (1902–1955), Swedish diplomat
Sven Hassel (1917–2012), Danish-born soldier and writer
Sven Hedin (1865–1952), Swedish explorer and geographer
Sven O. Høiby (1936–2007), father of Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway
Sven Jaschan (born 1986), German computer programmer
Sven Lidman (clergyman) (1786–1845), Swedish priest and Orientalist
Sven Markelius (1889–1972), Swedish architect
Sven Nykvist (1922–2006), Swedish cinematographer
Sven Salander (1894–1965), Swedish Army lieutenant general
Fictional characters
Sven Hjerson, fictional Finnish detective
"Svën Höek", an episode of The Ren & Stimpy Show
Sven Holgersson, from the Voltron franchise
Sven the Berserk, in the 1989 film Erik the Viking, played by Tim McInnerny
Sven, the silent scorer sometimes appearing on the BBC radio show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
"Sven from Swiss Cottage", a character used by Peter Cook when participating in radio phone-ins
Sven – Rogue Knight, one of the many heroes featured in the custom Warcraft III map Defense of the Ancients, and its sequel Dota 2
Sven, in the Witches of East End novel series by Melissa de la Cruz
Sven Dufva, main character in the poem "Sven Dufva" of The Tales of Ensign Stål, written by J. L. Runeberg
Sven Cal Bayang, from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer
Sven "The Governator", in the movie Cars, voiced by Jess Harnell
Sven, from the Georgia Nicolson book series by Louise Rennison
Sven, Kristoff's pet reindeer in the movie Frozen
Sven, the name of a puffin in Happy Feet Two
Sven, a Nord character in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
