I am writing a fantasy novel with a cold Nordic setting. My main character is a girl and she needs a name - preferably one that sounds strong but still feminine.
Though I speak Danish, I write in English, thus it would be nice if the name had an appealing sound when it is pronounced English.
I have collected a list of names I really like the sound of and I would like to know which one you think sounds the best for the main character.
Other suggestions for potential names would be lovely! Also if you can come up with any cool-sounding variations of these names (for example [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] might become [name_f]Estrid[/name_f] and [name_f]Ulrika[/name_f] may become Ulriya) let me know! Thank you so much!
I would say for sure don’t use [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] because that is overused in this genre. [name_f]Freja[/name_f] is basically [name_f]Freya[/name_f] the Norse goddess and unless you would add a reason why she would be named after the goddess I say probably don’t use it, same as [name_f]Signe[/name_f]. [name_f]Eline[/name_f] sounds very feminine and not very strong but that may just be because my friend has a cat named [name_f]Eline[/name_f] that’s fat and never moves. [name_f]Linnea[/name_f], [name_u]Malin[/name_u], [name_f]Syrin[/name_f], and [name_f]Ulrika[/name_f] all work. I suggest [name_f]Hedvig[/name_f]/[name_f]Hedwig[/name_f]/[name_f]Edvig[/name_f], [name_f]Agata[/name_f], [name_f]Birgitta[/name_f], [name_u]Dagny[/name_u]/[name_f]Dagmar[/name_f], [name_f]Kaia[/name_f], [name_f]Monika[/name_f], and [name_f]Vigga[/name_f]. It all comes down to what fits the character.
I love Scandinavian names! Are you looking for names from the Nordic Countries in general, or just names from say, Denmark, or from Norway?
Maiken
> A diminutive of [name_f]Maria[/name_f]. The meaning is disputed, but the theories include “bitter sea”, “lady of the sea”, and “beloved”.
[name_f]Lilja[/name_f]
> A pretty “[name_f]Lil[/name_f]” name.
[name_f]Lykke[/name_f]
> The meaning is “luck”.
Oletta
> I think this definitely fits the criteria of strong and feminine. I like the options of “[name_u]Ollie[/name_u]” and “[name_f]Lettie[/name_f]” as nicknames.
[name_f]Tove[/name_f]
> This is Finnish, so not strictly Scandinavian, but I couldn’t resist throwing it in.