Scandinavian Names

Scandinavian names are used in the Scandinavia region of northern Europe. For more specific lists, see Swedish names, Danish names and Norwegian names. See also about Scandinavian names.
gender
usage
Theodor m German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Romanian
German form of Theodore, as well as a Scandinavian, Czech and Romanian variant of Teodor. A famous bearer was American children's book creator Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), better known as Dr. Seuss.
Theódóra f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Theodora.
Therese f German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English
German and Scandinavian variant of Theresa.
Thomas m English, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Greek, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Greek form of the Aramaic name תְּאוֹמָא (Teʾoma) meaning "twin". In the New Testament this is the name of an apostle. When he heard that Jesus had risen from the dead he initially doubted the story, until Jesus appeared before him and he examined his wounds himself. According to tradition he was martyred in India. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in the Christian world.... [more]
Þór m Icelandic
Icelandic form of Þórr (see Thor).
Thor m Norse Mythology, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
From the Old Norse Þórr meaning "thunder", ultimately from Proto-Germanic *Þunraz. In Norse mythology Thor is a god of storms, thunder, war and strength, a son of Odin. He is portrayed as red-bearded, short-tempered, armed with a powerful hammer called Mjölnir, and wearing an enchanted belt called Megingjörð that doubles his strength. During Ragnarök, the final battle at the end of the world, it is foretold that Thor will slay the monstrous sea serpent Jörmungandr but be fatally poisoned by its venom.
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.
Thora f Norwegian, Danish
Modern form of Þóra.
Þórarinn m Old Norse, Icelandic
Old Norse name derived from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with ǫrn "eagle".
Thorben m Danish, German
Variant of Torben.
Þorbjörg f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Þórbjǫrg.
Þorbjörn m Icelandic
Icelandic form of Torbjörn.
Þórdís f Old Norse, Icelandic
Means "Thor's goddess" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with Old Norse dís "goddess".
Þorgrímur m Icelandic
Icelandic form of Þórgrímr.
Þórhildur f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Þórhildr.
Þórir m Icelandic, Old Norse
Means "Thor's warrior" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with Old Norse vir "warrior, fighter".
Thorstein m Norwegian
Norwegian variant form of Torsten.
Þorsteinn m Icelandic
Icelandic form of Torsten.
Þórunn f Old Norse, Icelandic
Old Norse and Icelandic form of Torunn.
Þrúður f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Þrúðr (see Thrud).
Thyge m Danish (Rare)
Variant of Tyge.
Thyra f Swedish, Danish
Variant of Tyra.
Tilda f English, Swedish, Finnish
Short form of Matilda.
Tilde f Danish, Swedish
Short form of Mathilde or Matilda.
Tim m English, German, Dutch, Slovene, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Short form of Timothy or (in Germany) Dietmar. It is borne by the fictional character Tiny Tim, the ill son of Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol (1843).
Tina f English, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, German, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Georgian
Short form of Christina, Martina and other names ending in tina. In addition to these names, it is also used in Dutch as a short form of Catharina, in Swedish and Croatian as a short form of Katarina, and in Georgian as a short form of Tinatin. A famous bearer is the American musician Tina Turner (1939-2023), born Anna Mae Bullock.
Tindra f Swedish (Modern)
Means "to twinkle, to sparkle" in Swedish.
Tine 1 f Norwegian, Danish
Short form of Kristine.
Tiril f Norwegian
Possibly inspired by the Norwegian poem Lokkende Toner (1859) by Johan Sebastian Welhaven, which features the folk heroine Tirilil Tove.
Tobias m Biblical, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, English, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Greek form of Tobiah. This is the name of the hero of the apocryphal Book of Tobit, which appears in many English versions of the Old Testament. It relates how Tobit's son Tobias, with the help of the angel Raphael, is able to drive away a demon who has plagued Sarah, who subsequently becomes his wife. This story was popular in the Middle Ages, and the name came into occasional use in parts of Europe at that time. In England it became common after the Protestant Reformation.
Tollak m Norwegian (Rare)
From the Old Norse name Þórleikr, which meant "Thor's play" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with leikr "play, game (involving weapons)".
Tom 1 m English, Dutch, German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Short form of Thomas. Tom Sawyer is the main character in several of Mark Twain's novels, first appearing in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). Other famous bearers include American actors Tom Hanks (1956-) and Tom Cruise (1962-), as well as American football player Tom Brady (1977-).
Tómas m Icelandic
Icelandic form of Thomas.
Tomas m Swedish, Norwegian, Lithuanian
Swedish, Norwegian and Lithuanian form of Thomas.
