Norwegian female names and their meanings. Scandinavian female names and their meaning

The distant past firmly connects the history of our homeland with Scandinavian female names. Their sonority, severity and special charm refer to the era of formation, immersed in gray times. Russian statehood, the images of the first rulers and rulers of the earth are resurrected. Some Scandinavian female names popular in our country even now.

Regions of Scandinavia on the map

Scandinavia is a region in northern Europe that includes three countries - Sweden, Norway and Denmark. In a broader, historical and cultural sense, Scandinavia also includes Finland, Iceland and the islands of the North Atlantic. The Scandinavian languages (Swedish, Norwegian and Danish) have a common origin - the Old Norse language, which explains the closeness of many Scandinavian female names and the similarity of their meanings.

Naming traditions among the ancient Scandinavians

The Old Norse language belongs to the Germanic language branch, and for a long time, until the 9th century, this language was spoken by all the peoples of Scandinavia. Most Old Norse literary works was written in Old Icelandic.

IN early middle ages The naming traditions of the ancient Scandinavians differed little from similar traditions among other European peoples: there was practically no difference between a nickname and a personal name. Single-compound names are most often a definition of some quality of a newborn or an adult: “strong”, “small”, “beloved”, “hairy”, etc. There were also abstract names - “battle”, “rock”, “bear” ", "wolf", etc.

Most of the Old Norse naming vocabulary consisted of two-part names. A similar tradition existed not only among the ancient Germanic tribes, but also among the Celts and Slavs. Two-part Scandinavian names are no different in structure from Slavic ones, such as Svyatoslav, Vyacheslav, Vsevolod. The most common Old Norse “building blocks” of names: “deity”, “wolf”, “bear”, “eagle”, “raven”, “heir”, “pledge”, “protection”, “fence”, “glorious”, “friend” "", "peace", "beautiful", "strong", "forest", "mystery", "rune", "sword", "helmet", "spear".

Names constructed in this way turned out to be sonorous and long, consisting of four or more letters. Their meaning amazes with the strength and menacing meanings. Even female names impress with their energy and severity. You can verify this from the list below.

List of Old Norse female names and their meanings:

Arnfasta - fast eagle;
Arnkatla – eagle + helmet;
Arleg – eagle + fire;
Arnleif – eagle + heir;
Arnora – eagle + Thor;
Audhelga – prosperity + wealth;
Auda – prosperity;
Aldis – elf + maiden;
Alev – ancestor + descendant;
Astrid – deity + beautiful;
Asgerda – deity + protection;
Bera - she-bear;
Bergdis – help+virgin;
Borga – protection;
Bothilda – medicine + battle;
Gerd – protection;
Inga – short form on behalf of the god of fertility;
Ingeborga – name of the god of fertility + help;
Ingrid – name of the god of fertility + beautiful;
Kata – joyful;
Kolla – joyful;
Lyuva - sweetheart;
Rowdy – red;
Rune - secret, rune;
Saldis – sun + goddess;
Sigga - victory;
Svana – swan;
Tura - Thor, the god of thunder;
Tobba – Thor+keep;
Torfrida – Thor+beautiful;
Thorgrima - Thor + helmet;
Thorhilda – Thor+battle;
Labor – Valkyrie, daughter of Thor and Sif;
Una - to be happy;
Fasti – strong;
Folki - people;
Freya - ruler;
Frida – beautiful;
Frigg is the name of Odin's wife;
Halla – rock;
Helga – sacred, holy;
Edda is a great-grandmother.

Acceptance of Christianity and names

The father gave the name to the newborn, thereby making the naming process a recognition of the child's right to life. Two-part names could contain parts of the father's and mother's names.

The Scandinavian name book was very rich, so christian names didn't get along well. The Scandinavians ignored them even after baptism, they either kept them secret or used pagan nicknames. The Christian Church could not come to terms with this and tried to oust pagan names using a variety of methods.

The simplest one turned out to be the most effective: over time, the church canonized several Scandinavian saints, their names were included in the calendar and, accordingly, gradually began to spread widely.

In Iceland, Christianization took place peacefully, so Christian concepts were included in the elements of two-part names.

