| Ylva | Signe | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | she-wolf | New victory |
| Origin | norse | Norse |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | IHL-vah | SIG-nuh |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1884 |
| Peak year | 2017 (7) | 1915 (67) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 8 |
| Trend | Steady | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ylva | Signe |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 23 | 93 |
| 2010s | 12 | 195 |
| 2000s | 0 | 186 |
| 1990s | 0 | 152 |
| 1980s | 0 | 110 |
| 1970s | 0 | 133 |
| 1960s | 0 | 189 |
| 1950s | 0 | 292 |
| 1940s | 0 | 283 |
| 1930s | 0 | 117 |
| 1920s | 0 | 269 |
| 1910s | 0 | 454 |
| 1900s | 0 | 254 |
| 1890s | 0 | 228 |
| 1880s | 0 | 48 |
From the Old Norse 'ylgr', the feminine of 'ulfr' ('wolf'), meaning 'she-wolf'. Formed on the same pattern as other Norse female-animal nouns; the masculine equivalent is Ulf.
Signe joins the Old Norse for “new” and “victory.”
Signe is more popular than Ylva today: about 8 US babies were given the name Signe in 2025, compared with 0 named Ylva.
Ylva means she-wolf (norse origin), while Signe means New victory (Norse origin).
In US records, Ylva first appears in 0 and Signe in 1884, so Ylva has the longer recorded history.