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Scandinavia and the North

Swedish names

158 names used by Swedish families, arranged by the age in which each first appears, oldest first.

AllGirlsBoys

The Biblical WorldAbout 1200 BC to AD 100

AnnaGirlGreek and Latin form of Hebrew Ḥannah, 'grace, favour'.Biblical · peak 1891

TobiasBoyGreek form of Hebrew Toviyyah, 'YHWH is good'.Biblical · peak 2016

Ancient Greece800 BC to 146 BC

LinusBoyUncertain. Possibly from linon 'flax', or from the ritual lament ailinon.Greece · peak 2017

Ancient Rome750 BC to AD 476

AemiliaGirlFeminine of Aemilius, a Roman family name of uncertain origin; ancient writers linked it to aemulus 'rival'. It is…Rome

AemiliusBoyRoman family name of uncertain origin; ancient writers linked it to aemulus 'rival'.Rome

CamillaGirlFeminine of Camillus, 'attendant at religious rites'.Rome · peak 2019

FeliciaGirlFeminine of Felix 'lucky, happy'.Rome · peak 1986

FelixBoyLatin felix, 'lucky, happy'.Rome · peak 2020

LuciaGirlFeminine of Lucius, which Roman writers linked to lux 'light'.Rome · peak 2019

PiaGirlLatin pia 'dutiful, devout'.Rome · peak 2020

The Early Middle Ages400 to 800

AnsgarBoyFrom Germanic ans 'god' and ger 'spear'.Early Medieval · forgotten

ChristinaGirlLatin christiana, 'Christian, follower of Christ'.Early Medieval · peak 1978

ChristopherBoyGreek Christophoros, 'bearing Christ'.Early Medieval · peak 1984

HildaGirlShort form of names containing Germanic hild 'battle'.Early Medieval · peak 1903

KarlBoyFrom Germanic karl 'man, free man'.Early Medieval · peak 1963

MargaretGirlGreek margaritēs, 'pearl', a word probably borrowed from Persian.Early Medieval · peak 1907

OttoBoyGermanic, from od/aud 'wealth, prosperity'.Early Medieval · peak 1880

TheclaGirlGreek Theokleia, 'glory of God' (theos 'god' and kleos 'glory').Early Medieval · forgotten

The Viking and Anglo-Saxon Age700 to 1100

AlfhildGirlFrom Old Norse álfr 'elf' and hildr 'battle'.Viking & Saxon · forgotten

ArvidBoyFrom Old Norse Arnviðr: ǫrn 'eagle' and viðr 'tree, wood'.Viking & Saxon · peak 1916

ÅsaGirlFrom Old Norse áss 'god' (one of the Æsir), often a short form of names in Ás-.Viking & Saxon · peak 1881

AsmundBoyFrom Old Norse áss 'god' and mundr 'protection' (or 'bride-price').Viking & Saxon · forgotten

AstridGirlFrom Old Norse Ástríðr: áss 'god' and fríðr 'beautiful, beloved'.Viking & Saxon · peak 2020

BjørnBoyFrom Old Norse bjǫrn 'bear'.Viking & Saxon · peak 2020

DagnýGirlFrom Old Norse dagr 'day' and ný 'new'.Viking & Saxon · peak 1901

EinarBoyFrom Old Norse einn 'one, alone' and herr 'army, warrior'.Viking & Saxon · peak 1915

ErikBoyFrom Old Norse Eiríkr, probably ei- 'ever, always' (or ein- 'one, alone') and ríkr 'ruler'.Viking & Saxon · peak 1980

FinnBoyFrom Old Norse Finnr 'a Finn or Sami'.Viking & Saxon · peak 2017

GuðrúnGirlFrom Old Norse guð 'god' and rún 'secret, rune'.Viking & Saxon

GunnarBoyFrom Old Norse gunnr 'battle' and herr 'army, warrior'.Viking & Saxon · peak 2015

GunnhildGirlFrom Old Norse gunnr 'battle' and hildr 'battle', a doubled war element.Viking & Saxon · forgotten

HåkonBoyUsually explained as Old Norse há 'high' and konr 'son, descendant'.Viking & Saxon

