Help With Icelandic/Scandinavian Names?

[jasmine.lee]

Hey Berries,

I have been really interested in Scandinavian names lately, more toward the Icelandic ones. I know there are a few experts out there in this category, but it’s rather hard to find them.

I am a big fan of adventure & nature, so I am looking for names with adventurous meanings. For example, Finnur & Finna mean wanderer. I love names with a woodsy or oceany feel. I have tried looking on some Norse name websites, but it’s hard to find names with the right meanings.

Is there anyone out there that could help me?

Thanks!

[seraares]

I don’t know too many, but the ones I know, I love.

[name_f]Elke[/name_f] (prn [name_f]Elle[/name_f]-kah) - is probably my favorite

[name_f]Elsa[/name_f] - equally beautiful… Slightly apprehensive about using it thought due to its new use in Disney

Meika/meike ( prn mee-kah)

[name_f]Liv[/name_f] - simple, elegant and classy

Laika (prn ly-kah) - I love it, although it is more of a pet name.

[name_f]Asia[/name_f] (prn [name_f]Asha[/name_f]) - beautiful but tends to be mispronounced as the country. Could be a positive though as by looks alone it gives off a nature vibe, but is Scandinavian in roots and sound.

[name_m]Ville[/name_m] ( prn vill-ee) - boys name… think [name_m]Willy[/name_m]…but with a V.

[name_f]Astrid[/name_f] - more common, but fits your theme if being both Scandinavian and nature themed

[name_f]Kaja[/name_f] (prn [name_f]Kaia[/name_f]) - in these European countries is is common to see the use of a j in place or in conjunction with an i. J makes more of a y sound. In an English speaking country it is a little hard for people to wrap their head around ( my middle name is [name_f]Marija[/name_f], and people always have a hard time with this… I still like it though).

[name_f]Maja[/name_f] (prn maia) - see above.

[name_f]Yuna[/name_f] - pretty alternative to [name_f]Luna[/name_f]

Anze (prn ahn-jhay) - male

[name_m]Casper[/name_m] - male, gaining popularity

[name_f]Elva[/name_f] - female vs of [name_m]Alf[/name_m]. Cutsie name

[name_f]Ida[/name_f] (prn ee-dah) - more common, but most often not used with the European pronunciation.

[name_f]Iris[/name_f] - yes this is common here, but it has also been a common name in Norway for years nature theme

[name_u]Kai[/name_u]/kaj - male. Simple, strong and soft at the same time. Gaining popularity.

[seraares]

Ps [name_u]Kai[/name_u] also have the bonus of meaning “ocean” in Japanese I believe? But is also a common nordic name. Again, 2 birds, one stone.

[jackal]

@jasmine.lee

Hey Berries,

I have been really interested in Scandinavian names lately, more toward the Icelandic ones. I know there are a few experts out there in this category, but it’s rather hard to find them.

I am a big fan of adventure & nature, so I am looking for names with adventurous meanings. For example, Finnur & Finna mean wanderer. I love names with a woodsy or oceany feel. I have tried looking on some Norse name websites, but it’s hard to find names with the right meanings.

Is there anyone out there that could help me?

Thanks!

Yes! I can 100% help you! I live in Iceland and am fluent in Icelandic.

First pro tip: Finnur and Finna do not mean wanderer. People get confused (even Icelanders) because að finna is the verb for to find, but the name has no etymological links to that. Finna is more of a nickname, sometimes used as a full name, but you are correct it is the feminine version of Finnur and has the same meaning. It literally means “someone from Finland” (“[name_u]Finn[/name_u]”) or someone of that ethnicity more precisely (the Samis and the Lapps). In Iceland the Finns were known as magicians, so it sort of means “wizard”, but not literally. The original etymology of [name_u]Finn[/name_u] is not known for sure, although some sites will assert one of the theories. Completely different from the Celtic name [name_u]Finn[/name_u], also.

Give me a minute and I will list some nature Icelandic names for you

[jackal]

OK, so there are lot of names with elements of the sea and some with trees (although there are not so many trees here…)

[name_m]Both[/name_m] haf and sjór mean the sea, so names beginning with Haf (pronounced haav) or Sæ (pronounced sigh) have that meaning, e.g.:

Hafþór / Sæþór (Sea-[name_m]Thor[/name_m])
Sævar (Sea-Warrior)
Sæbjörn (Sea-[name_m]Bear[/name_m])
Sæmundur (Sea-Protector)
Hafsteinn (Sea-[name_m]Stone[/name_m])
Hafliði (Sea-Farer / Sea-Warrior)
Ægir (Sea / Water / name of the Sea God)

Sædís / Hafdís (Sea-[name_f]Fairy[/name_f])
Sæunn (Sea-[name_u]Love[/name_u])
[name_f]Alda[/name_f] / Bylgja (Wave)

There are more of the Haf- Sæ- ones, but these ones you hear fairly regularly. Then a few tree names are:

Reynir ([name_u]Rowan[/name_u])
Birkir / Bjarki ([name_m]Birch[/name_m])
[name_f]Vi[/name_f]ðar (probably [name_m]Forest[/name_m]-Warrior)

Björk ([name_m]Birch[/name_m])
Eik ([name_u]Oak[/name_u])

To be honest, Icelanders are bigger on birds (tons of bird names), animals and flowers than trees. Probably because of the scarcity of trees here. Are you interested in those sorts of meanings also?

