Old Norse names come from the world of the Vikings — the gods (Thor gives Thora and Torsten; Ing gives Ingrid), the natural world (Bjorn, “bear”; Arne, “eagle”), and the warrior virtues (Gunnar, Ragnar, Sigrid, all built on “victory,” “army” and “battle”). Many are compounds that pair a divine or heroic element with a quality.

Patronymics: -son and -dóttir

Norse cultures traditionally formed surnames from the father’s name plus -son (“son of”) or -dóttir (“daughter of”). Iceland still uses this system today, so a family shares no single surname.

Beauty and the divine

A striking number of women’s names join a god-element with “beautiful” or “fair” — Astrid (“divinely beautiful”), Sigrid (“victory, fair”), Ingrid (“Ing’s beauty”).

Back in fashion

Across Scandinavia and beyond, Old Norse names — Freya, Astrid, Odin, Magnus — are enjoying a strong revival, carried in part by a renewed fascination with the sagas.

Frequently asked questions

What do -son and -du00f3ttir mean?

They are Old Norse patronymics: -son means u201cson ofu201d and -du00f3ttir u201cdaughter of.u201d Iceland still forms surnames this way today.

Are Norse names based on the gods?

Many are u2014 Thor, Freya, Ing and Odin all appear in given names u2014 alongside names drawn from nature and warrior virtues.

What are popular Norse and Scandinavian names?

Freya, Astrid and Ingrid for girls, and Magnus, Erik and Bjorn for boys, are widely loved.

What does Astrid mean?

Astrid joins the Old Norse elements for u201cgodu201d and u201cbeautiful,u201d giving the sense u201cdivinely beautiful.u201d