Scandinavian Names

Scandinavian Names

Scandinavian names are a hot group, attracting new interest from parents beyond the Scandinavian countries. The Scandinavian names here include names with origins in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, but not Finland, since Finnish is not a Scandinavian language. We also include Norse names here, many of them from Nordic mythology.

Scandinavian names that have found favor in the wider world include, for girls, the royal Astrid, the botanical Dahlia, the mythological Freya, and the short form Mia. For boys, popular Scandinavian names include the hard rock Axel, the gentle Anderson, and the expansive Magnus.

Scandinavian names trending now include Leif, Signe, and Sunniva. Names from Norse mythology such as Thor and Odin will also become more popular.

This list includes Swedish baby namesNorwegian baby names, and Danish baby names, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

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525+ European Names for Girls and Boys

  1. Freya
    • Origin:

      Norse
    • Meaning:

      "a noble woman"
    • Description:

      Freya has long been popular in the U.K. but has only taken off in the US in the last decade, along with the entire category of mythological names. Derived from the Old Norse name Freyja, meaning "Lady, noble woman", Freya is the name of the Norse goddess of love, beauty, and fertility.
  2. Mia
    • Origin:

      Italian word name or Scandinavian short form of Maria
    • Meaning:

      "mine or bitter"
    • Description:

      Mia is an appealingly unfussy multicultural name that has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the charts and is now firmly among the ten top girl names. Mia has surpassed its mother name Maria as the Number 1 girls' name starting with M.
  3. Astrid
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian
    • Meaning:

      "divinely beautiful"
    • Description:

      Astrid has been a Scandinavian royal name since the tenth century, and many people associated it with the Swedish author of the Pippi Longstocking stories, Astrid Lindgren. Astrid is derived from the name Ástríðr, which is made up of the Old Norse elements that mean "god" and "beautiful."
  4. Casper
    • Origin:

      Dutch form of Jasper, Persian
    • Meaning:

      "bringer of treasure"
    • Description:

      This ancient name, also spelled Caspar, is finally shedding its ghostly image and moving into the 21st century. Popular in the Netherlands and Scandinavia, where it's sometimes shortened to Cas, Casper could ride the style coattails of cousin Jasper. Casper was one of the Three Magi who brought gifts to the infant Jesus along with Melchior and Balthasar.
  5. Kaia
    • Origin:

      Latin, Scandinavian, or Hawaiian
    • Meaning:

      "to rejoice or sea"
    • Description:

      The new Maia, the next Kayla, Kaia has been on the charts since the year 2000. You might see it as a female form of the also-rising Kai, which means sea in Hawaiian and is sometimes used for girls as well, or as a Kardashianization of the ancient goddess name Caia.
  6. Axel
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian variation of Absalom
    • Meaning:

      "father of peace"
    • Description:

      A classic in its native Scandinavia, Axel has a cool rock 'n' roll flavor in the US, thanks to Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose (born William). With its distinctive letter 'x', it has an effortlessly cool vibe about it, and is currently growing in popularity.
  7. Roscoe
    • Origin:

      Norse
    • Meaning:

      "deer forest"
    • Description:

      Fairly popular a hundred years ago but out of sight now, the quirky Roscoe deserves a place on every adventurous baby-namer's long list. It joins Rufus, Roman, Remy, Romulus, and Ray as one of the R names that sound fresh again after too many years of Robert, Richard, and Ronald.
  8. Dahlia
    • Origin:

      Flower name, from Swedish surname
    • Meaning:

      "Dahl's flower"
    • Description:

      One of the flower names, used occasionally in Britain (where it's pronounced DAY-lee-a). It seems to have recovered from what was perceived as a slightly affected la-di-dah air. The flower was named in honor of the pioneering Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl, which means dale.
  9. Ingrid
    • Origin:

      Norse
    • Meaning:

      "fair; Ing is beautiful"
    • Description:

      The luminous Ingrid Bergman's appeal was strong enough to lend universal charisma to this classic Scandinavian name, which has been somewhat neglected in the US. Even today, a child named Ingrid would be assumed to be of Scandinavian ancestry, signaling the name has never been fully integrated into the English lexicon the way other European choices from the same era like Danielle or Kathleen have.
  10. Tate
    • Origin:

      English from Norse
    • Meaning:

      "cheerful"
    • Description:

      A strong single-syllable surname with a joyful meaning, Tate is finding a place on more and more birth certificates.
  11. Hallie
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "dweller at the meadow by the manor"
    • Description:

      Hallie -- it rhymes with alley and is not to be confused with Halle or Hailey or Holly -- is one of those comfy nicknamish names that are in favor in these complicated times.
  12. Odin
    • Origin:

      Variation of Óðinn, Old Norse
    • Meaning:

      "god of frenzy; poetic fury"
    • Description:

      Odin is the name of the supreme Norse god of art, culture, wisdom, and law — who was handsome, charming, and eloquent into the bargain. The name projects a good measure of strength and power and has excellent assimilation potential.
  13. Eric
    • Origin:

      Old Norse
    • Meaning:

      "eternal ruler"
    • Description:

      Eric is derived from the Old Norse name Eiríkr, from the components ei, meaning "ever," and ríkr, "rule." It was adopted by English speakers in the mid-nineteenth century, who were already familiar with the exploits of the tenth century Viking navigator and discoverer of Greenland, Eric the Red. Erik is an alternate spelling and the preferred form of the name across much of Europe.
  14. Leif
    • Origin:

      Swedish; Danish; Norwegian
    • Meaning:

      "heir, descendant"
    • Description:

      Leif is one of the most recognizable Scandinavian names, thanks to Icelandic explorer Leif Erikson, and is still one of the best, with a pleasant aural association with the word leaf.
  15. Viggo
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian
    • Meaning:

      "war"
    • Description:

      Though to most Americans Viggo is a one-person name attached to intense actor Mortensen, it is actually an old Norse name dating back to the Vikings, and is currently the 32nd most popular appellation in Sweden. Viggo Mortensen is a Jr., sharing his name with his Danish father.
  16. Kara
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Cara or Norse mythology name
    • Meaning:

      "wild stormy one"
    • Description:

      Kara and the soundalike (though not necessarily related) Cara are among the most multi-cultural names around. Cara has roots in Latin, Italian, Irish, Spanish, and Portuguese, and Kara can be viewed as simply as K-starting version of Cara.
  17. Ragnar
    • Origin:

      Norse
    • Meaning:

      "warrior or judgment"
    • Description:

      An fearsome old Norse name with a long history in Scandinavia. It's gotten a boost in the States from popularity of the History Channel drama "Vikings," in which the protagonist is named Ragnar. Ragnar Lodbrok (meaning "shaggy pants") was a legendary warrior whose story was told in the Viking sagas. Ragnar also recalls name of the Norse Judgment Day, Ragnarök.
  18. Anders
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian variation of Andrew
    • Meaning:

      "strong and manly"
    • Description:

      Friendly, unusual, but a decidedly Old Country version of Andrew and one of the classic Scandinavian names. It made a brief appearance in the US Top 1000 in 2006 and then reentered in 2010. Its rising popularity could be attributed to the interest in Anderson, which has been gaining steadily over the last fifteen years.

      Trivia tidbits: The patronymic Andersson is the second most popular surname in Sweden, and in Denmark, Donald Duck is called Anders.

  19. Liv
    • Origin:

      Norse
    • Meaning:

      "life"
    • Description:

      The fame of actress and Aerosmith daughter Liv Tyler helped to infuse life into this short but solid Scandinavian name that was chosen for her daughter by Julianne Moore.
  20. Bo
    • Origin:

      Norse nickname
    • Meaning:

      "to live"
    • Description:

      A popular name in Denmark, in this country Bo has some cowboy swagger and a lot of substance in its minimal two letters. In Mandarin Chinese, Bo means "wave".