Modern Scandinavian girl names

It should be noted that Scandinavian culture has always stood out for its pronounced originality. There are even special kind crossword puzzle - a scanword puzzle that differs from a traditional crossword puzzle in a large number of intersections of words vertically and horizontally. Images and photographs can be used instead of letters. One of the favorite questions of scanword readers is the question of the meaning of Scandinavian female names, which most often have a significant number of letters. These are names like:

Agnetha is a saint;
Adeline – noble;
Astrid – beautiful;
Birgitta – sublime;
Borghilda – benefit + maiden;
Brunnhilde is a female warrior in armor;
Vigdis - goddess of war;
Wilhelm - protected by a helmet;
Gerda – protection;
Guda – kind;
Goodhild - good fight;
Ilva is a she-wolf;
Ingrid - protection of the king;
Inga – domineering;
Matilda – strong in battle;
Ranghilda - battle of defenders;
Svanhilda - the smitten swan;
Sigrid is a wonderful victory;
Sigrun - the secret of victory;
Siri is a wonderful victory;
Solveig - a ray of sunshine;
Ulla - prosperity, power;
Ulrika – prosperity, power;
Frida – peaceful;
Helga is a saint;
Henrika – housekeeper;
Hilda - battle;
Hulda – keeping a secret;
Erica is the ruler.

You can see more lists on Wikipedia.

Modern naming traditions in Scandinavia

Meanwhile, in modern Sweden and Denmark, the most common female names are not at all Scandinavian origin. Their source is either church calendar, or the cultures of other peoples.

In Sweden, the most popular female names are Elizabeth, Margareta, Eva, Karin, Emma, Sarah. Only one name of Old Norse origin - Ingrid - is among the top ten common names.

In Denmark, the picture is similar: among the most common are Anna, Kristen, Suzanne, Maria, Marianne, Karen, Camilla, Charlotte, Louise, Emma, Maya, Isabella, Clara, Laura. From the Scandinavian ones - Inga, Inger, Freya.

In Norway and Iceland the situation is somewhat different; in these countries, traditional Scandinavian names are still popular. Thus, in Norway, out of 10 common female names, they were of “domestic” origin - Inga, Liv, Ingrid, Solveig, Astrid, Björg.

In Iceland, names mentioned in ancient sagas are still in use, and the choice of name is regulated by the Icelandic Naming Committee. There is an official list of accepted names, and all foreign names are strictly selected for compatibility with the Icelandic language.

Common Icelandic girl names of Scandinavian origin include:

The name was given to a person from birth for a reason. And in the Viking era, the Scandinavians, and the Russians in the era Kievan Rus(these eras practically coincide in time) they gave names to their children that had a certain meaning, which could influence the character and fate of a person, therefore they approached the choice of a name for a child with the utmost seriousness, because it was an important and responsible matter.

Each name had its own meaning; in Scandinavia during the Viking Age, children were named native language and everyone understood what each name meant and what could be expected from this or that person.

It is quite possible that many peoples of the world originally came up with just this in a simple way names for their children, calling them by natural names in honor surrounding nature, give the children a name-characteristic (strong, smart, fast, calm), giving the child certain properties that parents would like to see in him (reasonable, wise), giving him a direction in life: warrior, protector, farmer. Each name in the language of a certain people sounds incomprehensible to another people who speak a completely different language. But each name has its own meaning.

Viking names and their meanings

Names could influence the life and fate of a person, the idea of him that others had.

By the way, it is interesting that the name given to the child at birth by the parents was not always assigned to him for life. Often, due to certain qualities of a person, they began to call him differently, adding a nickname to his name or completely replacing the name given at birth with another, more suitable one. Also, over time, he could have acquired a nickname, for example, Harald Bluetooth (where Bluetooth was a nickname). By the way, bluetooth technology was named after King Harald Bluetooth.

Old Norse names were in some cases the same for both women and men, and they were also spelled the same, unlike modern names (for example, the feminine Eugenia and the masculine Eugene, the feminine Alexandra and men's Alexander), but the Vikings had it like this: Torleif - both a boy and a girl could be called this name. But there were also different names separately only for men, and separately for women.

Names of Viking warriors and warriors

Often, parents gave a name to their newborn that would embody the qualities that they would like to see when the child grows up and matures. For example, male names for boys who were supposed to become protectors of the family, clan and community. By the way, this custom is still followed today, when parents, before giving their child a name, choose a name that is suitable for its meaning. Also, our parents often call by that name, precisely according to the child’s birthday, and call him by the name of the saint whom the church honors on this day (Angel or Saint’s Day).

