The most popular Scandinavian girls' and boys' names

All expectant parents have to choose the right name for their baby during the pregnancy. This is often not so easy, however, as there is a huge selection of names available these days. Scandinavian names – for both girls and boys – have long been popular, and they remain so today.

Thus, alongside the much-discussed Hygge lifestyle, interior design in Scandi Chic and Nordic Product Design, another major trend from Scandinavia.

Scandinavian names are trending

The following lists contain a selection of popular and typically Scandinavian names, their approximate origin and general meaning.

35 popular Scandinavian girl names

Name	Translation / Meaning (Origin)
Alma	The capable one, the nourishing one (originally Latin, very popular in Scandinavia)
Alva	The elf, the nature spirit (Old Norse)
Amalie	The capable one, the brave one (German/Latin, popular in Scandinavia)
Astrid	Beautiful deity, the star (Old Norse)
Ebba	The Strong One, the Awe-inspiring One (Old High German, popular in Sweden)
Eira	Goddess of healing (Old Norse) or snow (Finnish)
Ella	The Radiant One, the Beautiful One (short form of Eleonore/Elisabeth)
Elsa	The God-worshipping one (short form of Elizabeth, popular in Sweden)
Emilia / Emilie	The ambitious one, the diligent one (Latin)
Emma	The Great, the All-Encompassing (Old High German)
Freya / Freja	Goddess of love and fertility, the mistress (Old Norse)
Hedda	The fighter (short form of Hedwig)
Ida	The Working Woman, Divine Seeress (Old High German, popular in Denmark)
Ingrid	Beautiful Goddess Ing (Old Norse)
Jördis	Goddess of the Sword (Old Norse)
Julie	The one dedicated to Jupiter (Latin)
Linnaeus	The delicate moss bellflower (Sweden, named after Carl Linnaeus)
Liva / Liv	Life, the protector (Old Norse)
Lykke	Happiness (Danish)
Maja	The courageous, the noble one (short form of Mary/Magdalene)
Malin	The Exalted One (short form of Magdalena, popular in Sweden)
Marit	The Pearl (Scandinavian form of Margaret)
Matilda / Tilda	Mighty female fighter (Old High German)
Mille	The ambitious one, the honorable one (short form of Emilie)
Nora	The Shining One, the Honored One (short form of Eleonore, popular in Norway)
Nynne	Weighing, summing (Danish)
Olivia	The olive tree (Latin, internationally popular)
Runa	The secret, the rune (Old Norse)
saga	Goddess of Stories (Norse Mythology)
Signs	The beautiful victor (Old Norse)
Siri	Beautiful victor (short form of Sigrid, Old Norse)
Smilla	The Smiling One, the Humming One (Danish)
Solve dough	Sun path, sun power (Old Norse)
Svea	The Swede (Swedish-patriotic name)
Ylva	The she-wolf (Old Norse)

35 popular Scandinavian boy names

Name	Translation / Meaning (Origin)
Alfred	Noble counsel, wise advisor (Old High German, popular in Sweden)
Different	The manly one, the brave one (Nordic form of Andrew)
Arvid	The eagle tree, the strong eagle (Old Norse)
Axel	Father of Peace (Scandinavian short form of Absalom)
Birger	The helper, the protector (Old Norse)
Björn	The bear (Old Norse)
Bo	The settled person, the inhabitant (Scandinavian)
Carl / Karl	The man, the free man (Old High German)
Erik	The sole ruler, the eternal one (Old Norse)
Emil	The zealous one, the diligent one (Latin)
Finn / Fynn	The Finn, the blond one (Old Norse/Irish)
Frederik / Fredrik	The peaceful ruler (Old High German)
Gunnar	The fighter, the warrior (Old Norse)
Gustav	The staff of God, the Goth with the staff (Old Norse/Old High German)
Haakon / Håkon	Noble son, high-ranking descendant (Old Norse)
Harald	Ruler of the Army (Old Norse)
Henrik	The master of the house, the ruler of the house (German/Scandinavian)
Hugo	The thinker, the witty one (Old High German, popular in Sweden)
Ivar	The archer, the warrior (Old Norse)
Jesper	The treasurer (Danish form of Kaspar)
Jonte	God is gracious (Swedish short form of John)
Kjell	The cauldron, the helmet (Old Norse)
Knut	The knot, the free one (Old Norse)
Lasse	The laurel-crowned one (Swedish short form of Lars/Laurentius)
Leif	The heir, the descendant (Old Norse)
Lennart	Strong as a lion (Swedish variant of Leonard)
Lucas / Lukas	The shining one, the light-bringer (Latin)
Magnus	The Great (Latin, historically significant in Scandinavia)
Malte	Rule, the helmet (Danish, probably from Helmolt)
Mats	Gift of God (Swedish short form of Matthias)
Nils	The People's Victor (Scandinavian short form of Nicholas)
Oliver	The olive tree (Latin, internationally popular)
Oscar	Spear of the gods, protecting the god (Old Norse)
Sven	The young man, the young warrior (Old Norse)
Thor	Thunder, thunder god (Norse mythology)

You can find an even more comprehensive selection of Scandinavian names as well as 10 gender-neutral first names here .

Why choose a Scandinavian name?

Scandinavian names are particularly popular in northern Germany. This is likely due to its geographical location, as Denmark is one of our neighboring countries. However, the popularity of these names is also spreading to other parts of Germany. One reason for this is that many Scandinavian names originate from Norse mythology – such as Thor , Odin or Freya , who are gods of this mythology.

So many who are supporters of this historical direction or simply have a knowledge of looking for Scandinavian names for their coming child.

This doesn't mean, of course, that you have to be familiar with Norse mythology to choose one of these names. You can simply like Scandinavia and its culture! Ultimately, anyone can choose a Scandinavian first name – or as a second or third name, however they like.

There are no limits to creativity.

Scandinavian names, in particular, are very creative – some even have two or three different spellings, such as William , Villiam , Viliam , or Freya and Freja . They are all pronounced the same, but stand out from the crowd due to their unique spellings. This gives parents the freedom to decide how to spell their future child's name.

Scandinavian girl names 👧: The most beautiful first names for your daughter

Scandinavian boy names 👦: The most beautiful first names for your son

Many Scandinavian names are also simple and beautiful to combine, should a second or third name be considered. This applies to both girls' and boys' names. It's not necessary for both names Scandinavian . Therefore, there are no limits to your creativity!