Håkan

Håkan is a common Swedish given name. It has a common origin with the Norwegian given name Haakon (modern Norwegian Håkon, Danish Hakon) in the Old Norse Hákon. The meaning of the name is disputed but a possible meaning is "high son" from Old Norse há- (Proto-Norse hauha-) (high) and konr (kin).

On Swedish runestones the name is usually written Hakun and in medieval documents usually Haquon or in the Latinised versions Haqvin/Haqvinus. From the 16th century and onwards the name is usually written Håkan. Although in some western regions the name can be found as Håkon and Håka as late as in the 18th century.

In Old East Slavic the name was written Yakun (Cyrillic: Якун). For example, the Primary Chronicle mentions the Varangian leader Yakun that arrived in Kievan Rus' in the year 1024 and fought in the Battle of Listven. The name never became popular as a Slavic name but at least two high rank Novgorod officials had the name: the posadnik Yakun Andreevich (Cyrillic: Якун Андреевич) (mentioned 1167) and the tysyatsky Yakun Namnezhich (Cyrillic: Якун Намнежич) (mentioned 1214).

An old English name form Hacon has survived in English placenames like Haconby which literally means Hacon's Village, originating through Norse settlers in England.

Some famous people by this name are

• Håkan Algotsson, ice hockey player
• Håkan Andersson (motorcyclist), Swedish motocross rider
• Håkan Andersson (ice hockey), ice hockey executive
• Håkan Bergman (born 1954), Swedish politician
• Håkan Carlqvist (1954–2017), motocross rider
• Håkan Dahlby, double trap shooter
• Håkan Eriksson (orienteer), orienteering competitor
• Håkan Eriksson (ice hockey), ice hockey player
• Håkan Fredriksson, producer and musician
• Håkan Hagegård, baritone
• Håkan Hardenberger, trumpeter
• Håkan Hellström, musical artist
• Håkan Isacson, Swedish intelligence agent
• Håkan Jeppsson, Swedish football executive
• Håkan Juholt, politician
• Håkan Jörgensen, author and freelance journalist
• Håkan Karlsson, freestyle swimmer
• Håkan Lans, inventor
• Håkan Larsson (politician), politician
• Håkan Loob, ice hockey player
• Håkan Magnusson, 14th-century king of Sweden
• Håkan Malmrot, swimmer
• Håkan Malmström, football player
• Håkan Mild, football player
• Håkan Nesser, author
• Håkan Persson, musical journalist
• Håkan Pettersson (orienteer), orienteering competitor
• Håkan Samuelsson, Swedish businessman
• Håkan Sandell, poet
• Håkan Spegel, 17-18th century writer
• Håkan Svensson, football player
• Håkan Syrén, general
• Håkan Södergren, ice hockey player
• Håkan Westergren, actor
• Håkan Wirenstrand, keyboardist for Little Dragon
• Håkan the Red, 11th-century king of Sweden

See also

• Hakan, a Turkish name
• Håkon, a Norwegian name