By the way, [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] is not nature-themed. It means [name_u]Love[/name_u]-Pretty. Isn’t Laika also Russian for “[name_m]Barker[/name_m]”? Totally a dog’s name and not Scandinavian.
I also admit that most of these you might have to search for the Norwegian or Swedish equivalent to make them palatable, because Icelandic special characters are not going to be comprehensible to non-Icelandic speakers.

[jackal]

I also had a look at the most popular names and picked out the nature-related ones for you:

These were the most popular names for Icelandic boys in 2012.

We have:
Arnar - Eagle-Warrior
Dagur - [name_u]Day[/name_u]
Bjarki - [name_m]Birch[/name_m]
Björn - [name_m]Bear[/name_m]
Jökull - Glacier
[name_u]Ari[/name_u] - [name_u]Eagle[/name_u]
Birkir - [name_m]Birch[/name_m]

These are the top girls’ names.

We have:

Tinna - [name_m]Flint[/name_m]
Sóley - [name_f]Buttercup[/name_f] (literally [name_f]Sun[/name_f]-Island)
[name_f]Lilja[/name_f] - [name_f]Lily[/name_f]
”ris - [name_f]Iris[/name_f]
Steinunn - [name_m]Stone[/name_m]-[name_u]Love[/name_u]
Hrafnhildur - [name_u]Raven[/name_u]-Battle
Sunna - [name_f]Sun[/name_f]

For the whole population, these are the most common male names.

We have:

”rni - [name_u]Eagle[/name_u]
Bjarni - [name_m]Bear[/name_m]
Haukur - [name_m]Hawk[/name_m]
Sævar - Sea-Warrior
Örn - [name_u]Eagle[/name_u]
Hlynur - [name_f]Maple[/name_f] (forgot this one off the tree list!)
Reynir - [name_u]Rowan[/name_u]
Hafsteinn - Sea-[name_m]Stone[/name_m]
Arnór - [name_u]Eagle[/name_u]-[name_m]Thor[/name_m]
Steinar - [name_m]Stone[/name_m]-Warrior
Hjörtur - [name_m]Hart[/name_m]

For the whole population, these are the most common female names.

We have:

[name_f]Erla[/name_f] - Wagtail
Sólveig - [name_f]Sun[/name_f]-[name_m]Power[/name_m]
Berglind - Help-[name_f]Spring[/name_f] (as in water spring)
Birna - [name_m]Bear[/name_m]
[name_f]Erna[/name_f] - [name_u]Eagle[/name_u]
Hafdís - Sea-[name_f]Fairy[/name_f]
Arna - [name_u]Eagle[/name_u]
Hrefna - [name_u]Raven[/name_u]
Rósa - [name_f]Rose[/name_f]
”slaug - God-Pool
Laufey - [name_u]Leaf[/name_u]-Island
Dagný - [name_u]Day[/name_u]-[name_m]New[/name_m]
Sigurlaug - [name_f]Victory[/name_f]-Pool
Eyrún - Island-[name_m]Rune[/name_m]

[jasmine.lee]

jackal - THANK YOU! I love…

Hafþór / Sæþór (Sea-[name_m]Thor[/name_m])
Sævar (Sea-Warrior)
Sæbjörn (Sea-[name_m]Bear[/name_m])
Sæmundur (Sea-Protector)

Sædís / Hafdís (Sea-[name_f]Fairy[/name_f])
Sæunn (Sea-[name_u]Love[/name_u])
[name_f]Alda[/name_f] / Bylgja (Wave)

Reynir ([name_u]Rowan[/name_u])
Birkir / Bjarki ([name_m]Birch[/name_m])
[name_f]Vi[/name_f]ðar (probably [name_m]Forest[/name_m]-Warrior)

Björk ([name_m]Birch[/name_m])
Eik ([name_u]Oak[/name_u])

Arnar - [name_u]Eagle[/name_u]-Warrior
Dagur - [name_u]Day[/name_u]
Bjarki - [name_m]Birch[/name_m]
Björn - [name_m]Bear[/name_m]
Jökull - Glacier
[name_u]Ari[/name_u] - [name_u]Eagle[/name_u]
Birkir - [name_m]Birch[/name_m]