HaraldBoyFrom Old Norse Haraldr: herr 'army' and valdr 'ruler'.Viking & Saxon

HelgaGirlFrom Old Norse heilagr 'holy, sacred'.Viking & Saxon · peak 1899

HildeGirlFrom Old Norse hildr 'battle', also a short form of names ending in -hild.Viking & Saxon

HjalmarBoyFrom Old Norse hjalmr 'helmet' and herr 'army, warrior'.Viking & Saxon

IngaGirlA short form of names beginning with Ing-, the name of the god Yngvi-Freyr.Viking & Saxon · peak 1889

IngegerdGirlFrom the god-name Ing and Old Norse garðr 'enclosure, protection'.Viking & Saxon · forgotten

IngemarBoyFrom the god-name Ing and mærr 'famous'.Viking & Saxon · forgotten

IngvarBoyFrom the god-name Ing and herr 'army, warrior'.Viking & Saxon · forgotten

IvarBoyFrom Old Norse Ívarr, usually explained as ýr 'yew, bow' and herr 'army, warrior', though this is not certain.Viking & Saxon

KetillBoyFrom Old Norse ketill 'kettle, cauldron', possibly in the sense 'helmet'.Viking & Saxon · forgotten

KnudBoyFrom Old Norse knútr 'knot'.Viking & Saxon

LeifBoyFrom Old Norse leifr 'heir, descendant'.Viking & Saxon · peak 2020

OlavBoyFrom Old Norse Óláfr, from an older form combining anu 'ancestor' and leifr 'heir, descendant'.Viking & Saxon

OrmBoyFrom Old Norse ormr 'serpent, dragon'.Viking & Saxon · forgotten

ØysteinBoyFrom Old Norse ey 'island' (or perhaps 'luck') and steinn 'stone'; the first element is debated.Viking & Saxon

RagnarBoyFrom Old Norse regin 'the gods, counsel' and herr 'army, warrior'.Viking & Saxon

RagnhildGirlFrom Old Norse regin 'the gods, divine powers' (literally 'counsel') and hildr 'battle'.Viking & Saxon · forgotten

RagnvaldBoyFrom Old Norse regin 'the gods, counsel' and valdr 'ruler'.Viking & Saxon · forgotten

RolfBoyFrom Old Norse Hrólfr, a contraction of Hróðulfr: hróðr 'fame' and úlfr 'wolf'.Viking & Saxon · peak 1934 · forgotten

RurikBoyFrom Old Norse Hróðríkr: hróðr 'fame' and ríkr 'ruler'.Viking & Saxon · forgotten

SigneGirlFrom Old Norse Signý: sigr 'victory' and ný 'new'.Viking & Saxon · peak 1892

SigridGirlFrom Old Norse sigr 'victory' and fríðr 'beautiful, beloved'.Viking & Saxon · peak 1893

SigurdBoyFrom Old Norse sigr 'victory' and varðr 'guardian'.Viking & Saxon

StenBoyFrom Old Norse steinn 'stone'.Viking & Saxon · forgotten

SvenBoyFrom Old Norse sveinn 'boy, young man, servant'.Viking & Saxon · peak 2020

ÞórðurBoyFrom Old Norse Þórðr, a contraction of Þórfrøðr: the god-name Þórr and friðr 'peace'.Viking & Saxon

ÞorkellBoyFrom the god-name Þórr and ketill 'cauldron' (possibly 'helmet').Viking & Saxon · forgotten

ThyraGirlFrom Old Norse Þyri, of uncertain origin; it may be a contraction of an older Thor-name.Viking & Saxon · peak 1904

TorbjørnBoyFrom the god-name Þórr and bjǫrn 'bear'.Viking & Saxon

TorsteinBoyFrom the god-name Þórr and steinn 'stone'.Viking & Saxon

ToveGirlFrom Old Norse Tófa, probably a pet form of names beginning Þór- (from Thor).Viking & Saxon

TureBoyFrom Old Norse Þórir: the god-name Þórr and probably herr 'army, warrior'.Viking & Saxon

