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[name]How[/name] come [name]Sol[/name] isn’t considered Norwegian? [name]Solveig[/name] is a Norwegian name. Did [name]Sol[/name] come from Latin and is -veig just added to it?
Very interesting post. My grandmother [name]Gerd[/name] was born in [name]Bergen[/name] and our Norwegian heritage has always been important to us. Growing up our Norwegian aunts would come over in the summer and rent a giant Buick which they would use to visit all the family members. We called it the Tantemobile. Some of these names you mentioned have counterparts in English – Emerich, for example, or [name]Viveca[/name] – and others, as you said, are clearly versions of male names. As for Thomine, I think the Cornish [name]Tamsin[/name] is a better feminisation of [name]Thomas[/name] than [name]Thomasina[/name], which was the name of a [name]Paul[/name] Gallico story and a Disney movie.
I’ve always wondered if our family names are still in use in Norway, or if they would be considered hopelessly old-fashioned now. My great-great-grandparents were [name]Kristian[/name]-[name]Sebastian[/name] and [name]Berte[/name], and they had thirteen children (eight survived): Berentine, Ottar, Ketil, [name]Erling[/name], [name]Gudrun[/name], [name]Sofie[/name]-[name]Katarine[/name], [name]Anna[/name], [name]Einar[/name], and [name]Solveig[/name]. (The others died as infants and their names were re-used.)
Did [name]Princess[/name] [name]Marthe[/name] [name]Louise[/name] name her daughters [name]Isadora[/name] and [name]Tallulah[/name] because of [name]Isadora[/name] [name]Duncan[/name] and [name]Tallulah[/name] Bankhead? I always wondered.
@Elidaw - [name]Elida[/name] is a favourite of mine, and while you can never be sure what’s correct, all my Norwegian sources list it as Norse in origin, from Ellidi which means ‘fast sailor’ or ‘ship with wings’, so I can only assure you that it means something with speed and has been in use in Scandinavian countries for at least 1000 years. She’s a beauty, and even though it might not have been a wholly pleasant experience for you to be named [name]Elida[/name], the uniqueness gives you a nice conversation starter which might be helpful as a journalist? ^^
@Arreisenlaluz9 - Emrik sounds very dignified on an American boy, it’s a good name!
@Saracita - Iverine is wonderful! She’s a feminine form of [name]Iver[/name] which is a variant of the more common [name]Ivar[/name] (my uncle’s name actually) which means ‘yew-tree’ which was brought to [name]England[/name] by Vikings and adopted as [name]Ivor[/name]. She sounds so beautiful in English, lively and elegant, and you could use familiar [name]Ivy[/name] as a nickname if that’s important. Since you like Iverine I’m guessing you might be a bit adventurous in your boy choices as well, and my first thought was Alvarin, but he’s very similar to Iverine so it would probably be troublesome to have both. Irish/Norwegian makes me think [name]Taran[/name]. It’s a boys name in [name]Ireland[/name], but a girls name (variant of Torunn) in Norway although most Norwegians would be surprised by it since it doesn’t sound like a girls name to Norwegian ears. Other Norse suggestions: [name]Alvar[/name], [name]Andor[/name], [name]Ari[/name], Astor, [name]Audun[/name], [name]Bo[/name] (not meaning handsome and French related, but Norse meaning ‘to live’), Ellef, Elling, Eimund, Eivind, Eyolv, Haftor, Ingnor, Jarand (prn. YA-ran), Kittel, [name]Olav[/name], Olai, [name]Rune[/name]/Runi, [name]Sigmund[/name], [name]Sindri[/name], Tellef, [name]Tor[/name] (just [name]Tor[/name], it’s even a nature name in English!), Trygg (means ‘safe’) and Yngvi. These are from my list though, so they’re all rare in Norway as well which means there are probably a lot more names that would fit the bill for you but aren’t on my list so I can’t remember them right now. Most names ending in -mund have a Norse connection, there are a lot of them and I actually came across a new one today, Bergmund. The final D is silent in almost all dialects here in Norway, so it would be pronounces [name]BERG[/name]-mun. Others are Amund, Dagmund, [name]Edmund[/name], Eimund, Emund, Fredmund ([name]Fred[/name] is the Norwegian word for ‘peace’ which is pretty cool!), Hermund, Ingmund, Oddmund, Omund/Ommund, Romund, Vermund and Vilmund.