What was protection for a Viking, or for any warrior? First of all, these are, of course, his weapons and personal protective equipment, so the names could also mean weapons.

Hróðgeirr - Hrodgeir (spear of glory),
Eiríkr - Eirik (very powerful and strong),
Broddi - Broddi (point),
Egill - Egil (blade),
Styrr - Styur (battle),
Ulf - Ulf or Wulf (wolf), there was also the name Ulvi (also meant Wolf),
Uggi - Ugg (scary),
Beinir - Beinir (helper),
Skúli - Skuli (defender),
Leifr - Leif (heir),
Tryggvi - Tryggvi (faithful, reliable),
Bruni - Sturdy (armor)
Erna - Erna (skillful),
Hlíf - Khliv (female name, meaning shield),
Björg - Bjorg (salvation, protection),
Una - Una (friend, satisfied).
Einarr - Einar (a lone warrior who always fights alone).
Hildr - Hild (female name, means battle). Often Hild was integral part various female names.
Gunnar - Battle sword,
Ari – Ari or Örn - Ern (eagle),
Birnir and Björn - Birnir and Björn (bear),
Ormr - Orm (serpent),
Ulf - Ulf or Wulf (wolf),
Valr - Val (falcon),
Knútr - Whip (knot),
Bera or Birna - Bera or Birna (bear),
Hrefna - Hrefna (crow).

The times during the Viking Age in the Scandinavian countries were not easy; almost every man became, whether he wanted it or not, a real warrior in order to protect his family, his clan, his clan, his community from encroachments on the native lands of strangers. There were few fertile lands in Norway, but everyone needed it, so conflicts and wars periodically arose between the clans. Every boy with early years studied the military craft in order to be able to protect himself and his loved ones, his land, therefore, names for boys (and girls too, because some of them could become excellent warriors) were often given names that would characterize him as a glorious warrior. In addition, by carrying out raids, the Vikings enriched themselves, bringing slaves and gold to the family from the raid. After several raids, you can become a merchant and significantly improve the situation of the whole family, because money was needed at all times, and silver Arab dirham coins were found in Scandinavia quite a bit of. Therefore, the war was not only defensive. In addition, at all times, men have been associated with protection and weapons. The man is a warrior! The militant character and fighting spirit for the boy, and then for the man, were not negative characteristics at that difficult time.

Viking nicknames

Not always a name given to the child at birth, remained with him for the rest of his life. Very often, Vikings received names and nicknames that were more suitable for them, which were more appropriate for them as adults. Such nicknames could complement the name, or could completely replace it. Nicknames in adulthood could be given to a Viking in accordance with his character, his occupation, his appearance (they could give a name based on his hair or eyes at the birth of a child as well), according to his social status and even their origin.

Nicknames that could have been given by parents at birth or by acquaintances, friends or fellow tribesmen in adulthood:

Atli - Atli (rough),
Floki - Floki (curly, curly),
Fróði - Frodi (wise, learned),
Hödd - Hödd (woman with very beautiful hair),
Höskuldr - Höskuld (gray-haired),
Kára - Kara (curly),
Barði - Bardi (bearded),
Narfi - Narvi (thin and even skinny),
Hrappr or Hvati - Hrapp or Hvati (fast, ardent),
Rauðr - Raud (red),
Erna - Erna (skillful),
Gestr - Guest (guest),
Glum - Glum (dark-eyed),
Sveinn - Svein (youth, guy, boy, servant),

Viking names after gods

The Vikings adhered to the ancient pagan belief of Asatru (loyalty to the Aesir), according to which there was a pantheon of gods who were ordinary people, but became gods for their heroism and perseverance, thanks to physical and spiritual strength. The Vikings and ancient Scandinavians took the gods as an example and wanted to be like them, as brave, strong, and beautiful, so the names were often associated with the gods, with the names of the main gods. Children in the Viking Age, in those distant pagan times, were called names that were associated with one or another god, thereby entrusting the fate of their child to him.

In Iceland, and in Scandinavian countries(Denmark, Norway, Sweden) most often dedicated their children to the god Thor. But they were also dedicated to other great gods, for example, Frey. Children could also be dedicated to all the gods in general. For example, Ragn in translation meant power, gods. Vé - the meaning in translation was as follows: pagan sanctuary, sacred. Both male and female names were derived from these words.

