Looking through my Norwegian name books, I find all sorts of names that aren’t Norwegian (most of them), but for some reason, they’re only in use here, and in very small amounts… Almost all of these beauties have “died” here, but I hate to see them go! So, I thought I would ask you guys for opinions on how easily they be used in English speaking countries, just to see if perhaps I should make an effort to promote them to others ^^
I’ll just list them first, so you can get a “true” first impression… If anyone has questions about them, I’d be more then happy to answer ^^
Boys:
Sophus
Emrik
Tinius
Timian
Uno
[name]Waldemar[/name]
Girls:
[name]Alette[/name]
Thomine or Thomina
Ovidia
Iverine
Emerenze
[name]Sol[/name]
[name]Alida[/name] or [name]Elida[/name]
[name]Andrine[/name]
[name]Brita[/name] or [name]Britta[/name]
[name]Christiane[/name]
Elmine
Ellisiv or [name]Ellisif[/name]
Irmelin or Irlin
Maiken
[name]Serina[/name]
Siren
[name]Vivika[/name]
Oh sorry, I didn’t mean it in any way derogatorily, I would love to find some Viking ancestors. I have been reading up about Viking farmers - they did so much more than just invade! [name]Don[/name]'t be ashamed of them!
Sorry Dearest, I would not mean to offend you in any way, shape or form, and keep on posting about Norwegian names. Did Norway ever take up the name [name]Maud[/name] after [name]Princess[/name] [name]Maud[/name] of Great [name]Britain[/name] became their [name]Queen[/name]? I like the name [name]Maud[/name], do you, and it is a variant of [name]Matilda[/name], I believe.
I wasn’t talking specifically about you!! but I always get the feeling that Viking whale killers is all people really know and associate with Norway, with the exception of Fjords and ancestors, and I hate that! ^^ I’m hard to offend, actually, I just silently realise that I’m glad I’m not like that! (I hope…)
And yes, I think [name]Maud[/name] was adopted when [name]Maud[/name] became [name]Queen[/name], but I’m not really sure… She’s been in use in since the end of the 1800’s which is as far back as I can check anything, but she peaked around the time when [name]Maud[/name] did become [name]Queen[/name] of Norway… She’s not much in use nowadays, but princess M”rtha has a daughter named [name]Maud[/name] [name]Angelica[/name], which is really cute! (she also has [name]Leah[/name] [name]Isadora[/name] and [name]Emma[/name] [name]Tallulah[/name], so she’s practically the sole provider of crazy baby names in Norway… The papers were all over [name]Tallulah[/name] and whether or not she was a legit choice and if we should like her or not…!!)
I actually have [name]Ofelia[/name] [name]Maud[/name] on my list if I decide to stay in Norway… [name]Ofelia[/name] is the most accepted Norwegian spelling, just like we use [name]Filip[/name] over [name]Philip[/name] ^^
Boys:
Sophus
Emrik
Tinius
Timian - this is cool
Uno - In [name]America[/name] there is a popular card game called Uno.
[name]Waldemar[/name]
Girls:
[name]Alette[/name]
Thomine or Thomina
Ovidia
Iverine
Emerenze
[name]Sol[/name] - A very brave person might use this name. It would be a cool middle name.
[name]Alida[/name] or [name]Elida[/name]
[name]Andrine[/name] - I like it a lot!
[name]Brita[/name] or [name]Britta[/name] - In [name]America[/name] there is a water filter called [name]Brita[/name] or [name]Britta[/name].
[name]Christiane[/name] - pretty!
Elmine
Ellisiv or [name]Ellisif[/name]
Irmelin or Irlin
Maiken - sounds like makin’
[name]Serina[/name] - pretty
Siren - I think of the sirens who were tantalizing to men or fire engine sirens.
[name]Vivika[/name] - I love [name]Vivika[/name].
[name]Glad[/name] you are not offended about the Vikings Dearest! And interesting about the [name]Royal[/name] family names. I love [name]Maud[/name] [name]Angelica[/name].
I notice a few of the girls names end in “ine”, and [name]Andrine[/name] in particular reminded me of the Scottish tradition (mainly in the Highlands and [name]West[/name] coast) of feminising a name by just adding “[name]INA[/name]” to it, usually honouring the father or grandfather. Thus, [name]Andrina[/name] ([name]Andrew[/name]), [name]Jamesina[/name], [name]Williamina[/name] etc There is even a Douglasina!
I’m glad people like them ^^
And Ovidia is a good alternative to both [name]Lydia[/name] and [name]Olivia[/name], although perhaps [name]Olivia[/name] is the one who needs an alternative these days
And yeah, [name]Andrine[/name] is the feminine form of [name]Anders[/name] (Scandinavian form of [name]Andreas[/name]), Thomine for [name]Thomas[/name], Iverine for [name]Iver[/name] and Elmine for [name]Elmer[/name]… I like it! Especially Thomine, because [name]Thomasina[/name] is just too much of a name for anyone to pull of with grace IMHO… [name]Wilhelmina[/name] is okay because she’s more widely used, but [name]Thomasina[/name] is just too clunky… Thomine/Thomina is just cute in comparison!