Sóley - [name_f]Buttercup[/name_f] (literally [name_f]Sun[/name_f]-Island)
[name_f]Lilja[/name_f] - [name_f]Lily[/name_f]
”ris - [name_f]Iris[/name_f]
Sunna - [name_f]Sun[/name_f]

”rni - [name_u]Eagle[/name_u]
Bjarni - [name_m]Bear[/name_m]
Sævar - Sea-Warrior
Örn - [name_u]Eagle[/name_u]
Hlynur - [name_f]Maple[/name_f]
Reynir - [name_u]Rowan[/name_u]
Arnór - [name_u]Eagle[/name_u]-[name_m]Thor[/name_m]

[name_f]Erla[/name_f] - Wagtail
Sólveig - [name_f]Sun[/name_f]-[name_m]Power[/name_m]
Birna - [name_m]Bear[/name_m]
[name_f]Erna[/name_f] - [name_u]Eagle[/name_u]
Arna - [name_u]Eagle[/name_u]
Hrefna - [name_u]Raven[/name_u]
Rósa - [name_f]Rose[/name_f]
Laufey - [name_u]Leaf[/name_u]-Island
Dagný - [name_u]Day[/name_u]-[name_m]New[/name_m]
Eyrún - Island-[name_m]Rune[/name_m]

I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] birds, animals and flowers! That would be great! Thank you so much.

[jackal]

@jasmine.lee

I LOVE birds, animals and flowers! That would be great! Thank you so much.

Well, there are going to be some repeats here, but to have them all in the same place (although I might forget a few…)

I put the ones that are moderately to very unusual, but do exist, in green

Birds

Boys

Ari / ”rni / Örn - Eagle
Gaukur – Cuckoo
Haukur - Hawk
Hrafn - Raven
Már - Gull
Orri - Black Grouse
Smyrill - Merlin
Svanur - Swan
Tjaldur - Oystercatcher
Valur - Falcon
Þröstur - Thrush

Girls

Arna / Erna - Eagle
Dúfa - Dove
Erla - Wagtail
Kría - Arctic Tern
Hrefna - Raven
Lóa - Golden Plover
Svala - Swallow
Svana - Swan
Ugla - Owl

There are various compound names for both sexes that start with Arn-, Hrafn- or Svan- also.

Animals

Boys

Björn / Bjarni / Bessi / Bersi- Bear
Hjörtur - Hart
Húnn - Bear-cub
Högni - Tom-cat
Kópur - Seal-pup
Mörður - Marten
Úlfur - Wolf

Girls

Birna - Bear
Ylfa - Wolf

There are also tons of names for boys and girls that use the elements Björn-, -björn, Bjarn-, Bjarnar-, Úlf-, -úlfur, -ólfur, -jólfur etc. Bears and wolves are very popular, especially bears.

Plants & Flowers

Boys

Burkni - Fern / Bracken
Börkur - Bark
Fífill - Dandelion
Liljar - Lily
Rósi - Rose
Smári - Clover

Girls

Dalía - Dahlia
Fífa - Cotton grass
Fjóla - Violet
Hvönn - Angelica
”ris - Iris
Lilja - Lily
Rós / Rósa - Rose
Sóley - Buttercup

There are loads of girls names that end with -rós or -lilja, also.

Other

Boys

Askur - Ash
Breki - Rock below the surface of the sea
Bjartur - Bright
Eldur - Fire
Fannar - Snow-Warrior
Frosti - Frost
Logi - Flame
Máni - Moon
Myrkvi - Darkness
Rökkvi - Dusk
Snær - Snow
Steinn - Stone
Sumarliði - Summer-Farer / Summer-Warrior
Sær - Sea
Tindur - Mountain peak
Veturliði - Winter-Farer / Winter-Warrior

Girls

Bára - Wave
Drífa - Snowfall
Dröfn - Wave
Dögg - Dew
Eyja - Island
Fönn - Snow
Lind - Spring
Njóla - Night
Nótt - Night
Mist - Mist
Mjöll - Snow
Ösp - Aspen

Prefixes on compound names ”s- (Ice), Snæ- (Snow), Fann- (Snow), Bjart- (Bright), Sól- (Sun), Stein- (Stone), Eld- (Fire), Ey- (Island). Suffixes on compound names -laug (Pool), -lind (Spring), -steinn (stone), -ey (island).
You can search about on the whole list here. All you have to know really is that stúlkur = girls and drengir = boys. If you see anything you like, I can look it up for you.

[jasmine.lee]

Thank you so so much, Jackal! You’re absolutely amazing!