I could look for more names in use in Norway but not necessarily Norwegian, [name]Magnus[/name] and a whole lot of other -us names have been very popular her, and a lot of the Biblical names are more intriguing in Norwegian than what you’re used to ([name]Matteus[/name] for [name]Matthew[/name], [name]Johannes[/name] for [name]John[/name]).
@Zoevictoria - [name]Sol[/name] is Norwegian, she’s a Norse goddess of the sun and the Norwegian word for sun, but in the case of [name]Solveig[/name] she means ‘house’ via ‘salr’ the Old Norse name for ‘hall’. [name]Sol[/name] on her own means ‘sun’, [name]Sol[/name] with something else ([name]Solveig[/name], Solhild, Solvor etc.) means ‘house’. She’s on this list because she’s only in use here, and because Norway is not the only place where [name]Sol[/name] is a name, so she’s not only Norwegian.
Seeing this thread again is fun, if people are interested, I could perhaps use some more time and look into more names to offer up for export 
I think I made some lists a while back I could probably do it again… ^^
@miloowen - I made this post a long time ago, and I htink it would look very different if I wrote something similar today, so yes, many of the names have English counterparts. The tantemobile sounds like fun ^^ It reminds me of a story my mother likes telling about an American visiting Norway. He wanted to see a glacier so they drove him up as close as they could and all you can really see is snow. He was waring trainers and shorts and a t-shirt and merrily went on his way across the snow against all protests shouting ‘Up to see the glacier!’, to return a couple of hours later, satisfied with his glacier experience. My mother says she was really worried, you need professionals to take you many of the places because they’re unsafe, so he could have disappeard and never be found again, but he wanted to see the glacier…
Berte and Berentine are the only names from your list I think I haven’t heard on a 20 something or younger yet. Berte is a slang term in Norway, and not with the greatest associations so I think it might take a while for her to become considered again. Berentine is just too clunky-old rather than funky-old like Albertine. That said, Sofie, Anna and Solveig are the only ones I wouldn’t be surprised to hear someone use.
And I have no idea why Märtha Louise called her children Isadora and Tallulah (she has a Maud too). She’s practically our only source for crazy celebrity baby names here Although I think some sports guy has a son called Noa Tordenskjold (literally ‘thundershield’, the name of a Norwegian nobleman and naval officer, you can read about him on Wikipedia) and a musician I came across today seems to have a daughter named India. Place names, and to some extent even word names are practically unheard of here (although I think it will come), and India has no history of use in Norway at all (although Indiana/Indianna has). Oh, and some tv person has a daughter named Ømjer which is a name, but she’s the only person called that in all of Norway, and most people would look like a questionmark if you aksed them about it.
My birth name is [name]Solveig[/name], although I am not of Scandinavian descent. My mom had a friend by that name. [name]Do[/name] you know if there are any nicknames used for [name]Solveig[/name]? Thanks.
I know an American named [name]Britta[/name]! She is in her early twenties, so I’d always assumed it was short for [name]Brittany[/name], but now that I know it is a name in use in Norway, I’m thinking that’s probably her full name, maybe a family name for her. The water filter association goes away after you get to know a real person with the name, I think.
We don’t use nicknames in Norway, at least not these days. We have some names that originated as nicknames ([name]Mats[/name], short for [name]Mathias[/name], Johs, short for [name]Johannes[/name]) but they’re considered names on their own now, and they’re only boys names. I would think [name]Sol[/name] would be the closest thing to a nickname for [name]Solveig[/name] you can think of, but I’ve never heard of a [name]Solveig[/name] called [name]Sol[/name] in my life. Nicknames are not common in Norway at all, the most you’ll get is a pet name as a child or something ‘cool’ when you’re a teen, mostly just going by a last name or some word that sounds similar and such.
@jwalling - [name]Britta[/name] is a mostly Swedish form of [name]Bridget[/name], via [name]Birgitta[/name]. In Norway, [name]Brita[/name] is more common but not a name used for babies these days. You would mostly find it on people 30 years or older. [name]Britta[/name] is very sweet, and I think a lot of those ‘but that’s a …’ associations disappear when you get to know the person. I mostly disregard those ([name]Allegra[/name], allergy medicine, Uno the card game) unless they have some sexual aspect to them, that’s not the kind of thing you want people to think about when they hear your child’s name… (I’m sceptical to [name]Lolita[/name] for example)
Emrik would be the eaisest for a boy, the rest are a bit risky imo.
