Ignatius

English

Etymology

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”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: ĭg-nā′shəs, IPA^(key): /ɪɡˈneɪ.ʃəs/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Ig‧na‧tius

Proper noun

Ignatius

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

Derived terms

• Iggy
• Saint Ignatius

Related terms

• Ignaty

Translations

male given name

• Arabic: إِغْنَاطِيُوس m (ʔiḡnāṭiyūs)
• Aragonese: Inazio
• Armenian: Իգնատիոս (Ignatios)
• Basque: Inazio (eu), Iñaki (eu), Inaxio (eu)
• Belarusian: Ігна́т (Ihnát)
• Bulgarian: Игнатий (Ignatij)
• Catalan: Ignasi (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 依納爵 / 依纳爵 (Yīnàjué)

• Czech: Ignác
• Dutch: Ignatius
• Esperanto: Ignaco
• Finnish: Ignatios, Ignatius (fi)
• French: Ignace (fr)
• Galician: Ignacio (gl)
• Georgian: ეგნატე (egnaṭe)
• German: Ignaz, Ignatz
• Greek: Ιγνάτιος (el) (Ignátios)
• Hungarian: Ignác (hu)
• Ingrian: Ignatta
• Irish: Iognáid
• Italian: Ignazio (it)
• Latin: Ignatius
• Latvian: Ignats m
• Lithuanian: Ignacas
• Occitan: Ignaci m
• Polish: Ignacy (pl)
• Portuguese: Inácio (pt)
• Romanian: Ignațiu
• Russian: Игна́тий (ru) (Ignátij)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: Игнац

  Latin: Ignacije

• Slovak: Ignác
• Slovene: Ignacij, Ignae m
• Spanish: Ignacio (es)
• Swedish: Ignatius
• Ukrainian: Ігнатій (Ihnatij), Ігна́т (uk) (Ihnát)
• Vietnamese: Inhaxiô, Y Nhã

Finnish

Etymology

From Latin Ignātius.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈiɡnɑːtːius/, [ˈiɡnɑ̝ːt̪̚ˌt̪ius̠]
• IPA^(key): /ˈiɡnɑːtsius/, [ˈiɡnɑ̝ːtˌs̠ius̠] (influenced by Swedish)
• Rhymes: -ius
• Syllabification^(key): Ig‧na‧ti‧us
• Hyphenation^(key): Ig‧na‧ti‧us