Female and male names in honor of the gods:

Inga - Inga,
Heimdallr - in honor of the god Heimdallr
Freydís - Freydis (dis of Frey or Freya),
Ingvör (Yngvör) - Ingver (in charge of Yngvi),
Torova – Torah (female name, in honor of Thor),
Þorleif - Thorleif (heiress of Thor, abandoned by Thor),
Þórunn - Torunn (Thor's favorite),
Ragn(h)eiðr - Ragnade (female name, meaning: honor of the gods),
Véfríðr - Vefrid (female name: sacred protection).
Þorvör - Torver (knowing (power) of the Torah).

Ingi - Ingi,
Ingimundr - Ingimund (hand of Ingvi),
Freysteinn - Freystein (Freyr's stone),
Ingolfr - Ingolf (Ingvi's wolf),
Torov - Thorir (male name, in honor of Thor),
Þorbrandr - Thorbrand (Thor's sword),
Þorbjörn - Thorbjorn (Thor's bear),
Þorkell - Thorkell (Thor's helmet),
Þorleifr - Thorleif (heir of Thor, abandoned by Thor),
Ragnarr - Ragnar (male name, meaning: army of the gods),
Þorsteinn - Torstein (Thor's stone),

Name in honor of glorious ancestors

There were also family names, one might say, the predecessors of surnames. Children often received names in honor of their deceased ancestors, whose spirit was reborn in a new member of his own clan, with this name the child entered the world of his clan, his family, his clan and tribe. The Scandinavians believed in the transmigration of souls, but this could only happen within one family, among blood relatives and descendants. The name was given only to those relatives who had already died, otherwise one might get into trouble. Naming a child after an existing, living relative was strictly prohibited, and even now it is very Bad sign: It is believed that someone with the same name may have a very short life due to this reason.

Hello again! Today we will tell you about beautiful Swedish female names. Unlike the selection, where we presented mainly statistical data for 2011 and 2012 and did not talk about their significance.

In this collection we will tell you about female names of Scandinavian origin and their meanings!

Begin!

