Norse Baby Names
Explore 591 norse names, each with its own meaning, history, and pronunciation. Find one that carries the stories you want your child to grow up with.
Norse names are short, strong, and elementally rooted. They draw on the Old Norse pantheon (Thor, Freya, Odin), on the sagas (Ragnar, Sigrid), and on a landscape of mountains, wolves, ravens, and sea.
A short history
Norse naming developed in Iceland, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden from the 8th century onwards. Many Old Norse names were kennings (compound names with poetic meaning): Sigrid ('beautiful victory'), Astrid ('divinely beautiful'), Thorbjorn ('Thor's bear').
Naming traditions
Icelandic naming still uses the patronymic system: a child's surname is the father's first name plus '-son' or '-dottir'. Norway and Sweden retain family heirloom names across generations. The Old Norse pantheon has re-entered active naming over the last twenty years as parents reach for heritage-rich picks.
Sound and style
Norse names tend to be short, stressed on the first syllable, and rich in hard consonants. The Scandinavian languages have smoothed many Old Norse sounds, but the essential rhythm remains: Freya, Odin, Thor, Ingrid, Astrid, Leif, Bjorn.
Arnlaug
“Eagle devoted”
Arnlaug combines 'arn', the Old Norse eagle, with 'laug', an element that derives from Old Norse and carries a sense of devotion, consecration, or being pledged. Some interpretations link 'laug' to an old term related to a vow or sacred liquid, suggesting the name describes one who is consecrated as powerfully as an eagle.
Arnora
“Eagle honor”
Arnora blends 'arn', the Old Norse eagle, with 'ora' or 'nora', a feminine element related to honor, grace, or the concept of being favored. The name suggests a woman with the majesty and commanding presence of an eagle combined with personal honor and grace.
Arnstein
“Eagle stone”
Arnstein combines 'arn', meaning eagle, with 'stein', the Old Norse word for stone. The juxtaposition of the soaring eagle with the immovable stone creates a name of contrasting but complementary strengths: the eagle's freedom and keen sight balanced by the enduring solidity of rock.
Arvid
“Eagle tree”
Arvid derives from the Old Norse elements arn (eagle) and vidr (tree), conjuring the image of a mighty tree upon which an eagle perches to survey the world below. It has been used in Scandinavia since the Viking age, carrying connotations of nobility and far-sightedness. The name feels ancient yet refreshingly uncommon.
Asberg
“Divine mountain”
Asberg combines 'as', a reference to the Aesir gods of Norse mythology, with 'berg', meaning mountain or rock. The name evokes the sacred mountains where the gods dwelled, suggesting a person of godlike strength rooted in the immovable permanence of stone.
Asbjorg
“Divine protection”
Asbjorg joins 'as', referring to the Aesir gods of Norse mythology, with 'bjorg', an Old Norse word meaning help, rescue, or fortified protection. The name suggests one who is divinely sheltered, a woman under the protection of the gods or who herself provides godlike refuge to others.
Asbjorn
“Divine bear”
Asbjorn combines 'as', the Old Norse prefix referring to the Aesir gods, with 'bjorn', meaning bear. The name presents the bear as a sacred animal under divine patronage, or describes a man who embodies the bear's fierce power amplified by the favor of the gods.
Asdis
“Divine goddess spirit”
Asdis joins 'as', referring to the Aesir gods of Norse mythology, with 'dis', which in Old Norse referred to a class of female divine spirits associated with fate, protection, and the well-being of families and clans. Asdis thus names a woman who embodies or is protected by a divine feminine spirit.
Asgeir
“Divine spear”
Asgeir combines 'as', the Old Norse reference to the Aesir gods, with 'geir', meaning spear. The spear was Odin's sacred weapon, making Asgeir a name that describes a divine spear, one wielded by or under the protection of the Aesir gods, with unmistakable Odinic resonance.
Asgrim
“God's mask”
Asgrim derives from the Old Norse elements 'áss', meaning god, and 'grímr', meaning mask or helmet. The name appears in the Icelandic sagas, most notably borne by Asgrim Ellida-Grimsson in Njáls saga. It suggests divine protection in battle, as helmets and masks were both practical armour and symbolic shields granted by the gods.
Ask
“Ash tree”
Ask is the Old Norse word for ash tree and is the name of the first man in Norse mythology. According to the Eddic poems, the gods Odin, Honir, and Lodur found two trees on land and fashioned them into the first humans: Ask from the ash tree and Embla from the elm. The ash tree held great significance in Norse cosmology, as the world tree Yggdrasil was itself an ash. To bear the name Ask is therefore to be connected to the very origin of humanity in the Norse tradition, carrying a deep primordial and elemental resonance.
Aska
“Ash tree”
Aska derives from the Old Norse askr, meaning ash tree. In Norse cosmology, the ash tree holds supreme importance: Yggdrasil, the cosmic world tree connecting the nine realms, is described in the Poetic Edda as an immense ash tree. The first man created by the gods Odin, Hoenir, and Lodur was named Ask, carved from an ash tree. Aska retains the same root with a softer, more contemporary sound, making it a rare, elemental name steeped in Norse mythology.
Aslak
“Divine sport or divine play”
Aslak combines 'as', referencing the Aesir gods, with 'lak', an Old Norse element related to sport, play, or contest. The name suggests one who participates in divine games or who engages in life with godlike ease and joy, carrying a sense of blessed vitality.