Tomine f Norwegian
Feminine form of Tomas.
Tone 2 f Norwegian
Newer form of Torny.
Tonje f Norwegian
Variant of Torny.
Tor m Norwegian, Swedish
Modern Scandinavian form of Þórr (see Thor). It was not used as a personal name until the 18th century. It is sometimes used as a short form of names of Old Norse origin that begin with the element Tor, which is also a derivative of Þórr.
Tora f Swedish, Norwegian
Modern form of Þóra.
Torben m Danish, German
Danish form of Torbjörn.
Torbjørg f Norwegian
Norwegian form of Þórbjǫrg.
Torbjörn m Swedish
From the Old Norse name Þórbjǫrn, which meant "Thor's bear" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with bjǫrn "bear".
Torbjørn m Norwegian
Norwegian form of Torbjörn.
Torborg f Swedish (Rare), Norwegian (Rare)
Swedish and Norwegian form of Þórbjǫrg.
Tord m Swedish, Norwegian
From Old Norse Þórðr, a short form of Þórfreðr.
Tordis f Norwegian
Modern form of Þórdís.
Tore 1 m Norwegian, Swedish
Modern Scandinavian form of Þórir.
Torfinn m Norwegian
From the Old Norse name Þórfinnr, derived from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with finnr "Sámi, person from Finland".
Torgeir m Norwegian
From the Old Norse name Þórgeirr, which meant "Thor's spear" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with geirr "spear".
Torger m Norwegian
Variant of Torgeir.
Torgny m Swedish
From the Old Norse name Þórgnýr meaning "Thor's noise" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with gnýr "noise, grumble, murmur".
Torgrim m Norwegian
Norwegian form of Þórgrímr.
Torhild f Norwegian
From the Old Norse name Þórhildr, which meant "Thor's battle" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with hildr "battle".
Toril f Norwegian
Variant of Torhild.
Torild f Norwegian
Variant of Torhild.
Torill f Norwegian
Variant of Torhild.
Torkel m Norwegian, Swedish
From the Old Norse name Þórketill meaning "Thor's cauldron" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with ketill "cauldron".
Torleif m Norwegian
From the Old Norse name Þórleifr, derived from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with leif "inheritance, legacy".
Tormod m Norwegian
From the Old Norse name Þórmóðr, which meant "Thor's wrath" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with móðr "wrath".
Torny f Norwegian (Rare)
From the Old Norse name Þórný, which was derived from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with nýr "new".
Torø f Norwegian (Rare)
Norwegian variant of Tora.
Torstein m Norwegian
Norwegian form of Torsten.
Torsten m Swedish, Danish, German
From the Old Norse name Þórsteinn, which meant "Thor's stone" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with steinn "stone".
Torunn f Norwegian
Norwegian form of the Old Norse name Þórunn, from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with unnr "wave" or unna "to love".
Torvald m Swedish, Norwegian
From the Old Norse name Þórvaldr, which meant "Thor's ruler" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with valdr "ruler".
Tova 2 f Swedish
Swedish variant of Tove.
Tove f Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Modern form of the Old Norse name Tófa, a short form of Þórfríðr.
Trine f Danish
Danish short form of Katrine.
Troels m Danish
Danish form of Þórgísl.
Trond m Norwegian
From the Old Norse byname Þróndr indicating a person from Trøndelag, a region in central Norway, possibly derived from þróast meaning "to grow, to prosper".
Trude f Norwegian
Norwegian form of Trudi.
Truls m Norwegian, Swedish
Norwegian and Swedish form of Þórgísl.
Tryggve m Norwegian (Rare), Swedish (Rare)
Norwegian variant and Swedish form of Trygve.
Tryggvi m Icelandic, Old Norse
Old Norse and Icelandic form of Trygve.
Trygve m Norwegian
Derived from Old Norse tryggr meaning "trustworthy".
Trym m Norse Mythology, Norwegian
From Old Norse Þrymr meaning "noise, uproar". In Norse mythology he was a king of the giants who stole Mjölnir, Thor's hammer. Trym demanded that he wed the beautiful Freya in exchange for it, so Thor disguised himself in a wedding dress and killed the giant.
Tue m Danish
Danish form of Tófi.
Ture m Swedish
Variant of Tore 1.
Turid f Norwegian
Modern form of Þórfríðr.
Tuva f Swedish, Norwegian
Swedish and Norwegian variant of Tove.
Tyge m Danish (Rare)
Danish form of Tóki, an Old Norse diminutive of names containing the element Þórr, from the name of the Norse god Thor. This was the native name of the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601).