Girls have it easy though, Alete, [name]Sol[/name], [name]Alida[/name], [name]Andrine[/name], [name]Brita[/name], [name]Christiane[/name], [name]Serina[/name], [name]Vivika[/name], Siren.
Although beward, [name]Brita[/name] is the name of a very popular household water filter.
These are intriguing, my husband has Norwegian ancestry so I’d love to find some new ways to consider connecting to that (we are probably about 2 years from having kids, at least by our plans : D).
Boys:
Sophus - seems hard to pull off, with so many Sophies and Sophias running around for girls. It also sounds like Sophist.
Emrik - this is cool and pretty wearable, with [name]Emmett[/name] being pretty familiar, and [name]Rick[/name]. I like this.
Tinius - Makes me think of tinnitus and tiny. Not for the faint of heart.
Timian - I like it, but just think of [name]Tim[/name]-[name]Ian[/name]. I think it’s doable though.
Uno - very boss and cool, but a lot of card game…
[name]Waldemar[/name] - too much. Makes me think of [name]Waldo[/name] and Valdemort. Handsome, but I’d go with [name]Walter[/name] any day.
Girls:
[name]Alette[/name] - pretty, but sort of insubstantial.
Thomine or Thomina - interesting, but not really pretty enough for me. I’d take [name]Tamsin[/name].
Ovidia - pretty, but confusing with its closeness to [name]Olivia[/name].
Iverine - I’m intrigued, but wonder if people would just hear [name]Ivory[/name].
Emerenze - I do not know what to do with this, but think it’s pretty and the [name]Emmy[/name] nicknames would make it accessible.
[name]Sol[/name] - very nice and simple, makes me think it’s a Spanish name.
[name]Alida[/name] or [name]Elida[/name] - pretty but again kind of lightweight.
[name]Andrine[/name] - pretty but makes me think of androgens somehow.
[name]Brita[/name] or [name]Britta[/name] - pretty but I think of filters.
[name]Christiane[/name] - I really like this but would prefer the spelling [name]Christiana[/name] (I assume it would be prn’d that way?)
Elmine - pretty, like the association with elm trees, but kind of old-ladyish.
Ellisiv or [name]Ellisif[/name] - I am intrigued! [name]Ellie[/name] nickname makes it very accessible.
Irmelin or Irlin - both sound like old ladies to me.
Maiken - cute. [name]Mikie[/name] or [name]Mai[/name] could be wearable nicknames
[name]Serina[/name] - would fit right in because of [name]Serena[/name], and would get spelled that way a lot, though.
Siren - I’m sure the intended prn is pretty, but it would always get guessed as Siren.
[name]Vivika[/name] - very lovely, would fit in with [name]Vivian[/name]/[name]Vivienne[/name] on the rise, makes me think of the actress [name]Viveca[/name] A. [name]Fox[/name].
Emrik and maybe Timian for boys would be the best options.
For girls, [name]Alette[/name], [name]Alida[/name], and [name]Vivika[/name] seem safest. But plenty of others would likely be fine.
All best!
I love Sophus, [name]Alette[/name], and [name]Serina[/name]! I think [name]Alette[/name] and [name]Serina[/name] would be completely usable in the US, although I slightly prefer [name]Aletta[/name] and [name]Serena[/name].
I love the name [name]Espen[/name] or Esben which I believe is Norwegian (or at least from that neck of Europe!!)
It’s a boys name but I think it would work equally well as a girls name.
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@east93 - people seem to be more willing to be different when it comes to girls names than boys so what you’re saying rings true to me. I think [name]Valdemar[/name] deserves some love though. He’s not for everyone the same way Ferdianand isn’t, but he has his charms even though he sounds a little off by today’s trends. Emrik is right on trend though, and with all the -n ending names, I don’t think Timian would be too far-fetched either. 
@jesba - There are a lot of Norse/Norwegian names that sound great in English, these were just a sampel of the ones I was thinking about back when I wrote this post. I’m really glad you noticed [name]Ellisif[/name]/Ellisiv, she’s the Old Norse form of [name]Elizabeth[/name] and it would melt my heart to hear it on some little girl, it’s beautiful!
Siren is pronounced SEE-ren in Norway, often linked with [name]Siri[/name] of new-found fame.
