Though the Old Norse language is somewhat lost to time due to changing political climates and the rapid spread of Christianity, Nordic names continue to keep Old Norse traditions and stories alive. Still, names like Freyja and Magnús are becoming far less common in Nordic countries.
Nordic names hail from Scandinavia, a region of northern Europe. Currently, Nordic names are most common in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland. Though some nations enforce relatively strict traditional naming policies, many Nordic countries are experiencing an influx of Western names.
In this article, we’ll examine common Nordic names. We’ll also discuss the most popular girls’ and boys’ names for each Nordic nation, as well as surnames.
Names Found in Nordic Countries
Countries in the Nordic region have some similarities when it comes to names and traditions. However, there are also a lot of differences. Very early inhabitants of the region only had one name. However, this made it hard to distinguish between individuals with the same name so a second part was added to the name. This was normally a description of the person or the name of the place where he lived or came from.
The oldest Nordic first names were often based on divine beings, words for weapons, terms associated with warriors, or things from nature. For example Harald, an old and traditional Nordic name, means army and conqueror. Christianity also influenced Nordic names and the inhabitants drew inspiration from Biblical names with origins from Greece or the Latin language.
During the Middle Ages a lot of German people migrated to the Nordic region. This German influence also had an impact on names. Henrik, Valter and Rickard became popular among other Nordic favorites. Today Nordic names mostly get their inspiration from the west. Modern culture has also made an impact, with trending newborn names being taken from celebrities and famous sport athletes.
Nordic Surnames
In the Nordic region the tradition for many years was to use a patronymic naming system for surnames. That means that children take a surname based on their gender and the father’s first name. If for example a father with the name Anders had a son, the son’s surname was created by putting together “Anders” and “son”. The surname would then be Andersson.
Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark stopped using this system in the 19th century. Later, at the end of the 19th century, family names inherited through generations began to be used instead.
However, this long tradition of creating surnames can still be seen today with the surviving common surnames derived from this period. Nowadays, old Nordic patronymic surnames are also inherited as family names. In Iceland the old system of using patronymic names is still in use (2020).
Nordic Names – Sweden
Sweden is the biggest country in the Nordic region and much like the country itself, names have a long history. As you can see in the lists below, the most common male and female names differ a lot when compared to the names for newborns. In the list of surnames it is clear that the old surnames based on the patronymic system are still common.
Common Names in Sweden
The 10 most common names for males and females in Sweden:
| Female | Male | |
| 1 | Anna | Lars |
| 2 | Eva | Mikael |
| 3 | Maria | Anders |
| 4 | Karin | Johan |
| 5 | Kristina | Erik |
| 6 | Sara | Per |
| 7 | Lena | Karl |
| 8 | Emma | Peter |
| 9 | Kerstin | Thomas |
| 10 | Ingrid | Jan |
Surnames in Sweden
The 10 most common surnames in Sweden:
| Rank | Surnames |
| 1 | Andersson |
| 2 | Johansson |
| 3 | Karlsson |
| 4 | Nilsson |
| 5 | Eriksson |
| 6 | Larsson |
| 7 | Olsson |
| 8 | Persson |
| 9 | Svensson |
| 10 | Gustafsson |
Popular Baby Names in Sweden
The 10 most popular baby names in Sweden:
| Girl Names | Boy Names | |
| 1 | Alice | Lucas |
| 2 | Olivia | Liam |
| 3 | Astrid | William |
| 4 | Maja | Elias |
| 5 | Vera | Noah |
| 6 | Ebba | Hugo |
| 7 | Ella | Oliver |
| 8 | Wilma | Oscar |
| 9 | Alma | Adam |
| 10 | Lilly | Matteo |
Related content: Swedish Names / 200 Swedish Baby Names
Nordic Names – Norway
Norway is the most western country in the Nordic region. The names found in Norway share a correlation to names found in Sweden, as you can probably see by the similar name choices. In Norway “sen” means son. This appears in the surnames wherever “son” is used.
Common Names in Norway
The 10 most common names for males and females in Norway:
| Female | Male | |
| 1 | Anne | Jan |
| 2 | Inger | Bjørn |
| 3 | Kari | Per |
| 4 | Marit | Ole |
| 5 | Ingrid | Lars |
| 6 | Liv | Kjell |
| 7 | Maria | Thomas |
| 8 | Ida | Svein |
| 9 | Eva | Knut |
| 10 | Anna | Geir |
Surnames in Norway
The 10 most common surnames in Norway:
| Rank | Last Names |
| 1 | Hansen |
| 2 | Johansen |
| 3 | Olsen |
| 4 | Larsen |
| 5 | Andersen |
| 6 | Pedersen |
| 7 | Nilsen |
| 8 | Kristiansen |
| 9 | Jensen |
| 10 | Karlsen |
Popular Baby Names in Norway
The 10 most popular baby names in Norway:
| Girl Names | Boy Names | |
| 1 | Emma | Jakob/Jacob |
| 2 | Nora/Norah | Lucas/Lukas |
| 3 | Sofie/Sophie | Filip/Fillip/Philip/Phillip |
| 4 | Ella | Oskar/Oscar |
| 5 | Olivia | Oliver |
| 6 | Ada | Emil |
| 7 | Sofia/Sophia | Henrik |
| 8 | Sara/Sarah/Zara | William |
| 9 | Maja/Maia/Maya | Noah/Noa |
| 10 | Ingrid | Aksel/Axel |
Related content: Norwegian Names / 100 Norwegian Baby Names
Nordic Names – Finland
Unlike other Nordic languages that are Germanic in origin, Finish is based on Finno-Ugric languages which have their roots in the Baltic region. Because of this, Finish names are a bit different from other Nordic Names. However, you can see that some Nordic name trends are also repeated among names popular in Finland.