Tyra f Swedish, English, African American
From the Old Norse name Þýri, a variant of the Norse names Þórví or Þórveig. Use of the name in the English-speaking world (especially among African Americans) may be in part from the Swedish name, though it is probably also viewed as a feminine form of Tyrone or Tyree. A famous bearer is the American model and actress Tyra Banks (1973-).
Uffe m Danish
Variant of Ulf.
Ulf m Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German
From the Old Norse byname Úlfr meaning "wolf".
Úlfur m Icelandic
Icelandic form of Ulf.
Ulla f Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German
Scandinavian diminutive of Ulrika or Hulda 1, or a German diminutive of Ursula.
Ulrica f Swedish
Feminine form of Ulric.
Ulrik m Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
Scandinavian form of Ulrich.
Ulrika f Swedish
Swedish feminine form of Ulrich. This was the name of two queens of Sweden.
Ulrikke f Norwegian, Danish
Norwegian and Danish feminine form of Ulrich.
Unn f Norwegian
Norwegian form of Unnr.
Unni f Norwegian
Possibly a modern coinage based on the Old Norse elements unnr "wave" or unna "to love" combined with nýr "new".
Unnur f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Unnr.
Uno m Swedish, Estonian
Meaning uncertain. It is possibly from the Old Norse name Uni. It could also come from Latin unus "one".
Urban m Swedish, German, Slovene, Slovak, Czech, Polish, Biblical
From the Latin name Urbanus meaning "city dweller". This name is mentioned briefly in one of Paul's epistles in the New Testament. It was subsequently borne by eight popes.
Ursula f English, Swedish, Danish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Late Roman
Means "little bear", derived from a diminutive form of the Latin word ursa "she-bear". Saint Ursula was a legendary virgin princess of the 4th century who was martyred by the Huns while returning from a pilgrimage. In England the saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and the name came into general use at that time.
Vagn m Danish, Old Norse
Old Norse byname meaning "cart, wagon". It was revived as a given name in the 19th century.
Valborg f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Scandinavian form of Walburga.
Valdemar m Danish, Swedish, Finnish
Scandinavian form of Waldemar, also used as a translation of the Slavic cognate Vladimir. This was the name of four kings of Denmark and a king of Sweden. It was introduced to Scandinavia by the 12th-century Danish king Valdemar I who was named after his mother's grandfather: Vladimir II, a grand prince of Kievan Rus.
Valdís f Old Norse, Icelandic
Derived from Old Norse valr meaning "the dead, the slain" and dís meaning "goddess".
Valentin m French, Romanian, German, Czech, Russian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Croatian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish
Form of Valentinus (see Valentine 1) in several languages.
Valter m Italian, Swedish, Slovene, Croatian, Estonian
Form of Walter used in several languages.
Vanja m & f Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Swedish, Norwegian
Croatian, Serbian and Slovene (masculine and feminine) form of Vanya. It is also used in Scandinavia, where it is primarily feminine.
Varg m Norwegian (Rare), Swedish (Rare)
Means "wolf" in Old Norse.
Vebjørn m Norwegian
From the Old Norse name Vébjǫrn, derived from the elements "holy" and bjǫrn "bear".
Vegard m Norwegian
From the Old Norse name Végarðr, derived from the elements "holy" and garðr "enclosure, yard".
Vendela f Swedish
Swedish feminine form of Wendel.
Vera 1 f Russian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian, Georgian
Means "faith" in Russian, though it is sometimes associated with the Latin word verus "true". It has been in general use in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.
Verner m Danish, Swedish
Scandinavian form of Werner.
Veslemøy f Norwegian
Means "little girl" from Norwegian vesle "little" and møy "girl". This name was created by Norwegian writer Arne Garborg for the main character in his poem Haugtussa (1895).
Vetle m Norwegian
Norwegian form of the Old Norse name Vetrliði meaning "winter traveller", and by extension "bear cub".
Vibeke f Danish, Norwegian
Danish form of Wiebke. It was borne by an influential mistress of Christian IV of Denmark (17th century).
Victor m English, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Late Roman
Roman name meaning "victor, conqueror" in Latin. It was common among early Christians, and was borne by several early saints and three popes. It was rare as an English name during the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was the French writer Victor Hugo (1802-1885), who authored The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables.