AGATA: Italian and Spanish form of the name, derived from Latin Agatha, which means “good, kind.”
ADELA: Latin form of Germanic Adala, means “noble”. Used by the Danes and Swedes.
AGDA: Swedish form from Latin Agatha, means “good, kind.”
AGNETA: Danish and Swedish form of Greek Hagne, means “chaste, holy.”
AGNETTA: Variation from Swedish Agneta, also meaning “chaste, holy.”
ALVA: Swedish feminine form of the old Norwegian name Alf, meaning "Elf".
ANIKA: Variation of the Swedish name Annika, meaning "sweet, graceful."
ANNALISA: Danish and Swedish variation of the name from the Scandinavian Annelise, meaning: "graceful, gracious" and "God is my oath"
ANNBORG: Norwegian and Swedish form of Old Norse Arnbjorg, meaning "under the protection of the eagle."
ANNEKA: Variant of Swedish Annika, meaning "sweet, graceful."
ANNIKA: Swedish version from the German Anniken, meaning "sweet, graceful".
ARNBORG: Swedish form of Old Norse Arnbjorg, meaning "under the protection of the eagle."
ARNBORGH: Old form from Swedish Arnborg, meaning "protected by the eagle."
ÅSA: Swedish form of Icelandic Ása, meaning "God".
ÅSLÖG: Swedish form of Old Norse Áslaug, meaning "God-betrothed woman."
ASRID: Swedish version from the Scandinavian Astrid, meaning "Divine Beauty".
AUDA: Swedish version from Old Norse Auðr, meaning "Very fertile, rich."
BAREBRA: Old Swedish form of the name from the Greek Barbara, meaning "foreign, unfamiliar."
BATILDA: Swedish form of Old German Bathilda, meaning "to fight".
BENEDIKTA: Swedish feminine form of the Scandinavian name Benedikt, meaning "Sacred".
BENGTA: Feminine form of the Swedish name Bengt, meaning "Blessed One".
BOTHILD: Swedish form from Scandinavian Bodil, meaning "Revenge Fight".
CAJSA: Variant derived from Swedish Kajsa, meaning "Pure".
CHARLOTTA: Swedish form of French Charlotte, meaning "Person".
DAHLIA: An English name derived from the name of a flower, from the surname of the Swedish botanist Anders Dahl, meaning "valley", hence "Dahl's Flower" or "Valley Flower".
EMELIE: Swedish form of the English name Emily, meaning "Competing".
FREDRIKA: Feminine form of Norwegian/Swedish Fredrik, meaning "Peaceful Ruler".
FREJA: Danish and Swedish form of Old Norse Freyja, meaning "lady, mistress".
FRÖJA: Old Swedish form of Old Norse Freyja, meaning "lady, mistress".
GARD: Swedish form of the Old Norse name Gerðr, meaning "enclosure, citadel".
GERDI: Danish and Swedish form of Old Norse Gerðr, meaning "enclosure, citadel".
GERDY: Norwegian and Swedish form of Old Norse Gerðr, meaning "enclosure, citadel".
GITTAN: Swedish diminutive from Scandinavian Birgitta, meaning "exalted".
GRETA: Short form of Danish/Swedish Margareta, meaning "mother-of-pearl".
GULLA
GULLAN: Diminutive name from the Danish-Swedish Gunilla, meaning "Battle".
GUNILLA: Danish and Swedish variant from Scandinavian Gunhild, meaning "Battle".
HELGI: Swedish diminutive from Icelandic Helga, meaning "holy;" dedicated to the gods,” like the male Helgi.
HILLEVI: Finnish and Swedish form of Germanic Heilwig.
IDE: Danish and Swedish form of Icelandic Iða, meaning "industrious".
JANNIKE: Feminine form of Swedish Jannik meaning "God is merciful".
KAI: Variant of Swedish Kaj meaning "pure".
KAIA: Variant of the Swedish/Danish name Kaja, meaning "pure".
K.A.J.: Short form of the Swedish Katerina, meaning "pure".
KAJA: Danish and Swedish diminutive form of the Scandinavian name Katharina, meaning "pure".
KAJSA: Diminutive form of Swedish Kaj, meaning "pure".
KARIN: Short form of Swedish Katerin, meaning "pure".
KATARINA: Swedish form of Greek Aikaterine, meaning "pure". This name is also used in Germany, Hungary, and a variety of Slavic countries.
KATERIN: An old Swedish name, derived from the Greek Aikaterine, meaning "pure".
KATERINA: Swedish form from Scandinavian Katharina, meaning "pure".
KATINA: Short form of Swedish Katarina, meaning "pure".
KERSTIN: Swedish form from Latin name Christina, meaning "Believer" or "follower of Christ".
KIA: A diminutive name from the Swedish Kerstin, meaning "Believer" or "follower of Christ."
KJERSTIN: Norwegian or Swedish form of the Latin name Christina, meaning "Believer" or "Follower of Christ".
KRISTA: Swedish diminutive of the Latin Kristina, meaning "Believer" or "follower of Christ".
LINN: Short name from Swedish Linnéa, meaning "Twin Flower".
LINNÉA: Swedish form of Latin Linnaea, meaning "Twin Flower".
LOTTA: Short form from Swedish Charlotte.
LOVISA: Female version from the Swedish name Love, meaning "famous warrior".
MALIN: Swedish name, derived from the Latin Magdalena.
MARGARETA: Danish and Swedish variant of the Scandinavian name Margaretha, meaning "Mother-of-Pearl".
MARIT: Norwegian and Swedish form of the name from the Greek Margarites meaning "Mother-of-pearl".
MARNA: Swedish form of the Roman Marina, meaning: "From the sea".
MARTA: Swedish form of the English name Margaret, meaning "Mother-of-Pearl".
M.I.A.: Danish and Swedish diminutive name from the Latin Maria, meaning "stubbornness" or "their rebellion."
MIKAELA: Feminine form of Mikael, meaning "Who is like God?"
M.Y.: Swedish diminutive from the Latin Maria, meaning "stubbornness" or "their rebellion."
NEA: Short form from Swedish Linnéa.
NILSINE: Feminine form of the Swedish name Nils, which means "Winner"
ODA: Swedish form of the Old Norse name Auðr, meaning "Deeply Rich".
OTTALIE: Swedish form of German Ottilia meaning "Abounding".
OTTILIE: Variant of the Swedish name Ottalie, meaning "Abounding One".
PERNILLA: Swedish form of Roman Latin Petronilla, meaning "Small rock/stone"
RAGNILD: Swedish variant of the Scandinavian name Ragnhild, meaning "combat advisor".
REBECKA: Swedish form of Greek Rhebekka.
SASSA: Diminutive form of the Swedish name Asrid, meaning "Beautiful God"
SOFIA: Variation of the Greek name Sophia, meaning "Wisdom, common sense" This form of the name is widely used throughout Europe - by Finns, Italians, Germans, Norwegians, Portuguese and Swedes.
SOLVIG: Swedish form of the Old Norse name Solveig, meaning "Strong house, dwelling."
SUSANN: Swedish form of the Scandinavian name Susanna, meaning "Lily".
SVANHILDA: Swedish variant of the Scandinavian name Svanhild.
SVEA: Swedish name, derived from Svea rike ("Empire of the Swedes").
TERESIA: German and Swedish form of spanish name Teresa.
THORBJÖRG: Swedish variation of Icelandic Torbjörg, meaning "Defense of Thor".
THORBORG: Danish and Swedish variation of Icelandic Torbjörg, meaning "Defense of Thor".
THORFRIDH
THORRIDH: Old Swedish form of the Old Norse name Torríðr, meaning "Beauty of Thor".
TORBJÖRG: Old Swedish form of the Old Norse name Torbjörg, meaning "Defense of Thor".
TOHRILDA: Swedish and Norwegian variation of the Scandinavian name Torhild, meaning "Thor's Fight."
TOVA: Swedish variation of the Scandinavian name Tove, meaning "Thor" or "Thunder."
TYRI: Swedish variant from Old Norse Tyri, meaning "Army of Thor".
ULVA: Swedish form of Icelandic Úlfa, meaning "She-Wolf".
VALDIS: Swedish and Norwegian form of the Old Norse name Valdís, meaning "Goddess of the Fallen in Battle."
VALLBORG: Swedish variant of the Scandinavian name Valborg, meaning "Rescuing those killed in battle."
VENDELA: Feminine form from Norwegian/Swedish Vendel, meaning "moving, wandering", referring to the migrating Slavs in the 6th century.
VIVA: Norwegian and Swedish short name from Scandinavian Vivianne, meaning “alive; lively".
VIVEKA: Swedish form of the Germanic name Wibeke, meaning "War".

