Names That Mean Ancestor

Distinctive yet familiar, Olin is both a Scandinavian name and an English surname. Currently a rare choice, yet reminiscent of popular options, like Oliver, Orion, and Colin.

A name known in several cultures, also through animated book character Tiger Aki. Finnish author Aki Ollikainen is another notable bearer.

Biblical Hebrew form of Caleb, which means "dog", or possibly "whole heart". Kalev is also the Estonian form of the Finnish name Kaleva, from an ancient demonym of unknown derivation.

Kalevi is a variant form of Kaleva, the name of a character from Finnish legend — the ancestor of all Finns. Although both are masculine names, Kalevi may be better suited for non-Finnish boys, since an A ending is often viewed as feminine.

Although it's a traditional male name in the Middle East, Ata has a more feminine read in the US.

Ing is an Ancient Norse fertility god whose name derives from Ingwaz, most likely meaning "ancestor." Ing himself was considered to be the ancestor of the Ingvaeone tribe. Ing is said to be the original name of the Norse god Freyr.

An ancient Norse fertility god, also known as Freyr (Nordic mythology) or Ing (Germanic mythology).

From the name of the mythological ancestor of the Finns. The name of the Finnish epic the Kalevala means "the land of Kalevi".

An awkward name for English speakers - we suggest the Old Norse version, Aki, might work better with modern names.

Åge is a common element of Scandinavian names — in Sweden, it's a nickname for August — but it's also a given name in its own right. It comes from the Old Norse name Áki, meaning "ancestor".