UlfBoyFrom Old Norse úlfr 'wolf'.Viking & Saxon · forgotten

The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450

AdolfBoyFrom Germanic adal 'noble' and wulf 'wolf'.Middle Ages · peak 1891 · forgotten

AlgotBoyFrom Old Norse Algautr; the second element is Gautr 'a Geat', while the first is uncertain.Middle Ages

AndersBoyThe Scandinavian form of Andrew, from Greek andreios 'manly, courageous'.Middle Ages · peak 2014

ArneBoyFrom Old Norse Árni, from ari or ǫrn 'eagle'.Middle Ages · peak 1916 · forgotten

AxelBoyA medieval Danish form of Absalom, from Hebrew 'my father is peace'.Middle Ages · peak 2020

BengtBoyA Swedish form of Benedict, from Latin benedictus 'blessed'.Middle Ages · forgotten

BirgerBoyFrom Old Norse bjarga 'to help, save': 'helper'.Middle Ages · forgotten

BirgittaGirlThe Swedish form of Irish Brigid, from a Celtic word meaning 'exalted, high one'.Middle Ages

BodilGirlFrom Old Norse bót 'remedy, compensation' and hildr 'battle'.Middle Ages · forgotten

BridgetGirlFrom Irish Brighid, probably from a Celtic word meaning 'high, exalted'.Middle Ages · peak 1973

DagmarGirlUsually explained as the Danish form of the Slavic name Dragomir(a), 'precious peace'; the popular Danish reading…Middle Ages · peak 1895

DisaGirlFrom Old Norse dís 'goddess, woman', or a short form of names ending in -dís.Middle Ages · forgotten

EbbaGirlUncertain. Probably a Germanic short form linked to eber 'boar' (as in Eberhard), or from the Anglo-Saxon saint's…Middle Ages

ElinGirlA Scandinavian form of Helen, from Greek Helenē. The meaning is unknown; the popular 'torch' or 'light' is an…Middle Ages · peak 2011

EllaGirlUncertain. It was used by the Normans as a Germanic name (perhaps from ali 'other' or alja), and later also as a…Middle Ages · peak 1887

ElsaGirlShort form of Elisabeth, from Hebrew Elisheva.Middle Ages · peak 1895

FolkeBoyFrom Old Norse fólk 'people, army', originally a short form of names with this element.Middle Ages

HannesBoyGerman and Scandinavian short form of Johannes, from Hebrew Yohanan 'Yahweh is gracious'.Middle Ages

HedwigGirlFrom Germanic hadu 'battle, strife' and wig 'battle'.Middle Ages · peak 1891 · forgotten

HolgerBoyFrom Old Norse Hólmgeirr: holmr 'islet' and geirr 'spear'.Middle Ages · forgotten

HugoBoyLatinized form of Germanic Hugo, from hug 'heart, mind, spirit'.Middle Ages · peak 2020

IdaGirlGermanic, probably from id 'work, labour'.Middle Ages · peak 1886

IngeborgGirlFrom the god-name Ing and Old Norse björg 'help, protection'.Middle Ages

IngerGirlA Danish and Norwegian contraction of Ingegerd: the god-name Ing and Old Norse garðr 'enclosure, protection'.Middle Ages · peak 1966 · forgotten

IngridGirlFrom Old Norse Ingríðr: the god-name Ing (Yngvi) and fríðr 'beautiful, beloved'.Middle Ages · peak 1967

JohannaGirlFeminine of Johannes, from Hebrew Yohanan 'Yahweh is gracious'.Middle Ages · peak 1893

KarinGirlA Swedish short form of Katarina (Catherine). The root is unknown; the popular meaning 'pure' comes from a later…Middle Ages · peak 1969

KerstinGirlA Swedish form of Christina, from Latin christianus 'a Christian', ultimately Greek Christos 'anointed'.Middle Ages · peak 1998 · forgotten

KlaraGirlFrom Latin clara 'clear, bright, famous'.Middle Ages · peak 2019

LarsBoyA Scandinavian form of Laurentius, Latin 'man from Laurentum'.Middle Ages · peak 2002

MagnusBoyFrom Latin magnus 'great', taken from the epithet of Charlemagne (Carolus Magnus).Middle Ages · peak 2017

