Dagny

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: “new day.”
Nor/Swe (DAHG-nee); Dan (DOWN).

The name is composed of the Old Norse elements dag meaning day and ný meaning “new.” Its designated name-day throughout Scandinavia is September 11th. The name is far more prevalent in Denmark than in any of the other Scandinvian countries. In American literature, the name is found in Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged as the name of a character. In Norwegian and Swedish, the name has the more pleasant pronounciation of (DAHG-nee) while in Danish, it rhymes and sounds like the English word “down.” To hear how the names are pronounced in both languages, consult this site: http://www.forvo.com/search/Dagny/da/ There is a Sami version: Dávdna

Tova, Tove, Tofa

Posted on September 11, 2009 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: “beautiful Thor.”

The name is derived from the Old Norse Tófa, which is a short form of Þórfríðr which in turn is composed of the elements Thor and fríðr meaning “beautiful.” In 2006, Tove ranked in at # 98 in the Top 100 female names of Sweden. While in 2007, its other form of Tova came in at # 87.

Tova is coincidentally a Hebrew female ( טוֹבָה) name meaning “good”, which is sometimes transliterated as Tovah.

In Sweden, the designated name day for Tove and Tova is September 10, while in Norway it is November 2.

Tord

Posted on September 11, 2009 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: “peace of Thor; Thor’s peace.”

The name is a modernization of the Old Norse name Þorröðr which is composed of the Old Norse elements Thor meaning “thunder” but in this case, the name was most likely created in reference to the god Thor, and fröðr meaning “peace.” The names usage technically extends to all the Scandinavian countries, including the Swedish speaking areas of Finland, but seems to be particulary popular in Norway. Its designated name day is September 10.

Ingrid

Posted on September 5, 2009 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Swedish/Norwegian
Meaning: “beautiful Ing.”
(ING-rid)

When you hear this name you probably think of a golden legend Swedish actresses and tow-headed Scandinavian maidens.

Ingrid is viewed as the quintessential Scandinavian name to most English-speakers, thanks to the fame of Ingrid Bergman.

The name is composed of the Old Norse elements Ing which is derived from the name of a divinity, Ingwaz, an ancient Germanic fertility god. He was an obscure god who was considered the progenitor of the Ingaevones, a Germanic tribe. Though not much is known of him, he seems to have left his mark on many classic Scandinavian names: Ingmar, Ingri, Inga, Inger, Ingela and of course Ingrid to name a few.

The second part of the name is from the Old Norse word fríðr meaning beautiful.

In Sweden and Norway, Ingrid is rather timeless. It has never seemed to have gone out of style and remains in the popularity charts as of last year.

In Sweden, Ingrid was the seventieth most popular female name, while in Norway, she came in even higher, at # 12, tying with her sister names Ingri and Ingerid.

The name has received widespread usage outside of Scandinavia. It is used to a certain extent in German-speaking countries. In Germany she even boasts her own name-day, September 2nd, while in Sweden the name day is a month ahead, October 9.

Ingrid is occasionally used in Eastern Europe, particularly the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Latvia and Lithuania boast their own elaborated form: Ingrida, while in Poland its spelled Ingryda.

In Finland she is Inkeri.

She is occasionally used in France.

Ingrid has gotten plenty of usage in the US, thanks to the large influx of Norwegian and Swedish immigrants at the turn of the century. In 1913, she managed to move her way into the top 1000, coming in at # 934. The highest that Ingrid has ever peaked in the US, however, was in 1967, when she came in at # 381.

It is interesting to note that Ingrid has never dropped out of the US top 1000 since. She currently stands at # 545.

Ingrid seems to have a fond following in the upper midwest, browse through Minnesota and North Dakota birth announcements and I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw at least one Ingrid. Ingrid might be appealing to English speakers who are looking to names like Eleanor and Matilda as inspiration. Strong, yet decidedly feminine names fit for a down to earth medieval queen.

Vidar

Posted on September 3, 2009 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: “forest warrior or; wide or large warrior.”
(VEE-dahr)

The name is derived from the Old Norse male name Víðarr, which is composed of the elements víðr which can either mean “forest” or “wide; large” and arr meaning “warrior.” In Norse Mythology the name is borne by the son of Odin and the giantess Grid. He is fated to avenge his father’s death at the time of Ragnarök (the end of the world in Norse Mythology). Odin is fated to die by being devoured by the wolf. Vidar appears in both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda and is also a subject featured on the carvings of the Gosforth Cross in England. Traditionally, it is believed that Vidar will kill the wolf by pulling his jaws apart. Ouch! After the great battle of Ragnarök is to pass, Vidar will survive and rule his own hall in the Viking netherworld, upon the remains of Asgard. He is said to don a powerfully made leather shoe, which will help him kill the wolf in the future. He is said to be extremely powerful. Other forms of the name include Vithar and Vitharr. The name is currently popular in Norway where it came in as the 9th most popular male name of 2008. Its designated name day in Sweden is August 31, while in Norway it is on December 29.

Brynolf

Posted on August 16, 2009 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: “armour wolf.”
(BRIN-nulf)

The name is composed of the Old Norse elements brynjir meaning “armour” and ulf meaning “wolf.” The designated name day is August 16 and it was borne by Swedish track and field athlete, Brynolf Larsson (1885-1973). The name might be an appealing, formal option for the trendy and unisexual nickname name Brynn/Bryn.

Folke

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Swedish
Meaning: “people.”
(FOLE-keh)

The name is derived from the Old Norse element fulk meaning “people.” The name is currently rather trendy in Sweden. It was borne by Folke Bernadotte the count of Wisburg, a Swedish diplomat who was noted for his efforts in saving 31,000 prisoners from German Concentration camps. Its designated name day is July 14.

Kólga, Kolka

Posted on July 1, 2009 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Old Norse/Icelandic
Meaning: “the cool; cool wave; heavy clouds.”
Swe/Nor. (KOOL-gah); O.N. (KOLE-gah); Ice. (KULL-kah)

The name is borne in Norse Mythology by one of the nine sea maidens born of the goddess Ran. In modern Iceland, the name has evolved into Kolka, its older rendition often used as a horse name and literally meaning heavy clouds, or overcast in modern Icelandic. The term Kólga was often used in Norse poems to describe the waves. It was a favorite term in kennings. With the revival of Old Norse names in Sweden and Norway, it is possible that Kolga could catch on. The other 3 sisters of whom I will not go into anymore detail are Hefring (Riser); Blodguhadda (Bloody-hair) and Udr (frothing wave) which in Modern Icelandic is Unnur (UN-nur). Hefring and Blodguhadda were never used as names outside the myths.

Himinglaeva

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: “clear heaven.”
(HIH-min-GLY-vah)
The name is composed of the Old Norse elements himin meaning “heaven” and glaeva meaning “clear; see through.”

The name was a poetic description describing the clear waters of the sea.

In Norse Mythology, it was the name of one of the nine daughters of Rán & Aegir. All nine of the sea maids were said to have motherd Heimdall via the god Odin.

Heimdall was the protector of Bifröst.

Bylgja

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Old Norse/Icelandic
Meaning: “wave; billow.”
(BILG-yah)

The name is borne in Norse Mythology by one of the nine daughters of Rán and Aegir.

Bylgja represented the waves of the sea and she is the mother of Heimdall by the god Odin.

In Icelandic, it coincides with the modern word for wave.

As a first name, it is currently borne by 116 women, and as a middle name, it is borne by 19 women (July 2007).

For an English speaker considering this name, a possible nickname option is Billie.

Legitimate Baby Names

names that are not made up and have had a history

Tag Archives: Old Norse Names