Swedish Names

We once dismissed Bird as "too flighty", but with the rise of avian names from Lark to Robin to, well, Birdie, we don't see why Bird can't be a fine choice, especially as a middle name.

An Icelandic diminutive of Birgitta turned popular first name there, currently ranking among the Top 30 girl names in Iceland. Parent name Birgitta is either a Nordic variant of Brigitta, from the Irish Brighid "exalted one", or a feminization of the Norse masculine name Birger, meaning "help, rescue".

This popular old Swedish name is not one that would appeal to many modern American parents, though shortening it to Nilla helps.

Few Scandinavian names make the journey to America...and this one shows you why. Still, names such as Freya and Odin are making an unlikely comeback, so we wouldn't count any of the Scandinavian baby names out forever.

Baby-naming rule #487: it's probably best to avoid names whose only possible nickname is Gun.

Soft, gentle, and non-Germanic, but the final s almost makes it sound plural.

Imposing, if not intimidating.

A more upbeat, modern-sounding version of a granny name.