MärtaGirlThe Swedish form of Martha, from Aramaic 'lady, mistress'.Middle Ages · peak 1950

NilsBoyA Scandinavian form of Nicholas, from Greek nikē 'victory' and laos 'people'.Middle Ages · peak 1888

PerBoyA Scandinavian form of Peter, from Greek petros 'stone'.Middle Ages

RagnaGirlA short form of names beginning with Old Norse regin 'the gods, counsel', such as Ragnhild.Middle Ages · forgotten

SixtenBoyFrom Old Norse Sigsteinn: sigr 'victory' and steinn 'stone'.Middle Ages

SolveigGirlFrom Old Norse sól 'sun' and veig, of uncertain meaning (perhaps 'strength' or 'drink').Middle Ages

ValdemarBoyFrom the Slavic name Vladimir, from elements meaning 'rule' and 'peace, world', reshaped in Scandinavia.Middle Ages

The Renaissance1400 to 1600

GustavBoyUncertain. Often explained as Gautr 'a Geat' and stafr 'staff', but this is not settled.Renaissance · peak 1883

LisaGirlA short form of Elisabeth.Renaissance · peak 1965

LouiseGirlFeminine of Louis, from Frankish Chlodowig: hlod 'fame' and wig 'battle'.Renaissance · peak 1908

MalinGirlA Swedish pet form of Magdalena, from Hebrew 'woman of Magdala', a town whose name means 'tower'.Renaissance

MalteBoyA Danish and North German name of uncertain origin; it is often linked to a Germanic name like Helmold, but this is…Renaissance

The Age of Revolutions1750 to 1837

EmilBoyFrom the Roman family name Aemilius, possibly from aemulus 'rival', though this is not certain.Revolutions · peak 1881

HedvigGirlFrom Germanic hadu 'battle' and wīg 'fight'.Revolutions

LieselotteGirlCombination of Liese (from Elisabeth) and Lotte (from Charlotte).Revolutions · forgotten

LovisaGirlThe Swedish form of Louise, feminine of Louis, from Germanic hlud 'fame' and wig 'battle'.Revolutions

MinnaGirlUsually a pet form of Wilhelmina, sometimes linked to Middle High German minne 'love'.Revolutions · peak 1889 · forgotten

OscarBoyPopularized by Macpherson's Ossian poems; the Irish original is uncertain, perhaps os 'deer' and cara 'friend'.Revolutions · peak 1882

StinaGirlA short form of Kristina, from Latin christianus 'a Christian'.Revolutions

UlrikaGirlThe feminine of Ulrik (Ulrich), from Germanic uodal 'heritage, homeland' and rīc 'ruler, power'.Revolutions · forgotten

Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914

AlvarBoyFrom Old Norse álfr 'elf' and herr 'army, warrior'.Victorian

AntonBoyA form of Antonius, a Roman family name of unknown, probably Etruscan, origin. The link to Greek anthos 'flower' is…Victorian · peak 1880

AugustBoyFrom Latin augustus 'venerable, majestic', the title of the Roman emperors; also the month.Victorian · peak 1882

ErnaGirlProbably a short form of Ernestine, from German Ernst 'earnestness'; some connect it to other names.Victorian · peak 1898 · forgotten

FrejaGirlFrom the goddess Freyja, whose name means 'lady' in Old Norse.Victorian

FridaGirlFrom Germanic fridu 'peace'.Victorian · peak 2018

FriedaGirlShort form of names with Germanic frid 'peace', such as Friederike.Victorian · peak 1896

GerdGirlFrom the giantess Gerðr of Norse myth, usually linked to Old Norse garðr 'enclosure, protected place'.Victorian · forgotten

GöstaBoyA Swedish pet form of Gustav, whose origin is uncertain.Victorian · forgotten

GretaGirlA short form of Margareta, from Greek margarites 'pearl'.Victorian · peak 1932

HeddaGirlA Scandinavian pet form of Hedvig, from Germanic hadu 'battle' and wīg 'fight'.Victorian

HerthaGirlArose from a misreading of the goddess name Nerthus in manuscripts of Tacitus, then linked with German Erde 'earth';…Victorian · peak 1902 · forgotten