@ashthedreamer - [name]Aletta[/name] is a bit easier I guess, but [name]Serina[/name] is cuter with her ‘i’ than [name]Serena[/name]. I guess it depends on what you look for in a name. I know babies and children will spend more time as adults, but [name]Serena[/name] always seemed a bit to serious to me, especially with her meaning. Sophus is fun, but I do see the issues (sounds like ‘sofas’, confusing with all the Sophies). I like him, but he’s not for everyone
@alphalpha - [name]Espen[/name]/Esben is Norwegian, a form of the more Norse sounding Asbjørn which means god+bear. I personally would not consider it for a girl, but to each their own I guess. Despoena or [name]Esperanza[/name] or even [name]Vesper[/name] is better for a girl if it’s the Esp sound you’re after. ^^
Saracita:
[name]Ivy[/name] works well for Iverine in my opinion, although I have to tell you that Iverine would be pronounced EE-vuh-REEN in Norway, so if you were to be picky about the pronounciation getting to [name]Ivy[/name] might be a bit more difficult. I would recommend that you change it to suit your language, no Norwegian would take offense, and it would be easier for your daughter to not have to correct people all the time. I went to school with a Synne Aarnes, but that’s all the name means to me. My own last name is Aarvik, so it has the same first three letters.
With [name]Caspian[/name] and Zephan, I might try to avoid another name ending in -an or just -n for that matter. [name]Ari[/name] means eagle, but that might be a bit short with the others. There’s also [name]Arin[/name]/Arinn, but again with the N. Arnor, [name]Arvid[/name] (a very common name, but only for those over 40 here), Arnfinn/Anfinn, [name]Torin[/name] ([name]Tor[/name]+Arinn), Torarin (but that’s a tongue twister!). Alvarin is probably a combo of [name]Alf[/name]+Arinn, meaning elf and eagle, so there’s an interesting combination for you! Arnmund and variant Ermund. [name]Falk[/name] is the Norwegian name for [name]Falcon[/name] and is used as a name, as is Hauk which means [name]Hawk[/name] (not too difficult to guess 
[name]Hugin[/name] and Munin were [name]Odin[/name]'s ravens so they’re bird related, meaning thought and memory. Ravn/Ramn is Norwegian for [name]Raven[/name], also used as names.
Odd means the point of a blade, but it’s a bit loaded in English… Variants like Oddmund, Oddvin and Oddvar can all be spelled with a single d, so that makes them more useable as Odmund, Odvin and Odvar. Looking around for meanings, Agnar might suit you. The first part comes either from ‘egg’, the edge of a blade, or ‘agi’ meaning respect (awe) or rebellion, the second part means warrior. The behindthename.com meaning for Amund is also just one of many, -mund means protection, but the A could come from ‘egg’, ‘agi’ or ‘á’ meaning ‘very’ in connection with amounts, so ‘very protected’ or ‘many kinds of protection’ is another meaning for it. Amund has variants, Ogmund, Ommund, Agmund, and in Icelandic it ”mundi which gives it another syllable to solve the omen/amen issue. Ansgar means god+sword and is Germanic (Norse is a germanic language and its Norse counterpart is Åsgeir but that’s not the simplest to translate). Ansten means eagle+stone. [name]Halsten[/name] and [name]Torsten[/name] are names with the same ‘sten’ part, [name]Hall[/name] means ‘home’ and [name]Tor[/name] is for the thunder god. Torodd is a bit clunky, but maybe fun?
Variations of [name]Peter[/name] are [name]Peder[/name], [name]Per[/name] and [name]Pelle[/name], the last one being more Swedish. I’m not sure I would recommend any of them for you. [name]Aaron[/name] is often spelt [name]Aron[/name] here, but it’s very similar to Arinn which I really like for you if the -n endings aren’t an issue.
[name]Donald[/name] has no Norwegian variants. I love [name]Donald[/name] myself, partly due to an old man who was our neighbour when I was little, and lately due to the song ‘My [name]Donald[/name]’ sung by [name]Rachel[/name] Unthank and the Winterset (now just ‘The Unthanks’) which is beautiful! It is without doubt one of my favourite songs!
Dagmund has a long ‘a’ sound here. If you listen to the Swedish pronunciation of [name]Dag[/name] on Forvo.com and add -mund, you’re more or less there –> dag pronunciation: How to pronounce dag in Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, English, Low German, Volapük, Afrikaans, Icelandic, Luxembourgish, Flemish, Hebrew, Spanish
That’s all I can look through tonight I think, let me know where you’re heading and I’d be happy to help more ^^
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This has been such a fun thread to read, thanks for posting it, Dearest!