To be continued…

Translation was carried out by Arkady Karlkvist. When copying, please put a link to this page. If you have your own collections, then send links to them, we will post them on this page.

If you notice any inaccuracies, please report them below in the comments.

Also share your opinions - what names do you like?

The way children were called in Scandinavia has a deep history. Only the head, the father, had the right to name a newborn in the family. He also had the right to refuse the child or accept him. At birth, children were given names that had a connection with the family's ancestors.

The Normans liked to combine names from the names of deities and additional words. For example, Ingeborg is under the protection of Inga, the god of fertility. It was believed that the girl named so would be under the protection of the deity.

The Vikings, throughout life path the name could change more than once. Usually, the name was changed to a more suitable one when the child grew up, showed character and distinctive features. There are a huge number of Viking names, but they come in two types: one-part or two-part.

Single-compound ones: Guda - good, Osk - desirable, could characterize any qualities or character traits. Or talk about external qualities, designate animals. Two-part ones are more complex in construction. They often consist of the names of gods, mythological characters, or simply characterize the warrior. For example, Ingimudr is the hand of the goddess Freya, and Thordis is the beloved of Thor.

The names of the Viking gods were used by their worshipers to create new names. Such names consisted of two or more parts, where one part was the name of one of the Gods. For example, the main god of the Vikings was Odin. From the name of God Thor, the Thunderer, many names came from, like Torborg - protected by Thor. Sif was the name of the Thunderer’s wife, and their children: boys Modi, Magni and girl Trud, a Valkyrie. Freya was the divine embodiment of eroticism and everything magical.

Religious names that included the word As - God, were popular among girls, for example Astrid - divine power, Asveig - the path of God.

What's unusual is that Both male and female names were interpreted almost identically. It was popular to convey in a name such qualities as courage, strength, courage, which was also applicable to girls. For example, Brynhild is a woman warrior, Gudhild is a glorious battle. The girls were given the names of the heroines of the Scandinavian epic.