HuldaGirlTwo sources meet here: German Holda, linked to hold 'gracious, lovely', and the Hebrew prophetess Huldah ('weasel,…Victorian · peak 1890 · forgotten

KalleBoyA Swedish and Finnish pet form of Karl, from Germanic karl 'man, free man'.Victorian

LenaGirlShort form of Helena or Magdalena; Helena is from Greek, of uncertain meaning, and Magdalena means 'woman of Magdala'.Victorian · peak 1891

LennartBoySwedish and Low German form of Leonard, from leon 'lion' and hart 'hard, brave'.Victorian

LinneaGirlFrom the twinflower, Linnaea borealis, named after the botanist Carl Linnaeus, whose surname comes from Swedish lind…Victorian · peak 2015

NannaGirlThe wife of Baldr in Norse myth. Origin uncertain; it may be connected with a word for 'mother' or with nanþ 'daring'.Victorian

NoraGirlA short form of Eleonora or Honora; Honora is Latin 'honour', while Eleonora's origin is uncertain.Victorian · peak 1887

NovaGirlFrom Latin nova 'new', also the astronomical term for a suddenly brightening star.Victorian · peak 2020

OskarBoyUncertain. Taken from Macpherson's Ossian poems; it may be Gaelic for 'deer friend', but this is not established.Victorian · peak 2016

SelmaGirlUncertain. It may come from Selma, the hall of Fingal in James Macpherson's Ossian poems, which made it fashionable…Victorian · peak 1891

SveaGirlFrom Svea, the poetic personification of Sweden (Mother Svea), named for the Svear, the people who gave Sweden its name.Victorian

TheaGirlFrom Greek thea 'goddess'; in modern use it is also a short form of Dorothea or Theodora.Victorian · peak 2018

TildaGirlShort form of Matilda, from Germanic maht 'might, strength' and hild 'battle'.Victorian · peak 1883

TorBoyFrom Þórr, the thunder god, whose name means 'thunder'.Victorian

ViggoBoyProbably a pet form of names beginning with Old Norse víg 'battle'.Victorian

VikingBoyFrom Old Norse víkingr 'sea-raider, Viking'; the origin of that word itself is debated.Victorian

The Modern Age1880 to today

AlvaGirlUncertain. Usually linked to Old Norse álfr 'elf', but other sources are possible, and it was rarely used before the…Modern · peak 1882

BrageBoyFrom Bragi, the Norse god of poetry, linked to bragr 'poetry'.Modern

EmblaGirlThe first woman in Norse myth. The meaning is uncertain: 'elm' and 'vine' are both proposed.Modern

ErikaGirlFeminine of Erik, from Old Norse ei 'ever' (or einn 'one') and ríkr 'ruler'; in German it is also associated with…Modern · peak 1990

FreyaGirlFrom Old Norse Freyja 'lady', the name of the Norse goddess of love and fertility.Modern · peak 2020

KaiBoyHas several unrelated origins: Hawaiian kai 'sea', a Frisian and Scandinavian name of uncertain origin, and Welsh…Modern · peak 2020

KristaGirlA form of Christa, a short form of Christina, ultimately from Greek christos 'anointed'.Modern · peak 1986

LivGirlUsually traced to Old Norse hlíf 'protection, shelter', though it is now understood in Norwegian and Swedish as liv…Modern · peak 2020

MiaGirlA Scandinavian, German and Dutch short form of Maria. The Italian and Spanish word mía 'mine' is a coincidence.Modern · peak 2015

RonjaGirlA literary name created by Astrid Lindgren for Ronja Rövardotter (1981); she is said to have adapted it from the…Modern

SagaGirlFrom Swedish and Old Norse saga 'story, tale'; Sága is also a minor goddess, whose name may have a different root.Modern

SivGirlFrom the goddess Sif, Thor's wife; Old Norse sif 'relation by marriage'.Modern · forgotten

VidarBoyFrom the god Víðarr, avenger of Odin; perhaps víðr 'wide' and herr 'army', but uncertain.Modern

YlvaGirlFrom Old Norse ylgr 'she-wolf'.Modern

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.