Proper noun

Ignatius

1. a Finnish surname from Latin

Declension

Inflection of Ignatius (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)
nominative		Ignatius	Ignatiukset
genitive		Ignatiuksen	Ignatiusten Ignatiuksien
partitive		Ignatiusta	Ignatiuksia
illative		Ignatiukseen	Ignatiuksiin
		singular	plural
nominative		Ignatius	Ignatiukset
accusative	nom.	Ignatius	Ignatiukset
	gen.	Ignatiuksen
genitive		Ignatiuksen	Ignatiusten Ignatiuksien
partitive		Ignatiusta	Ignatiuksia
inessive		Ignatiuksessa	Ignatiuksissa
elative		Ignatiuksesta	Ignatiuksista
illative		Ignatiukseen	Ignatiuksiin
adessive		Ignatiuksella	Ignatiuksilla
ablative		Ignatiukselta	Ignatiuksilta
allative		Ignatiukselle	Ignatiuksille
essive		Ignatiuksena	Ignatiuksina
translative		Ignatiukseksi	Ignatiuksiksi
abessive		Ignatiuksetta	Ignatiuksitta
instructive		—	Ignatiuksin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of Ignatius (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Ignatiukseni Ignatiukseni accusative nom. Ignatiukseni Ignatiukseni gen. Ignatiukseni genitive Ignatiukseni Ignatiusteni Ignatiuksieni partitive Ignatiustani Ignatiuksiani inessive Ignatiuksessani Ignatiuksissani elative Ignatiuksestani Ignatiuksistani illative Ignatiukseeni Ignatiuksiini adessive Ignatiuksellani Ignatiuksillani ablative Ignatiukseltani Ignatiuksiltani allative Ignatiukselleni Ignatiuksilleni essive Ignatiuksenani Ignatiuksinani translative Ignatiuksekseni Ignatiuksikseni abessive Ignatiuksettani Ignatiuksittani instructive — — comitative — Ignatiuksineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Ignatiuksesi Ignatiuksesi accusative nom. Ignatiuksesi Ignatiuksesi gen. Ignatiuksesi genitive Ignatiuksesi Ignatiustesi Ignatiuksiesi partitive Ignatiustasi Ignatiuksiasi inessive Ignatiuksessasi Ignatiuksissasi elative Ignatiuksestasi Ignatiuksistasi illative Ignatiukseesi Ignatiuksiisi adessive Ignatiuksellasi Ignatiuksillasi ablative Ignatiukseltasi Ignatiuksiltasi allative Ignatiuksellesi Ignatiuksillesi essive Ignatiuksenasi Ignatiuksinasi translative Ignatiukseksesi Ignatiuksiksesi abessive Ignatiuksettasi Ignatiuksittasi instructive — — comitative — Ignatiuksinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Ignatiuksemme Ignatiuksemme accusative nom. Ignatiuksemme Ignatiuksemme gen. Ignatiuksemme genitive Ignatiuksemme Ignatiustemme Ignatiuksiemme partitive Ignatiustamme Ignatiuksiamme inessive Ignatiuksessamme Ignatiuksissamme elative Ignatiuksestamme Ignatiuksistamme illative Ignatiukseemme Ignatiuksiimme adessive Ignatiuksellamme Ignatiuksillamme ablative Ignatiukseltamme Ignatiuksiltamme allative Ignatiuksellemme Ignatiuksillemme essive Ignatiuksenamme Ignatiuksinamme translative Ignatiukseksemme Ignatiuksiksemme abessive Ignatiuksettamme Ignatiuksittamme instructive — — comitative — Ignatiuksinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Ignatiuksenne Ignatiuksenne accusative nom. Ignatiuksenne Ignatiuksenne gen. Ignatiuksenne genitive Ignatiuksenne Ignatiustenne Ignatiuksienne partitive Ignatiustanne Ignatiuksianne inessive Ignatiuksessanne Ignatiuksissanne elative Ignatiuksestanne Ignatiuksistanne illative Ignatiukseenne Ignatiuksiinne adessive Ignatiuksellanne Ignatiuksillanne ablative Ignatiukseltanne Ignatiuksiltanne allative Ignatiuksellenne Ignatiuksillenne essive Ignatiuksenanne Ignatiuksinanne translative Ignatiukseksenne Ignatiuksiksenne abessive Ignatiuksettanne Ignatiuksittanne instructive — — comitative — Ignatiuksinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative Ignatiuksensa Ignatiuksensa accusative nom. Ignatiuksensa Ignatiuksensa gen. Ignatiuksensa genitive Ignatiuksensa Ignatiustensa Ignatiuksiensa partitive Ignatiustaan Ignatiustansa Ignatiuksiaan Ignatiuksiansa inessive Ignatiuksessaan Ignatiuksessansa Ignatiuksissaan Ignatiuksissansa elative Ignatiuksestaan Ignatiuksestansa Ignatiuksistaan Ignatiuksistansa illative Ignatiukseensa Ignatiuksiinsa adessive Ignatiuksellaan Ignatiuksellansa Ignatiuksillaan Ignatiuksillansa ablative Ignatiukseltaan Ignatiukseltansa Ignatiuksiltaan Ignatiuksiltansa allative Ignatiukselleen Ignatiuksellensa Ignatiuksilleen Ignatiuksillensa essive Ignatiuksenaan Ignatiuksenansa Ignatiuksinaan Ignatiuksinansa translative Ignatiuksekseen Ignatiukseksensa Ignatiuksikseen Ignatiuksiksensa abessive Ignatiuksettaan Ignatiuksettansa Ignatiuksittaan Ignatiuksittansa instructive — — comitative — Ignatiuksineen Ignatiuksinensa

Statistics

• Ignatius is the 1831^st (tied with 7 other surnames) most common surname in Finland, belonging to 462 individuals, according to August 2025 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.

Latin

Alternative forms

• Egnātius

Etymology

A collateral form of Egnātius, altered to resemble ignis (“fire”), establishing a folk etymology meaning akin to “Fiery One”. Of uncertain origin, perhaps originally borrowed from Etruscan.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ɪŋˈnaː.ti.ʊs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [iɲˈɲat.t͡si.us]

Proper noun

Ignātius m sg (genitive Ignātiī or Ignātī); second declension

1. a male given name, equivalent to English Ignatius

Declension

Second-declension noun, singular only.

	singular
nominative	Ignātius
genitive	Ignātiī Ignātī1
dative	Ignātiō
accusative	Ignātium
ablative	Ignātiō
vocative	Ignātī

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Descendants

• → Ancient Greek: Ἰγνάτιος (Ignátios), Ἐγνάτιος (Egnátios)
  • → Greek: Ιγνάτιος (Ignátios), Εγνάτιος (Egnátios)
• → Basque: Inazio, Iñaki
• → Catalan: Ignasi
• → French: Ignace
• → Galician: Ignacio
• → German: Ignaz
• → Italian: Ignazio
• → Polish: Ignacy
• → Portuguese: Inácio
• → Romanian: Ignațiu
• → Serbo-Croatian: Ignacije, Ignjat, → Vatroslav (calque)
• → Sicilian: Gnazziu
• → Spanish: Ignacio

References

• “Ignatius”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Ignatius in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[1], pre-publication website, 2005-2016