Change history

The mythical culture that existed before the adoption of Christianity in the fifth century BC strongly influenced how the Scandinavian countries named their children.

The inscriptions preserved on ancient runes indicate how territorially certain names were spread. Many names were found throughout Scandinavia, but some were distributed regionally.

Germanic myths told of the worship of nature, which is why many names had “animal” designations. For girls, for example, Hrefna is a crow. Other natural aspects, such as elements of the elements, also found use in the reprimand of girls, for example, Una - wave.

Thanks to the ability to change the name (more than once) throughout life, it was possible to indicate special features of a person or his character. This became possible during the period of growing up or as a result of some unusual act.

If the father accepted the child, he had to name the name. Often girls born gave the names of already deceased female ancestors. This was done in order to strengthen the power of the clan, since it was believed that all the energy of the ancestors who had the same name would be embedded in the child.

It was fashionable among the ancient Scandinavians to take nicknames, which were later mixed with their real name. For example, a famous witch had the nickname Kolgrima, which stands for black mask. The name Victoria, meaning victory, perfectly reflected the individuality of its owner.

Religion left its mark on the formation of ancient Scandinavian names. With the advent of Christianity, new trends in choosing names for children appeared. Names with Christian motives were perceived vaguely by the people. The name of the child at baptism was kept secret. In everyday life they used a second name, which has a more understandable meaning in Scandinavian society.

Most of all, people from military families, where such names were given if the child was born illegally, were most dissatisfied with the need to name the child in a Christian way. Over time, women's names have been replenished with new variations. Many of them are still popular today:

Christina is a devotee of Christ.
Evelyn is the first woman.
Elizabeth - appointed by the Lord.

Difference between ancient and modern names is as follows. Because of huge amount battles, the names of girls for a long time bore a “military” imprint. It used to be popular to give girls names of characters from legends and fairy tales. IN modern realities When choosing a name, they are guided by other criteria. Nowadays it is fashionable to choose feminine, euphonious names, the meanings of which speak about the best feminine qualities and differences. For example, some are popular in our homeland.

The northern peoples themselves are placed in difficult conditions by nature, so for a long time they have become accustomed to living harmoniously and solving problems amicably. And the tradition of giving children certain names comes from the distant past, which is why so many of them are not just beautiful and sonorous, but also ancient. Let's get acquainted with male and female Scandinavian names, their meaning and origin.

general information

Like many other peoples, Scandinavians believe that the name, given to a person at birth, will largely determine his fate, endow him with certain qualities. Therefore, they make their choice very responsibly. Most of the Scandinavian names are associated with the mythological views of the northerners; many variants come from the names of animal objects and flora, often there are two parts in the composition, each of which brings its own shade of meaning.

For men

The inhabitants of the north, proud Vikings, led a dangerous life, full of bloody wars and magnificent feasts, where wine flowed like a river. To some, such a world may seem barbaric, to others - filled with romance. In any case, such traditions could not but affect male Scandinavian names, each of which endowed its owner with certain character traits. Here are some examples:

Agmund - protector from punishment.
Alfgeir - elf spear.
Anders is brave.
Ansgar is the spear of the Aesir, the supreme deities of the Scandinavian pantheon who inhabit Asgard. At their head was the great Odin.
Bernt is fearless.
Vardy is a devoted friend who can help in any situation.
Westgeir means western spear. There was also a Scandinavian male name, Westmar, meaning “land of the West.”
Georg is a land owner.
Goody is a good guy.
Dyarvi is a daredevil.
Ingemar - earned his fame in battles.
Olaf is the heir.
Steinmod is a stone that bestows courage.
Eyvind is the wind that brings happiness.

These are the male northern names, but it should be noted that this is by no means a complete list of them. Scandinavians are amazingly inventive, which is why their names for boys are unusual, beautiful, and noble.