I’ve been interested in Scandinavian names for years and am always collecting them, trying to find more names for book characters. These are incredibly helpful and really broaden my base of possibilities. I’m self-taught in Swedish and know the basics of the pronunciation system, so I end up pronouncing the names as they would be pronounced in their original Norwegian (albeit with an accent, of course). Iverine at first looked a little old-fashioned to me, but it’s beginning to grow on me a bit. My favorite is probably [name]Christiane[/name].
I had used the name Arnulf for a couple of characters (father/son), just wondering if that’s in use in Norway at all? I also sometimes play around with Scandinavian names, changing spellings slightly to create something new, but not so strange that it would make people do horrified double-takes. (I can get away with it a little more, I think, because for a certain set of stories, I created my own small Scandinavian country so that I can play with languages as well as names. I’ve even dug up some incredibly ancient and obsolete names from Norse mythology to use.)
What are the popular names in use in Norway right now? What are the most unusual names you’ve heard of? Thanks!
Great list of names! I like Scandinavian names, they are fun and interesting. A perfect example of this is found in last year’s movie “[name]Thor[/name]”, based on the [name]Marvel[/name] Comics character, who in turn was based on the Norse God of Thunder. One of the supporting characters was of Norwegian descent, Prof. [name]Erik[/name] Selvig. He was played by [name]Stellan[/name] SkarsgÅrd, and he will reprise the character in another film in that series, “The Avengers”, due out this year. The Professor helped provide some important information to one of the lead characters. I thought of this when the name [name]Solveig[/name] appeared on the list, which looks pretty similar to me.
Norse-derived names also appeared in the works of J.R.R. Tolkein, most notably his “The [name]Lord[/name] of the Rings Trilogy”; I thought of that when I saw the name Arnor appear in the thread, which was a place name in his world of Middle-[name]Earth[/name].
Thanks for the great list of names, Dearest, and the neat thread you started!
Saracita:
Arinn, [name]Ari[/name], Arn and [name]Arne[/name] are all from the same root, [name]Ari[/name], variations or long versions, take your pick. They’re essentially the same name. I found an alternate source for Arinn which suggests it could also mean ‘hearth’ which is a combination of good meanings I really like. Arinn is pronounced ARE-in. [name]Aaron[/name] to me is more [name]AIR[/name]-on, so I guess if you made a point to be very obvious the first time you told the name to someone, they would most likely ask for the story and understand it all. Arinn is a wonderful name, and it shouldn’t be a problem.
[name]Aquila[/name] in Norway is just Akvila. We stick more to the original Greek spellings here, since the sounds suit our language better. ‘Kvila’ is a Norwegian word for ‘rest’ (we have two official languages, kvila is correct in the less used one, it’s called hvile in the other with a mute H.)
I see your problem with Ansten, but it could also be a good thing to have it associated with something familiar so there aren’t too many raised eyebrows. It depends on your point of view. A similar sounding alternative is [name]Audun[/name] but that means ‘rich friend’ which isn’t quite what you were after.
[name]Dag[/name] and Dog. It’s a problem! I didn’t think of that… English isn’t my mother tongue, so associations like that easily escape me since never use the word Dog. It’s like Eirny sounds like Irony, and is thus not very exportable
I’ve seen your other post, and will see if maybe I can find some more eagle/bird related names for you, or maybe with swords and such.
@Bostonian girl - Arnulf means eagle+wolf, and was very popular in the 30’s here, but practically no children born the past 20 years are called Arnulf. [name]Both[/name] the Arn part and the [name]Ulf[/name] part are considered very dated.