Victoria f English, Spanish, Romanian, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, French, Late Roman, Roman Mythology
Means "victory" in Latin, being borne by the Roman goddess of victory. It is also a feminine form of Victorius. This name was borne by a 4th-century saint and martyr from North Africa.... [more]
Vidar m Norwegian, Swedish, Norse Mythology
From Old Norse Víðarr, which was possibly derived from víðr "wide" and herr "army, warrior". In Norse mythology Víðarr was the son of Odin and Grid. At the time of the end of the world, Ragnarök, it is said he will avenge his father's death by slaying the wolf Fenrir.
Vide m Swedish
Means "willow" in Swedish, from Old Norse víðir.
Vigdís f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Vígdís.
Vigdis f Norwegian
Norwegian form of Vígdís.
Vigga f Danish
Feminine form of Viggo.
Viggo m Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Short form of names containing the Old Norse element víg "war".
Viking m Swedish
From the Old Norse name Víkingr meaning "viking, raider", ultimately from vík "cove, inlet".
Víkingur m Icelandic
Icelandic form of Viking.
Viktoría f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Victoria.
Viktoria f German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Greek, Georgian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Belarusian
German, Scandinavian and Greek variant of Victoria. It is also an alternate transcription of Russian/Bulgarian Виктория or Ukrainian Вікторія (see Viktoriya) or Belarusian Вікторыя (see Viktoryia), as well as the usual Georgian transcription.
Vilde 1 f Norwegian
Short form of Alvilde.
Vilde 2 m Swedish (Rare)
From Swedish vild meaning "wild, untamed".
Vilfred m Danish
Danish form of Wilfred.
Vilgot m Swedish
From the Old Norse elements vili "will, desire" and góðr "good" or guð "God". This name was created in the 19th century.
Vilhelm m Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish
Scandinavian and Finnish form of William.
Vilhelmina f Swedish (Rare), Lithuanian
Swedish and Lithuanian feminine form of William.
Vilhjálmur m Icelandic
Icelandic form of William.
Viljar 2 m Norwegian
Possibly a modern coinage based on the Old Norse elements vili "will, desire" and herr "army, warrior".
Villads m Danish
Danish form of Willehad.
Ville m Finnish, Swedish
Finnish and Swedish diminutive of Vilhelm and other names beginning with Vil.
Villum m Danish
Danish variant of Vilhelm.
Vilmer m Swedish
Variant of Wilmer.
Vincent m English, French, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Slovak
From the Roman name Vincentius, which was derived from Latin vincere meaning "to conquer". This name was popular among early Christians, and it was borne by many saints. As an English name, Vincent has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until the 19th century. Famous bearers include the French priest Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) and the Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).
Viola f English, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak
Means "violet" in Latin. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night (1602). In the play she is the survivor of a shipwreck who disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Working as a messenger for Duke Orsino, she attempts to convince Olivia to marry him. Instead Viola falls in love with the duke.
Víðir m Icelandic
Icelandic form of Vide.
Viveca f Swedish
Swedish form of Vibeke.
Viveka f Swedish
Swedish form of Vibeke.
Vivi f Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
Scandinavian diminutive of names beginning with Vi, as well as Olivia and Sofia.
Vivian m & f English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From the Latin name Vivianus, which was derived from Latin vivus "alive". Saint Vivian was a French bishop who provided protection during the Visigoth invasion of the 5th century. It has been occasionally used as an English (masculine) name since the Middle Ages. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name, in which case it is either an Anglicized form of Bébinn or a variant of Vivien 2.
Walter m English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Italian, Germanic
From the Germanic name Waltheri meaning "power of the army", from the elements walt "power, authority" and heri "army". In medieval German tales (notably Waltharius by Ekkehard of Saint Gall) Walter of Aquitaine is a heroic king of the Visigoths. The name was also borne by an 11th-century French saint, Walter of Pontoise. The Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate Wealdhere.... [more]
Wenche f Norwegian
Norwegian variant of Wenke. A famous bearer is the Norwegian singer Wenche Myhre (1947-), known as Wencke in some countries so as to avoid pronunciation confusion.
Wilma f German, Dutch, English, Swedish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish (Latin American)
Short form of Wilhelmina. German settlers introduced it to America in the 19th century.
Wilmer m English, Spanish (Latin American), Swedish
From the Old English name Wilmǣr, likely via a surname that was derived from it. In some cases it might be regarded as a masculine form of Wilma.
Ylfa f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Ylva.
Ylva f Swedish, Norwegian
Means "she-wolf", a derivative of Old Norse úlfr "wolf".
Yngvar m Norwegian
Variant of Ingvar.
Yngve m Swedish, Norwegian
Modern form of Yngvi.
Yvonne f French, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
French feminine form of Yvon. It has been regularly used in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.