Popular Names in Iceland

Popular names in Iceland are Emilía and Birnir at Number 1.

Along with Emilía, other top names for girls in Iceland include Sara, Aþena (Athena), Embla, and Sóley. Along with Birnir, other common names for boys in Iceland include Emil, Elmar, Jón, and Óliver.

The most popular Icelandic names are grouped together by spelling. So, for example, the top girl name Emilía also includes baby girls named Emelía.

Iceland’s baby name policies are notable in that the Icelandic Naming Committee must approve all given names not previously used in the country. For the most part, these names can only contain letters within the Icelandic alphabet — meaning no Cs, Qs, Ws, or Zs. And only recently, in 2019, did Iceland’s laws change so that names would no longer be restricted to one gender.

Quintessentially Icelandic names in the Top Ten include Embla — the first woman in Old Norse myth — and Katla, meaning "cauldron", for girls; and Birnir, derived from "bear", and Jökull, meaning "glacier", for boys.

For popular names lists from around the world, visit our main Popular Names page. You might also want to browse Nameberry's real-time lists of Popular Girl Names and Popular Boy Names.