old norse names

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196 names · Page 1 of 4. Origin labels follow the cited name sense; earlier roots and uncertain meanings are explained on each name page.

Aake

From Old Norse Áki, probably via Old Swedish [Term?] or Old Danish [Term?]. It has also been used as a nickname for several names beginning with A, such as Aarne, Akseli,…

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 1 syllable
Ending: ends E

Aðalsteinn

From Old Norse Aðalsteinn, a calque of Old English Æþelstān, from *aþalaz (“noble”) + *stainaz (“stone”). Cognate with German Edelstein.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends N

Airi

Invented at the end of the 19th century, either from airut (“herald”), or from place names like Airisto, Airikka (both also found as surnames), Airiselkä, at least some of them…

Gender: feminine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends I

Åke

From Old Norse Áki, diminutive of Proto-Norse *ᚨᚾᚢᛉ (*anuʀ, “ancestor”), from Proto-Germanic *anô (as in the first part of the name Olaf). By folk etymology sometimes…

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 1 syllable
Ending: ends E

Áki

From Old Norse Áki, diminutive of Proto-Norse *ᚨᚾᚢᛉ (*anuʀ, “ancestor”) (as in the first part of the name Ólafur).

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends I

Àlvar

Borrowed from Old Norse Alfarr, from alfr (“elf”) + herr (“army”). Cognate to Swedish Alvar and Spanish Álvaro.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends R

Amhlaidh

From Middle Irish Amlaíb, from Old Norse Óláfr.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends H

Ari

Of the first sense, derives directly from Hebrew: אֲרִי (arí, “lion”); compare Yiddish: לייב (leyb, “Leib”), English: Leo, Leon, French: Léo, Léon, Czech: Lev, Polish: Lew,…

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends I

Arnar

From Old Norse Arnar.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends R

Arnfríður

From Old Norse Arnfríðr.

Gender: feminine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends R

Arnheiður

From Old Norse Arnheiðr.

Gender: feminine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends R

Aslak

From Norwegian Aslak; used as the Finnish rendering of the Northern Sami name Ásllat. From Old Norse Áslákr, from áss (“god”) + leikr (“play, sport”). Cognate with Old English…

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends K

Áslaug

From Old Norse Áslaug.

Gender: feminine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends G

Asmo

Early 20th century creation, probably from Latin Erasmus (via German Asmus), or from Old Norse Ásmundr, a Scandinavian equivalent of English Osmund.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends O

Ásmundur

From Old Norse Ásmundr, from áss (“a god”) + mund (“protection, hand”).

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 3 syllables
Ending: ends R

Asta

From Old Norse Ásta, sometimes also used as a pet form of Augusta or Anastasia.,

Gender: feminine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends A

Ásþrúður

From Old Norse Ásþrúðr, from Proto-Germanic *Ansuþrūþiz. Equivalent to ás (“(pagan) god; one of the æsir”) + þrúður (“strength”), cognate with Old English Ōsþrȳþ.

Gender: feminine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends R

Auðmundur

From Old Norse Auðmundr, from Proto-Germanic *Audamunduz.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 3 syllables
Ending: ends R

Auður

From Old Norse Auðr, from Proto-Germanic *Audī, likely identical to Old Norse auðr (“fate, fortune”). From Old Norse Auðr, proper name use of auðr (“wealth”) ( > Icelandic…

Gender: feminine
Syllables: 1 syllable
Ending: ends R

Baldur

From Old Norse Baldr, from the adjective baldr (“brave”), compare the Icelandic adjective baldur (“bold”).

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends R

Bera

From Old Norse Bera, from bera (“she-bear”).

Gender: feminine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends A

Birgir

From Old Norse Birgir.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends R

Bjartur

From the adjective bjartur (“bright”), from Old Norse bjartr, from Proto-Germanic *berhtaz. Famously the nickname of Guðbjartur Jónsson, a character from the novel Independent…

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends R

Bjólfur

From Old Norse Bjólfr.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends R

Björg

From Old Norse bjǫrg (“salvation”), related to bjarga (“to save”).

