International Icelandic

I’ve explained before, but in short my situation is: I’m English, all my family are monolingual English speakers living in [name_f]England[/name_f], I live in Iceland, my partner is Icelandic, we are both fluent in the other’s native language and plan to raise any children in Iceland as Icelandic-English bilinguals.

I feel like I could go in one of two directions in terms of naming strategy. Either find a very Icelandic name that looks foreign for English people, but which is fairly easy to pronounce and spell. Or find a name that is familiar and works in both languages, but which would be pronounced and maybe spelt slightly differently (plus/minus accents) in each.

So for the latter strategy these are names that I like:

[name_m]Felix[/name_m]
[name_m]Le[/name_m]ó
Matthías ([name_u]Matti[/name_u])*
Óskar*
Róbert ([name_u]Robbi[/name_u])*
[name_m]Viktor[/name_m]*

[name_f]El[/name_f]ísabet*
Freyja*
Rósa

Those marked with an asterisk are extremely popular, but the more I think about it the less sure I am that it bothers me. What maybe bothers me is missing an opportunity to use an incredible true-blue Icelandic name, but as I said I see it as a choice between two different strategies, for first names at least.

What do you think of these? [name_f]Do[/name_f] any sound good together for siblings in your opinion?

I think they’re all great, you can’t go wrong! Unless you’re planning to honor family with the middle spot, you could use a VERY Icelandic name there.

I think all of the names are your list wouldn’t be too bad to use. Some have k’s instead of c’s ([name_m]Oskar[/name_m]), are missing one letter ([name_f]Elisabet[/name_f]) or have an extra letter (Freyja) but I don’t think it would be a huge problem for English speakers to grasp.

Sibset Suggestions

B/B/B: [name_m]Felix[/name_m], [name_m]Le[/name_m]ó, and Óskar OR [name_m]Felix[/name_m], [name_m]Le[/name_m]ó, and [name_m]Viktor[/name_m]
B/B: Róbert and Matthías
B/B/G: [name_m]Le[/name_m]ó, [name_m]Viktor[/name_m] and Freyja OR Róbert, Matthías and [name_f]El[/name_f]ísabet
B/G: [name_m]Felix[/name_m] and Rósa

I like them all, especially [name_m]Felix[/name_m], Matthías, and Freyja.

From your signature I love Lóa and I think it would play well in an English-speaking environment.

If we had a boy, he would probably have the middle name [name_m]Karl[/name_m] for reasons of family tradition (on his side). While it’s not my favourite name, I’m happy with it because it’s short and classy and goes with almost everything (maybe too repetitive with Óskar though). I’d put it in the same category as these names, works in both languages but pronounced differently. Maybe that kind of puts us in a box for other second names, but going more Icelandic on the middle spot is an idea I like for girls or a second boy, so thanks :slight_smile:

Thanks, I think you’re right. The great thing about Lóa is that it’s a stand-alone name meaning golden plover, the migratory bird that traditionally heralds the coming of spring in Iceland (which meaning I love), but it can also be a nickname for a lot of other names, including [name_f]El[/name_f]ísabet. I love the idea of [name_f]El[/name_f]ísabet, nickname Lóa. I know it sounds like a stretch but it’s established here, not totally out of the blue!

To join on from this earlier discussion, another two I’m not quite sure about…

[name_f]Hilda[/name_f] - Half of me likes it a lot, but does it sound too much like an old lady to your ears? I know some “old lady” names are coming back in and fashion goes in cycles, but maybe it’s still not time for this one. It sounds quite young in Iceland, but the variant [name_f]Hildur[/name_f] is ageless, one of those names that’s been used since the settlement. Could it sound fresh and young outside of Iceland, though, or is it eternal pensioner / Germanic battle-axe of a woman?

[name_f]Silja[/name_f] - Beautiful Icelandic form of [name_f]Celia[/name_f]. I loved this name for ages, but then I started hearing Sillier when I said it. I don’t know, I’m on the edge with this one as well.

They make a great sibset in any combo I would think.