My Husband and I are both Canadian with Irish backgrounds. My Father spent most of his life living in [name_f]Ireland[/name_f] and my Husband’s family doesn’t have any family left over there.
I always thought I’d pick an Irish name for my child but I don’t really feel in love with any English/Irish names. The ONLY boys names I’m in love with are Scandinavian!
[name_m]How[/name_m] weird would it be for us to name our child something like [name_m]Bjorn[/name_m], [name_m]Hans[/name_m], [name_m]Ivar[/name_m], etc?
Is that totally taboo? All of your advice is appreciated
To be honest, at the end of the day the origin of the name doesn’t really matter. You don’t have to be restricted by your cultural background, so if you like Scandinavian names thats completely fine!! I adore [name_m]Hans[/name_m] btw
If Scandinavians can call their sons [name_m]Liam[/name_m] and [name_m]Kevin[/name_m], then I don’t see why it would be wrong for you to use [name_m]Bjorn[/name_m] or [name_m]Ivar[/name_m].
I like many Scandinavian names too, though some are difficult for English speakers to pronounce so I would only recommend those if you’re okay with having to correct people.
I live in [name_f]Canada[/name_f] too, and I would not bat an eye at those names. [name_f]Canada[/name_f]'s all about diversity, why not go all out with a name you love, even if it’s not common like [name_m]John[/name_m]. As long as you are fully aware of the meanings and connotations (and possible nicknames/teasing opportunities) then should be all good!
A lot of Norse names that have a long history in Ireland, because of the medieval Viking kingdoms there. There was a King Ivar of Waterford and one of Limerick. Magnus falls into this category (and, although it’s most popular as a name in Scandanavia, magnus is a word that would have been familiar over nearly all of medieval Europe)
You might find some more Scandinavian names with Irish history here
Torin is an Irish name that sounds Scandinavian and Finn could come from the Irish Fionn or the Old Norse Finnr.
I think names like Hans are fine, too - it’s just another form of Johannes (like John or Evan). Erik / Eric has been used outside Scandinavia for long enough that I think it’s fine, too. Same for Harold/Harald (also a king of England, as were Sven/Sweyn and Cnut/Canute).
Anders, Frederik, Frans, Axel, Arne, Lars, Rolf etc seem fine to me too (all forms of names also common in other European languages).
Bjorn seems very Nordic to me - if I met a Bjorn without Nordic heritage I would probably assume his parents got it from a historical novel/TV show etc (or that it was an honour name). Ditto Snorri, Hakon (but not Hawkin), Gunnar, Sigurd, Ragnar, Torstein, Rognvald (but not Ronald) etc
I would avoid the religious/mythological names (Odin, Thor, etc), if you don’t have Norse heritage and it’s not your religious affiliation. Others will probably disagree - people do use Athena, Juno, etc, and it isn’t quite the same as using an Indigenous name of religious significance.
ETA: I’m not Scandinavian, and I don’t mean to speak on behalf of anyone who is - just my thoughts.
As a_r pointed out, there is a lot of shared history and culture between Scandinavia and the British Isles, so I wouldn’t say the line is so distinct as all that. There are plenty of names with Irish roots used in Iceland, I know (nor sure about Scandinavia itself), and the cultural exchange went both ways.
[name_m]Bjorn[/name_m] is very Nordic, but something like [name_m]Ivar[/name_m] (or [name_m]Ivor[/name_m], the more common form for [name_m]Britain[/name_m] and [name_f]Ireland[/name_f]) seems like an overlap name to me. I don’t think it’s weird at all.
There are also some names that are used in both countries and could have origins in both, like [name_u]Finn[/name_u] (which in Scandinavia refers to the Finnish people but is also a Gaelic name) or [name_m]Oscar[/name_m]/[name_m]Oskar[/name_m] (which could be Gaelic or Norse in origin).
[name_m]Just[/name_m] make sure you are not mispronouncing or misgendering anything - that I find disrespectful. Beyond that, I think you can have free reign.
I honestly didn’t think ANYONE would reply to my thread! Thank you SO much for all of your input. It’s honestly so helpful and I’m tearing up reading your encouraging and thoughtful comments. (It’s the pregnancy hormones, I’m sure! lol)
I really can’t thank you all enough!!! You gals are the best <3
My family is Scandinavian, but most of them chose very English names for their children. [name_u]Bo[/name_u], Mans, [name_m]Mats[/name_m], [name_m]Emil[/name_m], Micke, [name_m]Joakim[/name_m], [name_m]Axel[/name_m], [name_m]Lars[/name_m], [name_m]Morten[/name_m], [name_m]Johan[/name_m], [name_m]Henrik[/name_m] and [name_m]Karl[/name_m] are all very Scandinavian (More so Swedish) names.
