Names by Origin
Scandinavian Names
Names from the Scandinavian tradition, covering Norse, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish roots.
Agnes
pure
Aksel
father of peace
Alrik
all-ruler
Alva
elf
Anders
manly
Annika
grace
Ansgar
spear of God
Arne
eagle
Asger
god’s spear
Astrid
divinely beautiful
Axel
father of peace
Birger
rescuer
Birgit
exalted one
Bjarke
little bear
Bjorn
bear
Bo
to live
Dagny
new day
Dahlia
the dahlia flower
Dan
Edvin
wealthy friend
Eira
snow
Eivind
Elin
bright, shining light
Elsa
pledged to God
A regional, not single-language, collection
"Scandinavian" here is a regional grouping, not one language. It gathers names associated with Denmark, Norway and Sweden, with older Norse roots shared across the region. The languages are related but distinct, and a name may be used in one country and not another, or take slightly different forms in each. Treating these names together reflects real historical Nordic overlap.
Old Norse and later layers
Many names go back to Old Norse, the common ancestor language of the medieval North, while others arrived through Christianity from Latin and Greek. Where a meaning is shown it rests on a recognised Norse or other root. Some older names have etymologies that are reconstructed or uncertain, and those are shown without a meaning rather than presented with a confident gloss.
Meanings are included where reliable information is available. These names reflect a naming tradition, not current popularity in any country.