Mighty animal theme

Often, the primary source of Scandinavian male names were representatives of the fauna world, who earned respectful treatment in the creation of fearless northerners. Here are some examples:

Arnbjorn - eagle and bear, a person named so was endowed with courage, fearlessness, and readiness to go into battle with the strongest enemy.
Arnulf is the wolf eagle, also the name of a true warrior, seasoned in battle and ready to risk his life.
Asbjorn is the bear of the Aesir, the animal was revered in the north as a powerful companion of the gods, sometimes even Odin appeared in his guise.
Audulv - a rich wolf, consists of two roots - “aud” - prosperity, “ulv” - wolf.
Bjorn is just a bear, but Vebjorn is a name meaning "holy bear."
Valgard - protection of the falcon.
Grinolf is a green wolf. Gunnulv is a wolf who takes part in battles. Ingovolv - the king's wolf.
Jon is a dove.
Kjarval is a peaceful whale.
Orm is a snake.
Svan is a snow-white swan.
Ulvbjorn - wolf-bear.
Hauk is a hawk bird.

It was believed that similar names endow the boy with valor and courage, which, of course, could help him become a real warrior and take his place in the halls of Valhalla after a heroic death in battle. Now times have changed, so such old Scandinavian names are not held in high esteem, they have given way to more modern European options.

Beautiful options for girls

Of course, women in the north are no less hardy than men, so often the meaning of their names also came from animals or birds, for which the struggle for existence is a common state. Here are examples of female Scandinavian names:

Adela is noble.
Astrid - divine beauty.
Benedicta is a shrine.
Brynhild is a warrior.
Vigdis is the deity of war.
Ingeborga - rushing to the rescue.
Inga is domineering.
Kia is a believer.
Rebecca is alluring, leading into a trap.
Svanhild, Svanhild - battle of the swan.
Susanna is a noble lily.
Freya is the ruler.
Hilda - battle, battle.

The names are very diverse and unusual. It should be noted that the barbaric pagan traditions turned out to be so strong that even the adoption of Christianity could not change the traditional Scandinavian female names; they retained their relevance. The Church, seeing that the northerners categorically refused to name their children in honor of the saints, resorted to a trick: some heroes of Scandinavia were canonized, so their names were included in the name books. Until now, in Norway and Denmark, girls are sometimes called very beautifully and unusually. Some of the options were even used by Slavic peoples.

Sound options for real men and true ladies

Among the names of Scandinavian origin, there are many beautiful, modern ones that can be used to name boys, not even necessarily northerners. There are quite a few examples, some of them are presented in the table.

These are the variants of names for men and women that came from the Scandinavian countries. They sound beautiful, have a worthy meaning, so they are often used not only in the north, but also in Europe, America and even Russia. Many Scandinavian names have a formidable, warlike meaning associated with religion or battle. It is possible to note such a feature of the names - the presence of one or two syllables, three and more complex variants are extremely rare.

For the strongest women

In the list of beautiful Scandinavian names there are many that sound very unusual, for example, Auda, which means “prosperity”. It is interesting that even the variations for girls among the proud northerners are imbued with the spirit of war, physical strength and weapons. Here are some examples:

Arnkatla - eagle helmet.
Asgerda - protection of the deity.
Bera is a bear.
Sigga is a winner.
Una is a lucky girl.
Frigga - wife supreme god Odin.

These are some female names in Scandinavia.

Features of construction and use

Regardless of the gender of the newborn, it fell to the father to name him, but often the child’s name contained two components at once, from the father and from the mother. Even modern variations have managed to preserve their beauty and originality, since the northerners did not follow the beaten European path, but preferred to honor age-old traditions. That is why names such as Birgitta - towering, Vigdis - under the protection of the goddess of war, Ylva - she-wolf, Henrika - a zealous housewife, housekeeper, Hulda - keeping a secret - have been preserved.

However, Scandinavian names do not always have such a long history and deep meaning. Some residents of Denmark and Sweden call their daughters Anna, Maria, Christina, Elisabeth, Eva - these options are popular all over the world.

Modern tendencies

Interestingly, the culture of the name has been preserved to the greatest extent in Iceland, where there is a naming committee that strictly monitors how babies are named and can prohibit the use of one or another foreign name. In this country, it is highly desirable to use the ancient variations that were mentioned back in folk epic. But Swedes and Norwegians often turn to borrowings from England and France.

So we found out that most of Scandinavian names refer to those times when people believed in formidable gods and magical connection man with an animal - totem. This is why so many boys and girls have a direct connection with some kind of patron animal, most often endowed with strength, power and courage. Of course, modernity has invaded the traditions of naming children, so beautiful-sounding ancient names are becoming less and less popular, giving way to pan-European ones.