If you want a couple of Ancient and obsolete Norse names, I have a few, Duva beaing my favourite (on of the Billow Maidens), Imber (old variant or [name]Ingeborg[/name]) and [name]Rima[/name] (meaning frost) for girls, Fannar (snow drift), Havtor (sea+[name]Thor[/name]) and Logi (means ‘flame/blaze’) for boys. I would [name]LOVE[/name] to hear which old Norse mythology names you found! I research a lot myself, but that doesn’t mean I’ve found all the ones you’ve found
For popular names in Norway right now, we’re not really into the whole Norse thing. The popular sounds now are LMNE, and a lot of the Norse names are a little harsh soundign to fit with this philosophy. [name]Linnea[/name] and [name]Emma[/name] are on top for girls, [name]Lukas[/name]/[name]Lucas[/name] and [name]Leander[/name] for boys. [name]Ingrid[/name] is the only Norse name in the top 10 for girls. Next is Vilde at 18, and [name]Tuva[/name] at 22. the most surprising in the top 40 for you would be [name]Ida[/name], [name]Aurora[/name], [name]Selma[/name], [name]Pernille[/name], [name]Linnea[/name] and [name]Frida[/name]. Other names are [name]Sara[/name], [name]Sophie[/name], [name]Nora[/name], [name]Thea[/name], [name]Emilie[/name], [name]Leah[/name], [name]Anna[/name], [name]Julie[/name], [name]Maya[/name], [name]Hannah[/name], [name]Ella[/name], [name]Mia[/name] and so on. Soft, sweet with two syllables. Much the same as in the US
For boys, the first properly Norse name is at number 30, Håkon, next at 35, [name]Sondre[/name]. The list above is mostly filled with names ending in S. [name]Lucas[/name], [name]Marcus[/name], [name]Mathias[/name], [name]Magnus[/name], [name]Jonas[/name], [name]Elias[/name], [name]Tobias[/name], [name]Andreas[/name] and [name]Marius[/name]. [name]Emil[/name] at number 2 would perhaps be unusual for you, [name]Martin[/name], [name]Kasper[/name]/[name]Casper[/name], [name]Aksel[/name], [name]Nikolai[/name] and [name]Henrik[/name]. Other names are [name]Isak[/name] ([name]Isaac[/name]), [name]Adrian[/name], [name]Leon[/name], [name]Benjamin[/name], [name]Kristian[/name], [name]Sander[/name], [name]Oliver[/name], [name]Sebastian[/name], [name]Jacob[/name], [name]Noah[/name]… Very many Biblical names for boys!
For unusual names, there’s a ‘celebrity’ who called his daughtr Ømjer. It’s probably the most obscure and unused name I’ve ever come across! There’s another sports dude who gave his son [name]Noah[/name] the middle name Tordenskjold which is the last name of Norway’s most famous Nobleman and naval officer from the 1700’s. It literally means thunder+shield and is the most awesome middle name I have ever seen! My current favourite for girls, [name]Oleanna[/name], is fairly obscure but at least spikes recognition in most people. I also like [name]Lavrans[/name] which is where the super Scandinavian [name]Lars[/name] comes from. It’s our form of [name]Lawrence[/name] and most people are aware of it, but would not really consider it for themselves.
@pdxgordon - There’s a lot of everything in LOTR, but a lot of Norse, yes. [name]Frodo[/name] comes from [name]Frodi[/name] which is fairly common now as Frode. Middle-[name]Earth[/name] is also a translation of the meaning of Midgard, the place where humans live according to Norse mythology.
I’m glad you like the thread!
@dearest, yes I found you on the other thread, thank you! I just have to say <3<3 much love for Tordenskjold, that is seriously awesome, if unusable in the U.S. (at least in the first name spot).
@dearest, is the masculine [name]Ivo[/name] ever used over there, or just [name]Iver[/name]? I’m finding [name]Ivo[/name] listed as an Irish masculine variant on [name]Ivor[/name]. Somebody suggested [name]Ivo[/name] as a mn for our son due soon and once I got to thinking I realized [name]Ivo[/name] and Iverine are both variants of the same root name, [name]Ivor[/name]. I might take that route to honor grandmother, so just curious to find out if [name]Ivo[/name] ever sees any use in Norway. (Irish is fine too, we get that from my DH’s side!)
Thanks!
There is a famous Norwegian puppet film maker called [name]Ivo[/name] Caprino. He’s made a whole lot of Norwegian folk tales into puppet films, plus some original, most famously ‘Pinchcliffe Grand Prix’ which is shown on TV every [name]Christmas[/name]. I love his work myself, and I know many other Norwegians who do, and those who don’t are usually teenagers XD You should read more about him and see if you can find film excerpts on youtube, he’s a brilliant namesake and gives the Norway connection you want in a very smart way.
I also know one baby [name]Ivo[/name] here, and I think there are only going to be more, since it’s people my age and up who have the strongest relationship to his work and are creative enough in their naming to actually use him. (Same with [name]Astrid[/name] Lindgren’s works, it’s only in very recent times that [name]Mio[/name] is being used, and [name]Emil[/name] is the most used boys name in 2011 here, so I don’t think [name]Ivo[/name] will be far behind
There are currently 157 men here named [name]Ivo[/name] (I just checked for you), and approximately 50 of them were born the past 7 years, so it’s undoubtedly on the rise.
I would say it’s an excellent suggestion ^^