Browse Names - Behind the Name

Agnes f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Estonian, Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name Ἅγνη (Hagne), derived from Greek ἁγνός (hagnos) meaning "chaste". Saint Agnes was a virgin martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. The name became associated with Latin agnus "lamb", resulting in the saint's frequent depiction with a lamb by her side. Due to her renown, the name became common in Christian Europe.... [more]

Ásdís f Icelandic, Old Norse
Derived from the Old Norse elements áss "god" and dís "goddess".

Birta f Icelandic
Icelandic diminutive of Birgitta.

Björg f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Bjørg.

Björk f Icelandic
Means "birch tree" in Icelandic.

Dagný f Old Norse, Icelandic
Old Norse and Icelandic form of Dagny.

Embla f Norse Mythology, Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian
Meaning uncertain, perhaps related to Old Norse almr "elm". In Norse mythology Embla and her husband Ask were the first humans. They were created by three of the gods from two trees.

Ester f Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Hebrew
Form of Esther used in several languages.

Eydís f Old Norse, Icelandic
Derived from the Old Norse elements ey "good fortune" or "island" and dís "goddess".

Gréta f Hungarian, Icelandic
Short form of Margaréta (Hungarian) or Margrét (Icelandic).

Gyða f Old Norse, Icelandic
Old Norse and Icelandic form of Gytha.

Hanna 1 f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Ukrainian, Belarusian, German, Dutch, Icelandic, Hungarian, Arabic, Hebrew
Form of Ḥanna (see Hannah) in several languages.

Harpa f Icelandic
From the name of the first summer month in the old Icelandic calendar, which might have originally been named for an unattested pre-Christian goddess. It also means "harp" in Icelandic.

Hekla f Icelandic
From the name of an active Icelandic volcano, derived from Old Norse hekla meaning "cloak".

Helga f Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic, German, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Czech, Portuguese, Old Norse
Feminine form of Helge.

Hrönn f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Hrǫnn.

Hulda 1 f Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian, Norse Mythology
Derived from Old Norse hulda meaning "hiding, secrecy". This was the name of a sorceress in Norse mythology. As a modern name, it can also derive from archaic Swedish huld meaning "gracious, sweet, lovable".

Jenný f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Jenny.

Júlía f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Julia.

Karen 1 f Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, English, German
Danish short form of Katherine. It became common in the English-speaking world after the 1930s.

Katla f Icelandic, Old Norse
Feminine form of Ketil.

Klara f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, German, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian
Form of Clara in various languages.

Lilja f Icelandic, Faroese, Finnish
Icelandic, Faroese and Finnish cognate of Lily.

Linda f English, German, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, French, Latvian, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Germanic
Originally a medieval short form of Germanic names containing the element lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender" (Proto-Germanic *linþaz). It also coincides with the Spanish and Portuguese word linda meaning "beautiful". In the English-speaking world this name experienced a spike in popularity beginning in the 1930s, peaking in the late 1940s, and declining shortly after that. It was the most popular name for girls in the United States from 1947 to 1952.

Mæja f Icelandic
Icelandic diminutive of María.

María f & m Spanish, Galician, Icelandic
Spanish, Galician and Icelandic form of Maria.... [more]

Marta f Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Polish, Czech, Slovak, German, Dutch, Romanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian, Swedish, Icelandic, Latvian, Estonian, Georgian
Form of Martha used in various languages.

Nanna 1 f Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Norse Mythology
Possibly derived from Old Norse nanþ meaning "daring, brave". In Norse mythology she was a goddess who died of grief when her husband Balder was killed.

Njála f Icelandic
Icelandic feminine form of Njáll.

Oddný f Old Norse, Icelandic
From Old Norse oddr "point of a sword" and nýr "new".

Ragna f Icelandic, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Old Norse
Short form of Old Norse names beginning with the element regin "advice, counsel".

Rakel f Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic
Scandinavian form of Rachel.

Salka f Icelandic
Possibly a diminutive of Sara.

Selma 1 f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic
Meaning unknown, possibly a short form of Anselma. It could also have been inspired by James Macpherson's 18th-century poems, in which it is the name of Ossian's castle.

Signý f Old Norse, Norse Mythology, Icelandic
Old Norse name that was derived from the elements sigr "victory" and nýr "new". In Norse legend she was the twin sister of Sigmund and the wife of Siggeir.

Sóley f Icelandic
Means "buttercup (flower)" in Icelandic (genus Ranunculus), derived from sól "sun" and ey "island".

Sonja f German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian
Form of Sonya in various languages.

Svana f Icelandic
Short form of Svanhildur.

Þóra f Old Norse, Icelandic
Either a feminine form of Þórr (see Thor) or else a short form of the various Old Norse names beginning with the element Þór. In Norse myth Thora was the wife of the Danish king Ragnar Lodbrok.

Unnur f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Unnr.

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