Gender: feminine
Syllables: 1 syllable
Ending: ends G

Bo

Either borrowed from modern Danish Bo or Swedish Bo, or a spelling variant of the male given name Beau. From Old Norse Búi (“dweller, long-time resident”), originally a…

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 1 syllable
Ending: ends O

Bond

* As an English occupational surname, from the noun bond, bondman, reinforced by Old Norse bóndi (“peasant, farmer”). Also as a variant of Band. * As a Swedish surname, variant…

Gender: neutral
Syllables: 1 syllable
Ending: ends D

Brjánn

From Old Norse Brjánn (referring to the Irish king Brian Boru), from Irish Brian.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 1 syllable
Ending: ends N

Búi

From Old Norse Búi, from búi (“dweller”), from búa (“to dwell”).

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 1 syllable
Ending: ends I

Canuto

Borrowed from Medieval Latin Canūtus, Latinized form of Anglo-Norman *Canut or Kenut, itself from Old Norse Knútr.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 3 syllables
Ending: ends O

Cnut

From Middle English Knout, from Old English Cnut, from Old Norse Knútr.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 1 syllable
Ending: ends T

Crosby

From Old Norse kross (“cross”) + býr (“settlement”).

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends Y

Dag

From Old Norse dagr (“day”), with identical meaning in modern Swedish. A runic name revived since 1863.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 1 syllable
Ending: ends G

Dane

From Middle English Dane, from Old Norse danir or Old English Dene. Both forms ultimately descend from Proto-Germanic *daniz.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 1 syllable
Ending: ends E

Dynja

From Old Norse dynr.

Gender: feminine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends A

Dýri

Inherited from Old Norse Dýri, derived from dýr (“animal, beast”), from Proto-Germanic *deuzą. Cognate with Norwegian Bokmål Dyre.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends I

Eerik

From Old Norse Eiríkr, literally meaning “ever ruler, eternal ruler”. Brought to Finland as an Old Swedish saint's name in the Middle Ages. Cognate to Swedish Erik and English…

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends K

Eerika

Early 20th century feminine form of Eerik, modern form probably via Swedish Erika. Variant of the older Eriika and Erika.

Gender: feminine
Syllables: 3 syllables
Ending: ends A

Eerikki

A vernacular form of Eerik (“Eric”).

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 3 syllables
Ending: ends I

Eero

a male given name from Old Norse, variant of Eerik, Eerikki, Erik, or Erkki, equivalent to English Eric

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends O

Egill

From Old Norse Egill, from Proto-Germanic *Agilaz.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends L

Einar

From Old Norse Einarr.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends R

Einari

Vernacular form of Swedish Einar, from Old Norse Einarr (probably meaning “one warrior”).

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 3 syllables
Ending: ends I

Ejnar

Learned borrowing from Old Norse Einarr, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz (“one”) and *harjaz (“warrior”). Cognate with Faroese, Icelandic, and Norwegian Nynorsk Einar, and Swedish…

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends R

Erica

A feminine form of Eric, ultimately from Old Norse. The name has also been associated with the flower genus. Borrowed from English Erica.

Gender: feminine
Syllables: 3 syllables
Ending: ends A

Erich

a male given name from Old Norse, variant of Eric or Erik, feminine equivalent Erica or Erika, equivalent to English Eric

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends H

Eriika

Variant of Eerika, Eriikka.

Gender: feminine
Syllables: 3 syllables
Ending: ends A

Erik

A spelling variant of Eric, or directly borrowed from modern Swedish Erik. Variant of Eerik. Ultimately, from Old Norse Eiríkr.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends K

Érik

a male given name from Old Norse or the Germanic languages, variant of Éric

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends K

Erika

Spelling variant of Erica, the feminine form of Eric, or borrowed directly from modern Scandinavia, ultimately from Old Norse Eiríkr. Older variant of Eerika.

Gender: feminine
Syllables: 3 syllables
Ending: ends A

Érika

Feminine form of Éric, ultimately from Old Norse.

Gender: feminine
Syllables: 3 syllables
Ending: ends A

Erkki

A medieval vernacular form of Eerik (“Eric”).

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends I

Erlendur

From Old Norse Erlendr, of uncertain origin. Connection with erlendur (“foreign”) uncertain.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 3 syllables
Ending: ends R

Esko

From Eskel, ultimately from Swedish Eskil, name of a medieval saint (an archbishop), from Old Norse Áskell.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends O

Finnur

From Old Norse Finnr. Cognate with Faroese Finnur and Norwegian Finn.

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends R

Fleming

From Middle English flameng, from late Old Norse Flæmingi, from Old Norse Flǽmingr, Middle Dutch Vlaminc, Vleminc, from Old Frisian (unattested) (compare West Frisian Flaming),…

Gender: masculine
Syllables: 2 syllables
Ending: ends G