And [name]Susan[/name], I know about the card game, we have it here as well… I just love the name ^^ And Timian is actually the Norwegian word for thyme, and is one of the few nature names we have that’s not an animal, which is pretty cool… would also be a good way to honour a [name]Tim[/name] of some kind without using [name]Timothy[/name] or other obvious choices…
I’ll try to dig up some old Norse, or traditionally Norwegian names later, or maybe some more for this list… I’ll only list names I think would integrate well, though… (meaning I won’t be suggesting Odd or Solborg, even though they fit most requirements ^^)
Emerenze would be pronounced em-uh-[name]REN[/name]-suh in Norway, where it rhymes with [name]Constance[/name]… I think the English spelling is Emerance, which I’ve seen a couple of places, but never with a pronunciation guide (I assume it rhymes with [name]Constance[/name] agan)… Other spellings are Emerense and Emerentze, the latter being the [name]German[/name] version ^^
Site above has it listed as a Latin name meaning “dignity” (as Emerense, but also with the variants)
It’s extremely rare in Norway, only 10 ladies with the name, and that’s counting all the different spellings! I think it’s absolutely gorgeous and full of dignity and with the cute [name]Emme[/name] nickname, so I’m very likely to use it, providing I find a hubby who’s not scared of being untraditional ^^
I hope that helps for you ^^
I got a chuckle out of the [name]Alida[/name]/[name]Elida[/name] name because I grew up in [name]Elida[/name], Ohio. But, if it is pronounced eh-lee-dah instead of ee-lida (the village) I think it is absolutely lovely!
dearest, great list of names! I have a question for you…
I gather you’re in Norway? I know of one non-Norwegian name and I’m wondering whether it’s in popular use in Norway because of the Norwegian comic strip character who has this name. It’s a feminine name, and the name is “[name]Nemi[/name].” Are you familiar with [name]Nemi[/name] and the Norwegian comic strip of the same name?
@ Reginacotis - I’m glad you like them! And since you live in [name]Sweden[/name], I’m sure you could use Sophus without having anyone think of sofas (as in one sofa, two sofas) which is nice! Sophus is unfortunately only acceptable as a cat’s name in Norway today, but it was a lot more common before! And that’s awesome that you know a baby Emrik! there are only ten boys with the name in Norway today, but I’m hoping the number will rise with the new trend of using older and less international boys names, like Amund, which is really sweet ^^
@ Tarat - I’m glad you like them too! And I didn’t know [name]Elida[/name] was a place as well! Here, it and [name]Alida[/name] are versions of [name]Adelheid[/name] ([name]Adelaide[/name]), but [name]Alida[/name] is the most common one… and we do pronounce it eh-[name]LEE[/name]-dah, which is very pretty and unique in my opinion ^^
And [name]Nephele[/name], I’m a BIG fan of [name]Nemi[/name]! She’s actually one of the reasons I started listening to [name]Tori[/name] [name]Amos[/name], as strange as that sounds! there are 10 ladies by the name of [name]Nemi[/name] in Norway, but I can’t find any information about it… And my neighbours have a dog named [name]Nemi[/name]! She’s black, which is no surprise ^^
Since there are so few named [name]Nemi[/name], I can’t tell you if they’re all named after the [name]Nemi[/name] from the comic, but I think the majority, if not all, are, although I will never know for sure… Nameberry has [name]Nemi[/name] listed as a form of the [name]African[/name] [name]Nemy[/name], which means “sweet”, but [name]Nemi[/name] in the comics is named after [name]Lake[/name] [name]Nemi[/name], a volcanic lake in [name]Italy[/name], and her last name, Montoya is from [name]Inigo[/name] Montoya from “the [name]Princess[/name] [name]Bride[/name]”…
I think most people in Norway would think of the comic character before anything else if you named your daughter [name]Nemi[/name], so I think those who have did it with that in mind… But like I said, there could be an 80-year old [name]Nemi[/name] somewhere in Norway chuckling over the new fame her name has been given ^^
I also found [name]Nemi[/name] as a boy’s name, a form of the Spanish [name]Nemesio[/name] meaning “justice”, which mentioned the sound being similar to nemesis… the thought of [name]Nemi[/name] as a kind of nemesis to modern society is pretty cool, and gives her name some extra meaning IMHO ^^
Yay! Another [name]Nemi[/name] fan! I’m pretty sure, too, that any Nemis existing in Norway are most likely named for the comic, since [name]Nemi[/name]'s creator, [name]Lise[/name] Myhre, has said that she got the name from [name]Lake[/name] [name]Nemi[/name] in [name]Italy[/name] (as you’ve already mentioned).
The name of [name]Lake[/name] [name]Nemi[/name] goes back to ancient [name]Roman[/name] times, and is the plural of the Latin nemus, meaning “grove; forest.” The lake was so named because the goddess [name]Diana[/name] had her sacred grove there. So, [name]Nemi[/name] the gothic character’s name literally means: “forests.”
Speaking as a gothic chick, I think that [name]Nemi[/name] is my favorite thing to have come out of Norway (besides yourself, Dearest).
I actually am named [name]Elida[/name] … For my Norwegian grandmother who hailed from Elverum … But most of the women with that name that I have come upon in the United States are Hispanic. My research indicates it’s a derivation of Latin and means “small winged one.” That makes me laugh since I am neither small nor winged. The name is constantly mispronounced and has been difficult for me as I am a journalist an am always spelling and pronouncing it for people. My mom named me [name]Elida[/name] partly so i’d never have a nickname, and that’s all I’ve had since I was a kid … Often unrelated to my actual name!
