Axel (name)

Axel (also Aksel) is a Scandinavian, German, French, and Dutch masculine given name. In Estonia, Denmark, and Norway the spelling Aksel is more common. The Finnish form of the name is Akseli. A French feminine form is Axelle.

Because the Danish archbishop Absalon (1128–1201) was also known as "Axel of Lund", the name has been interpreted as a corruption of the Hebrew name Absalom. Axel arose via Axelen from Absalon, possibly by conflation with the existing name Askel, Askil, medieval forms of the Old Norse name Ásketill, from ans "god" and ketill "cauldron/helmet".

Aksel (with variants: Aksil and Axil) is also a Berber name which is popular due to the historical Amazigh Leader Kusaila (a theory says that Kusaila is just an arabization of the Berber name Aksel). It comes from the word Aksil which means Leopard or Cheetah in Chaoui dialect. This name remained popular in the Middle Ages, Al-Hasan ibn Ahmad al-Muhallabi has talked about the existence of a kingdom named Aksintila/Axentla which was dominated by Hawwara tribes. It is estimated that this name Axentla has come from the name Aksil.

As a given name

Fictional characters

As a surname

• Curtis Axel (born 1979), ring name of American professional wrestler Joseph Curtis Hennig
• Gabriel Axel (1918–2014), Danish filmmaker
• Richard Axel (born 1946), American scientist

See also

• Axelrod

References