Message: "Saga" - Behind the Name

Saga

by Wordsmith

10/11/2018, 8:22 AM

While listening to NPR the other day, I heard a story about a Swedish-American girl (born to an American father and Swedish mother) who discovered a 1500-year-old sword in a lake somewhere in Sweden. I know Saga is common in Scandinavia, but I never seriously reflected on it as a name until I heard the story, and now I'm smitten. I love its contemporary association with the word "saga" and its Old Norse meaning, "seeing one," as well as the fact that it's the name of the Norse goddess of poetry and history. What does everyone else think? I'm especially interested in the opinions of those who don't live in Scandinavia, where it's a recognized name. (For the record, I'm American.)

Here are some combos:

Saga Beatrice
Saga Berenice
Saga Bernadette
Saga Bertille
Saga Bethsabée
Saga Delphine
Saga Dorothy
Saga Edith
Saga Eleanor / Elinor
Saga Eloise
Saga Emeline / Emmeline
Saga Emilie
Saga Enid
Saga Ermentrude
Saga Eugenie
Saga Eulalie
Saga Felicity
Saga Florence
Saga Frances
Saga Frederonne / Friderun
Saga Genevieve
Saga Henriette
Saga Hermione
Saga Imogen
Saga Iolanthe
Saga Ismene
Saga Jorunn
Saga Josephine
Saga Juliet
Saga Leonie
Saga Leonora
Saga Leontine
Saga Leopoldine
Saga Lilian / Lilias / Lillian
Saga Louisette
Saga Lucile
Saga Ludivine
Saga Marceline
Saga Marianne
Saga Mariella
Saga Mathilde
Saga Melusine
Saga Mildred
Saga Millicent
Saga Parthenope
Saga Penelope
Saga Philippine
Saga Raphaela
Saga Reidun
Saga Richemay
Saga Richildis
Saga Rosemarie / Rosemary
Saga Roslindis
Saga Roswitha
Saga Rowena
Saga Severine
Saga Sidonie
Saga Theodora
Saga Theodosia
Saga Theolinda
Saga Therese
Saga Violette
Saga Vivienne
Saga Wilhelmine
Saga Winifred

#Saga

This message was edited 10/11/2018, 8:26 AM

Replies

- noel (glaucous)

10/12/2018, 9:38 PM

I want to like it because of the meaning, but to me, in English, it seems equivalent to naming someone Drama (like, I think 'spare me the saga' and want to roll my eyes).

But I think it'd be a great name for a goat, which I'm more likely to be naming than a human IRL, anyway, so...there's that.

Bethsabée is cool. I've never seen that version before.

This message was edited 10/12/2018, 9:55 PM

- Ninor (Frozten)

10/12/2018, 7:21 AM

I used to really like it a few years ago, but now I'm pretty tired of it and think it's a bit too childish and cutesy. I probably wouldn't think this if I lived somewhere else though.

- Justina

10/11/2018, 8:44 PM

Cool. I like it. I didn't know her name was Saga, even though I read that story.

Saga Emilie
Saga Eugenie
Saga Eulalie
Saga Felicity
Saga Rowena

a few others:
Saga Feliz
Saga Naomi
Saga Aurelie
Saga Desdemona
Saga Ophelia
Saga Lorelei
Saga Paisley
Saga Pallavi

- Dracotorix +1

10/11/2018, 7:58 PM

I like it. I think it needs a middle name with no fluff to it (unless it's a sort of old, natural kind of fluff).

Saga Delphine -- I want to like this because Delphi / oracle / saga kind of fits together into a theme, but Delphine is too fluffy.
Saga Eleanor -- Also Saga Elanor
Saga Florence -- I think of Florence as a fluffy kind of name, but it's actually kind of heavy because of that round O sound... maybe this works.
Saga Frederonne / Friderun
Saga Hermione -- alright, maybe. But my first thought was that Hermione was too light. (Saga is like... it's a short simple name, but it's also old and serious and stone, you know?)
Saga Iolanthe
Saga Ismene
Saga Jorunn
Saga Leonora
Saga Lilian / Lilias / Lillian
Saga Ludivine
Saga Mathilde
Saga Parthenope
Saga Philippine
Saga Raphaela
Saga Reidun
Saga Rosemary - Pairing Saga with Rosemary gives it a sage connotation

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- Wordsmith

10/12/2018, 8:06 AM

Ooh, lovely combos! My favorites are Saga Elfleda, Saga Hedwig, Saga Leonide, Saga Nimue, Saga Olwen, and Saga Ursula.

I'm personally avoiding pairing Saga with names that seem fanciful because combos like Saga Valkyria and Saga Hathor sound like a video game character.

- Angrboða (Moirrey) +1

10/11/2018, 6:09 PM

I love it! Some people might think its a random word name like Poet or Lyric, but it's got a really cool history.

I like:
Saga Beatrice
Saga Delphine
Saga Eloise
Saga Felicity
Saga Mathilde
Saga Theodora
Saga Wilhelmine

- faelsean

10/11/2018, 7:57 PM

ditto. like! -

- Felie

10/11/2018, 3:56 PM

Hi Wordsmith !!!

I'm Italian and here the name Saga was used for babies in 2000, 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2016 (latest report). Every year the newborns with this name were less than five. Anyway It is a better result that I would expected.

I like the name Saga.
It has a long history behind It and has a strong Scandinavian vibe imo. I obviously have the immediate link with a long story divided in many books or films but my first interest about names is the meaning and the origin so I try to not think about that link when I see Saga but instead how Scandinavian people would use it.

Fortunately I'm a name-nerd but I can imagine that a lot of Italians would judge the name ridicolous.

I love your style about combos because It is very close to mine!

I like
Saga Berenice
Saga Dorothy
Saga Eulalie
Saga Lucile
Saga Roslindis
Saga Theodora
Saga Vivienne
Saga Winifred

This message was edited 10/11/2018, 4:00 PM

- Janan (jeziana)

10/11/2018, 2:36 PM

There was a kid at school whose last name was Saga. He used to be a bit of a know it all, and even the teachers would say he would go on for an age. (He was really popular and well liked, but the fact remains it's just a very long drawn out tale). I don't think in English it even has that nice of a sound.

I think if I had to use it, I'd use it in the middle. And with a Scandinavian name so it didn't look so wordy.

Anna Saga
Inga Saga
Ingrid Saga
Kaia Saga
Brigitta Saga
Veronika Saga
Astrid Saga
Diana Saga
Annika Saga
Dagny Saga

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