Aslaug
“God-consecrated woman, devoted to the gods”
Aslaug is an Old Norse feminine name composed of the elements 'áss' meaning 'god' and 'laug' meaning 'vowed' or 'dedicated.' The name carries the sense of a woman who is sacred or consecrated to the divine powers of the Norse pantheon. It evokes both spiritual devotion and feminine strength.
Asmund
“Divine protector”
Asmund is composed of two Old Norse elements: 'áss', referring to the Norse gods, and 'mundr', meaning protection or guardian. Together, the name carries the sense of one who is protected by the gods, or who acts as a divine guardian. It was a name of practical reverence in Viking-age Scandinavia, found carved on runestones across Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The name suggests both heavenly favour and earthly strength, a combination prized by Norse warriors and their families alike.
Asny
“New goddess”
Asny combines 'as', referring to the Aesir gods, with 'ny', meaning new, fresh, or the new moon. The name suggests a woman who is newly divine, freshly blessed by the gods, or as luminous and renewing as the new moon rising.
Astri
“Divine beauty”
Astri is a Norwegian form of Astrid, derived from the Old Norse elements ass (god, divine) and frid (beautiful, beloved). Together they convey the idea of divinely beautiful or loved by the gods. While Astrid has spread internationally, Astri retains a more intimate and distinctly Norwegian character, shedding the final D to create a softer ending. The name connects its bearer to Norse mythology and the long tradition of Scandinavian names celebrating both the divine and the beautiful.
Astrid
“Divinely beautiful”
Astrid derives from the Old Norse elements 'ass' (god, divinity) and 'fridr' (beautiful, beloved), creating a name that carries the graceful meaning of divine beauty or beloved of the gods.
Astridr
“Divinely beautiful”
Astridr, the original Old Norse form of Astrid, combines 'as', referring to the Aesir gods, with 'tridr' or 'frid', meaning beautiful, beloved, or fair. The name describes a woman of divine beauty, one whose loveliness has a sacred, god-given quality.
Asvor
“Careful goddess”
Asvor combines 'as', the Aesir divine prefix, with 'vor', an Old Norse word meaning careful, cautious, or watchful. The name describes a woman who exercises divine prudence, one who moves through the world with the watchful care of a goddess.
Atle
“Fierce, terrible in battle”
Atle derives from the Old Norse 'atall', meaning fierce, formidable, or terrible in a battle context. The name is related to the legendary Hunnic king Attila in the Norse literary tradition, where the name Atli appears as a powerful, sometimes villainous ruler figure in the Volsunga saga.
Audhild
“Wealth battle”
Audhild joins 'aud', an Old Norse word for wealth, riches, or prosperity, with 'hild', meaning battle. The name suggests a woman who fights for or through prosperity, one who brings the fierce determination of battle to the pursuit of abundance and fortune.
Audun
“Wealth friend”
Audun combines 'aud', the Old Norse word for wealth, riches, or fortune, with 'vin' or 'un', meaning friend or beloved. The name describes one who is a friend to fortune or a beloved person of prosperity, suggesting both material blessing and genuine warmth.
Axel
“Father of peace, divine reward”
Axel derives from the Old Norse name Absalon, meaning "father of peace." The name carries a striking combination of strength and serenity, suggesting a protector who brings calm rather than conflict. It has been popular across Scandinavia for centuries and has gained significant international appeal.
Balder
“Bold prince”
Balder is an alternative spelling of Baldur, the Norse god of light, purity, and beauty. His name derives from the Old Norse baldr, meaning bold or brave, combined with the suffix suggesting a prince or lord, giving the full sense of bold prince. In Norse mythology, Balder was described as the most radiant and beloved of all the gods, his beauty so great that light itself seemed to shine from him. His death, engineered by the trickster Loki, was considered the beginning of the end of the age of the gods.
Baldur
“Bold, brave prince”
Baldur is the name of the Norse god of light, purity, and beauty, beloved above all other gods in the Norse pantheon. The name is believed to derive from an Old Norse root meaning bold or brave, with princely connotations attached through its divine bearer. It radiates a sense of radiant goodness and strength, a name that suggests both courage and a luminous inner character.
Bard
“Battle, poet”
Bard is a Norse name that carries a dual heritage: from Old Norse it derives meaning related to battle or axe, and from the Celtic tradition the word 'bard' describes a poet or storyteller, someone who preserves and recounts the deeds of heroes. The name therefore unites martial and artistic traditions, suggesting a person who is both a man of action and a keeper of memory.
Bergdis
“Mountain goddess spirit”
Bergdis combines 'berg', the Old Norse word for mountain or rocky height, with 'dis', the Old Norse term for a female divine protective spirit. The name evokes a woman who embodies the steadfast permanence of the mountain combined with the spiritual power of the disir, the ancestral female spirits of Norse belief.
Bergfinn
“Mountain Sami”
Bergfinn combines the Old Norse elements 'berg' meaning mountain or rock, and 'finnr' referring to a Sami or Finnish person. Together the name evokes a man of the northern highlands, rooted in the rugged landscape where Norse and Sami cultures met.
Bergfinnr
“Mountain Sami (archaic form)”
Bergfinnr is the original Old Norse nominative form of Bergfinn, combining 'berg' for mountain and 'finnr' for a Sami or Finnish person. The terminal 'r' is the masculine nominative suffix standard in Old Norse, making this the historically authentic spelling found in runic inscriptions and saga manuscripts.
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