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Scandinavian Baby Names You Might Or Might Not Want To Steal



Giving your baby a Scandinavian name when living in the U.S. is a guaranteed way of giving your child a unique name, and probably some struggles having to always spell out their own name.



Here are some traditional, modern and popular names from Scandinavia and their meaning. Let us know which one is your favorite!

Swedish Names for Girls

Ingrid 

Meaning: Beautiful and beloved

114 834 women in Sweden are named Ingrid

The average age of persons with the name Ingrid is 67 years old



Freja

Meaning: Queen of the gods

Even though this name is a very old one, Freja was one of the gods in the Nordic Mythology

Today, there are 6896 females called Freja

Astrid 

Meaning: Divine Strength

There are 15 478 females in Sweden named Astrid

This is an old name, maybe mostly known from Astrid Lindgren, writer of Pippi Longstocking, and many other beloved children’s books. The name has gotten an upswing in popularity lately and it ranks number 7 on the list for most popular names for newborn girls

Greta

Meaning: Pearl

This name is a short form of Margareta

4930 women are called Greta and the average age of the name holder is 48

The name Greta is probably most famous thanks to the Swedish actress Greta Garbo

Ebba

Meaning: Strong Soul

Ebba is scoring a number 5 on the list for most popular names for newborn girls

It ranks number 65 of the most common name in Sweden for women



Swedish Names for Boys

Axel

Meaning: Father of success

19 141 Swedish men have the name Axel

The average age of the person who carries this name is 21

Sven

Meaning: Young

Despite its meaning, this is one of the older names on the list. The average age for people with this name is 70 years old

It ranks number 29 on the list of most common names in Sweden



Björn

Meaning: Bear
35 653 Swedish men have the name Gustaf
Björn used to be a popular name during the 70’s but lately has become unique among newborns in Sweden, with 56 boys being named Björn in 2014.

Gustaf

Meaning: Leader

20 674 Swedish men have the name Gustaf

There are two spellings of this name – either Gustaf or Gustav

Hugo

Meaning: Light

Hugo rates number 8 on the list of most popular name for newborn boys



Norwegian Names for Girls

Nora 

Meaning: Shining

Nora scores second place as the most popular name for newborn girls in Norway

10 391 Norwegian women have the name, Nora.

Ada

Meaning: Noble

2 511 Norwegian women carry the name Ada

The name had a popularity peak in the 1920’s and then in the mid-2000’s



Selma 

Meaning: Beautiful

1600 women in Norway carries the name Selma

Selma Lagerlöf was a Swedish writer who won the Nobel Prize 1909

The name ranks number 19 on the list of most popular names for newborn girls

Idun

Meaning: Active in love

Only 635 women are named Idun in Norway

Idun is one of the goddesses in the Nordic Mythology



Norwegian Names for Boys

Elias 

Meaning: My God

Elias ranks number 9 on the list of most popular names for newborn boys

7023 Norwegian men have the name Elias

Geir

Meaning: Spear

22 103 Norweigan men carry the name Geir

The name peaked in popularity in the 1960s



Odd

Meaning: Point

19400 men have the name Odd in Norway

The name peaked in popularity between the 1920s and 1940s

Nikolai 

3977  Norwegian men carry the name Nikolai

The name peaked in popularity in the late 2000s and is number 39 on the list of most popular names for newborn boys today



Danish Names for Girls

Mette 

Meaning: Pearl

38748 Danish women are called Mette

Mette-Marit is the name of the Norwegian Princess



Sofia

Meaning: Wisdom

5022 women are called Sofia in Denmark

Sofia is the most popular name for newborn girls in Denmark

Hanne 

Meaning: God’s favorite

38658 women in Denmark have the name Hanne

The name has been popular since the 1960s

Alma 

Meaning: Dedicated

Alma is the second top name on the list of most popular names for newborn girls

 5061 Danish Women are called Alma



Danish Names for Boys

Noah 

Meaning: Peaceful

9091 Danish men are called Noah

Noah is the most popular name for newborn boys in Denmark

Magnus 

Meaning: Great

Magnus ranks number 13 on the list of most popular names for newborn boys

16099 are called Magnus in Denmark



Mikkel

Meaning: God

Mikkel ranks number 25 on the list of most popular names for newborn boys

28345 Danish men have the name Mikkel

Malthe

Meaning: power

6298 Danish men are called Malthe

Malthe ranks number 8 on the list of most popular names for newborn boys

This article was originally published on April 16, 2018. 


Lova Olsson

Lova Olsson is originally from Örebro. After living in France a few years, she moved back to Sweden to study TV-production in Stockholm. She's been a student at UCLA since 2016 and currently interns at Whowhatwear.

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