Awesome Norwegian Names
- Lea
Origin:
Variation of Lee or LeahMeaning:
"meadow; weary"Description:
While traditionally pronounced as a homonym for Lee, Glee actress Lea Michele pronounces her name like Leah, and it may also rhyme with Freya. Regardless of your preferred pronunciation, it's interesting to note that Lea has always charted in the US Top 1000, despite coming close to the bottom a few times, making it one of the girl names starting with L that both fits in and stands out.
- Lena
Origin:
English, Scottish, Dutch, German, and Scandinavian, diminutive of various names ending in lenaDescription:
This pet form of Helena and other ena-ending names, long used as an independent name, is attracting notice again as an option both multicultural and simple. Lena was a Top 100 name from 1880 to 1920.
- Lilly
Origin:
English flower nameMeaning:
"lily"Description:
Lilly may contain one L too many for some people, though this secondary spelling of a name that's become wildly popular is still a popular choice. And the Lilly spelling does feel a bit less wispy, a bit more like a name as opposed to a mere flower, than the slender and delicate Lily. Lilly suggests the long-form Lillian, but it doesn't need to be an abbreviation for anything; Lilly can stand on its own.
- Lisbet
- Liv
Origin:
NorseMeaning:
"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.
- Ludvig
Origin:
Scandinavian variation of Ludwig, GermanMeaning:
"famous warrior"Description:
Unlikely to catch on in the Anglophone world, where parent name Ludwig still conjures up images of Beethoven. But Ludvig actually ranks among the top boy names in Norway and Sweden, while German form Ludwig ranks among the Top 100 boy names in Germany and Ludovico is cool in Italty.
- Lukas
Origin:
German variation of LucasMeaning:
"man from Lucanus"Description:
Highly popular in Germany, Norway, Lithuania, and Austria, Lukas is a spelling variation of the also extremely popular Lucas. The "K" spelling gives it extra kick and a more international, globe-trotter feel.
- Lis
- Maja
Origin:
German, Slovene, and Scandinavian form of Maya; also, ArabicMeaning:
"splendid"Description:
Whether you pronounce it my-a, ma-zha or ma-ha, Maja is an intriguing choice. Sometimes associated with Goya's famous painting "The Naked Maja." As a cognate of Maya, it's a Top 10 name in Slovenia and Sweden and is also popular in Germany and Norway.
- Malin
Origin:
Scandinavian diminutive of MagdaleneMeaning:
"high tower or woman of Magdela"Description:
A multi-cultural name that's in the Norwegian Top 50 and well-used throughout the Scandinavian cultures. Malin has the advantage of being at once simple and unusual.
- Marcus
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"warlike"Description:
Though ancient, Marcus now sounds more current than Mark, in tune with today's trend towards us-ending Latinate names.
- Maren
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"sea"Description:
Maren is one of the many twenty-first-century takes on Mary--but we find the more classic Marin spelling preferable. When spelled Maren, the pronunciation seems more clearly to resemble Mary, with the emphasis on the first syllable. Marin, the spelling also used for the beautiful coastal county north of San Francisco, is often pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable, as in Marie.
- Margareta
- Margrete
- Mari
Origin:
Welsh, Breton, Scandinavian, Hungarian, Estonian, and Basque variation of Maria or MaryMeaning:
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"Description:
Mari enjoyed some mid-century popularity as a nicknameish version of Mary, but now deserves a second look as a multicultural classic. Mari is the name of the Basque goddess of fertility and weather and is also, for unrelated reasons, popular in Norway. The biggest problem with the potentially-lovely Mari will be getting people to say it the way you want. While some Europeans pronounce it as Marie, that will only confuse things more. Better to make it its own individual name by pronouncing it MAH-ree. As one commenter pointed out, in Estonian the name is not a Mary variation but means "berry" – all the more reason for us to like it!
- Maria
Origin:
Hebrew or EgyptianMeaning:
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"Description:
As a highly popular girls’ name in all Spanish-speaking countries, this saintly Latin variation of Mary retains a timeless beauty. Through the centuries, Maria remains one of the most widely-used girl names starting with M.
- Marianne
Origin:
French combination of Marie and AnneMeaning:
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved + grace"Description:
A midcentury Catholic classic that's not chosen by many parents today. Leonard Cohen fans might think of the beautiful song So Long, Marianne, named for his lover and muse Marianne Ihlen.
- Marie
Origin:
French variation of MaryMeaning:
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"Description:
The ubiquitous French version of Mary came into the English-speaking world in the nineteenth century. In the United States, Marie was a huge hit at the turn of the last century and for the ensuing fifty years, becoming the seventh most popular name in the country for three years, from 1901 to 1904.
- Marina
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"from the sea"Description:
This pretty sea-born name was used to dramatic effect by Shakespeare in his play Pericles for the virtuous princess who says she is "Call'd Marina, for I was born at sea."
- Mark
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"warlike"Description:
Mark has the rare appeal of a strong, sleek name with a minimalist modern feel and ancient roots. The name Mark is taken from the Roman god of war Mars, also the namesake of the planet.