Common Names in Finland
The 10 most common names for males and females in Finland:
| Male | Female | |
| 1 | Juhani | Maria |
| 2 | Johannes | Helena |
| 3 | Olavi | Johanna |
| 4 | Antero | Anneli |
| 5 | Tapani | Kaarina |
| 6 | Kalevi | Marjatta |
| 7 | Tapio | Anna |
| 8 | Matti | Liisa |
| 9 | Mikael | Annikki |
| 10 | Ilmari | Sofia |
Surnames in Finland
The 10 most common Finish surnames:
| 1 | Korhonen |
| 2 | Virtanen |
| 3 | Mäkinen |
| 4 | Nieminen |
| 5 | Mäkelä |
| 6 | Hämäläinen |
| 7 | Laine |
| 8 | Heikkinen |
| 9 | Koskinen |
| 10 | Järvinen |
Popular Baby Names in Finland
The 10 most popular baby names in Finland:
| Girl Names | Boy Names | |
| 1 | Aino | Leo |
| 2 | Aada | Elias |
| 3 | Sofia | Oliver |
| 4 | Eevi | Eino |
| 5 | Olivia | Väinö |
| 6 | Lilja | Eeli |
| 7 | Helmi | Noel |
| 8 | Ellen | Leevi |
| 9 | Emilia | Onni |
| 10 | Ella | Hugo |
Related content: 500 Finish Names / 220 Finish Baby Names
Nordic Names – Denmark
Denmark is another county that is part of the Nordic region. Danish names are very similar to the Nordic names found in Sweden and Norway. Look at the lists below and see if you can distinguish the pattern.
Common Names in Denmark
The 10 most common names for males and females in Denmark:
| Male | Female | |
| 1 | Peter | Anne |
| 2 | Jens | Kirsten |
| 3 | Michael | Mette |
| 4 | Lars | Hanne |
| 5 | Thomas | Helle |
| 6 | Henrik | Anna |
| 7 | Søren | Susanne |
| 8 | Christian | Lene |
| 9 | Jan | Maria |
| 10 | Martin | Marianne |
Surnames in Denmark
The 10 most common Danish surnames:
| 1 | Nielsen |
| 2 | Jensen |
| 3 | Hansen |
| 4 | Pedersen |
| 5 | Andersen |
| 6 | Christensen |
| 7 | Larsen |
| 8 | Sørensen |
| 9 | Rasmussen |
| 10 | Jørgensen |
Popular Baby Names in Denmark
The 10 most popular baby names in Denmark:
| Girl Names | Boy Names | |
| 1 | Emma | William |
| 2 | Alma | Alfred |
| 3 | Clara | Oscar |
| 4 | Freja | Noah |
| 5 | Sofia | Karl |
| 6 | Karla | Lucas |
| 7 | Agnes | Oliver |
| 8 | Ella | Arthur |
| 9 | Olivia | August |
| 10 | Anna | Malthe |
Related content: Danish Names / Danish Baby Names
Nordic Names – Iceland
Iceland is the smallest country in the Nordic region and stands out for its strict regulations regarding names. When it comes to first names the country has a predefined list of names that can be selected without approval. If you’d like a name that is not on the list it has to meet a lot of regulations and be approved by a committee. However, these rules are constantly undergoing change and with every year that passes the restrictions loosen more. As you can see in the list below, names in Iceland differ quite a lot from other Nordic Names.
Common Names in Iceland
The 10 most common names for male and female in Iceland:
| Male | Female | |
| 1 | Jón | Guðrún |
| 2 | Sigurður | Anna |
| 3 | Guðmundur | Kristín |
| 4 | Gunnar | Sigríður |
| 5 | Ólafur/Olav | Margrét/Margrjet/Margret |
| 6 | Einar | Helga |
| 7 | Kristján/Kristian/Christian | Sigrún |
| 8 | Magnús | Ingibjörg |
| 9 | Stefán/Stefan | María |
| 10 | Jóhann | Jóhanna |
Surnames in Iceland
Only 4% of the population in Iceland do have a proper surname. The 10 most common Icelandic surnames:
| Rank | Surname | Count |
| 1 | Blöndal | 324 |
| 2 | Thorarensen | 293 |
| 3 | Hansen | 282 |
| 4 | Olsen | 224 |
| 5 | Andersen | 206 |
| 5 | Petersen | 206 |
| 7 | Möller | 198 |
| 8 | Nielsen | 180 |
| 9 | Waage | 171 |
| 10 | Bergmann | 158 |
Popular Baby Names in Iceland
The 10 most popular baby names in Iceland:
| Boy Names | Girl Names |
| 1 Aron | 1 Emilía/Emelía |
| 2 Alexander | 2 Embla |
| 3 Emil | 3-5 Ísabella/Ísabel/Isabella/Isabel |
| 4-5 Kári | 3-5 Katla |
| 4-5 Viktor/Victor | 3-5 Sara |
| 6 Óliver | 6-9 Emma |
| 7 Mikael/Mikkael/Mikkel | 6-9 Freyja |
| 8 Jökull | 6-9 Hekla |
| 9-10 Guðmundur | 6-9 Lilja |
| 9-10 Jón | 10-13 Alexandra |
| 10-13 Elísabet/Elísabeth | |
| 10-13 Hanna | |
| 10-13 Karítas/Karitas |
Related content: 245 Icelandic Names / 106 Icelandic Baby Names
Summary of Nordic Names
Traditional Nordic names are often permutations of Old Norse names and terms. While these names are still relatively popular in Scandinavian countries and nations with Old Norse heritage, Western first names continue to grow in popularity.
Consequently, the names William and Emma may become more common in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway than in the United Kingdom or the United States. Still, Iceland’s naming policy may keep traditionally Nordic names alive for centuries to come.
