While his father Sigvald Earl is fighting in England, his son Haakon must stay at home and participate in normal daily activities with his family. (Screen dump: NRK TV – “Newton”)

There are many powerful and beautiful Norse first names. Why not naming the newborn baby boy “Brynjulf” (from Old Norse brynj – breastplate and ulfr – wolf) – or what about “Sigurd” (sigr – victory / vard – guardian)?

In the Viking Age, no children got a god name like Odin (Óðinn) or Thor (Thórr), which would have been an insult to the Norse culture.

However, variations of “Thor” were popular and many boys got names with the prefix “Thor” as in Thoralf, Thorbjorn, Thorgeir and Thorgrim.

Today, to give the child a Norse god name is accepted and something that reminds Norwegians of their history.

Note that the meanings of many of the boy names often are related to warfare and courage – something that should not come as a surprise.

The alphabetical list is not complete – there are more names, but hopefully it provides insight and inspiration.

The names are English forms of the Old Norse boy names but still very close to the original.

You will find the meanings in parenthesis with the Norse word (s) in italics.

Alphabetical list of Old Norse girl names you will find here on ThorNews.

Old Norse Boy Names – Alphabetical List

A

Aasbjorn – Aasgeir (ás – god / geirr – javelin) – Aasgrim – Aaskell – Aaskjell – Aasleik – Aasleif – Aasleiv – Aasvald – Aasvard –  Ag – Aggrim – Agmund (agn  – respect, fear or tip of a sword / mundr –  protector) – Agnar (agn – respect, fear, or tip of a sword / arr – warrior) – Aake – Almar – Alvald – Alvar – Alvbjørn – Alvfinn – Alvgaut – Alvgeir – Arn (arn – eagle) – Arnbjorn – Arnfinn (arn – eagle / Finnr – a Sami or Finn) – Arnfred – Arngeir – Arngrim – Arni (same as Arn)  – Arnkjell – Arnleif – Arnleiv – Arnljot (arn – eagle / ljótr– light, shining) – Arnmod – Arnstein (arn – eagle / steinn – stone) – Arnthor – Arnulf (arn – eagle / ulfr – wolf) – Arnvald – Arnvid – Ask (“ash tree”, according to Old Norse mythology, the man Ask and the woman Embla were the first two people) – Atli («little father») – Audar – Audbjorn (audr – wealth / bjorn – the big brown animal, bear) – Audfinn – Audgrim – Audkjell – Audmund – Audstein – Audulv – Audun (audr – wealth / vin – friend) – Audvald

B

Bard – Bendik – Berg – Bergsvein – Berulf – Berulv – Besse – Birgir – Bjarni – Bjermund – Bjorgulv – Bjorn (bjorn – the big brown animal, bear) – Bjornar – Bjornulv – Bodolf – Bogi (bogi – bow, or búi – farmer) – Boldolv – Bodvar – Borgi –Borgir – Borgulv – Borgvald – Borri – Botolv – Bredi – Bragi (The Viking god Bragi) – Brusi – Brynjulf (brynj – breastplate / ulfr – wolf)

C

(None)

D

Dagfinn (dagr – day / Finnr – a Sami or Finn) – Dreng – Dyri

E

Egil (egg – sharp side of a blade, or awe) – Eigil (same as Egil) – Eilif – Eiliv – Eimund – Einar – Einvald – Eldar – Eric (from Eirik: ei – always or alone / rikr – ruler) – Erik (same as Eric) – Erland – Erlend (erlendr – forreigner or stranger) – Erling (Erling – son or descendant of the Earl) – Eystein (ey – happiness / steinn – stone) – Eyyolf – Eyyolv

F

Fartein – Faste – Finn (Finnr – a Sami or a Finn) – Finnbjorn – Finngard – Folki – Folkvald – Freyr (Freyr – The Viking god Freyr, also named Yngvi-Freyr or Yngvi) – Fridleiv – Fridthjof – Frodi (fródr – wise or scholar)

G

Gauti – Geir (geirr – javlin) – Geirbrand – Geirmund – Geirolf – Geirolv – Geirstein – Geirulf – Geirulv – Gisli (gísl – hostage or the handle of a javlin) – Gissur – Glumir – Gorm (from Guttorm: gud – god / tormr – to protect or do honor)  – Grim – Grimkjell – Gudbjorn – Gudleik – Gudleiv – Gudmund – Gudolf – Gudolv – Gudstein – Gullbjorn – Gullbrand – Gullik – Gunbjorn – Gunnar (gunnr – fight / arr – worrier) – Gunnbjorn – Gunner – Gunnolf – Gunnolv – Gunnsten – Gunnstein – Gunnvald (gunnr – war or warfare / valdr – leader or ruler) – Gunnvar – Gutorm – Guttorm (gud – god / tormr – to protect or do honor)

H

Haabjorn – Hagbart  – Haagen – Haaken – Haakon (hár – a prominent person / konr – family) – Haarek – Haarik – Haavald – Haavard (há – tall, horse or combat / vard – guardian) – Haavid – Halfdan (hálfr – half / danr – Danish) – Hallbjorn –Hallfred – Hallgeir – Hallgrim – Halli – Hallkjell – Hallstein – Hallthor – Hallvard – Hallvor – Harald (har – army / vald – prince )– Hauk  (haukr – hawk) – Heming – Hemming – Herbjorn (her – army / bjorn – the big brown animal, bear) – Herbrad – Herleif – Herleik – Herleiv – Hermod (her – army / módr – courage) – Hermund – Hervard – Hildebrand – Hildemar – Hjalmar – Hogni (protect) – Holgir

I

Ingar – Ingebjorn – Ingemar – Ingolf – Ingvald – Ingvar – Ivar (ýr – a coniferous tree / arr – worrier) – Iver

J

Joar (jó– horse / arr – warrior) – Jogeir – Jor – Jorik – Jorulv – Jorund – Jostein (jó – horse / steinn – stone)

K

Kaalv – Kaarbjorn – Kaare (kárr – curly hair) – Ketil (ketil – offering bowl, later also helmet. A ketil was used to gather the blood from sacrificed animals) –  Kjetil (same as Ketil) – Kleng – Knut (knutr – a knot) – Kol – Kolbein – Kolbjorn – Kolfinn – Kolgrim – Koll – Kolstein

L

Leid – Leidolv – Leidulf – Leidulv – Leidvor – Leif (leifr – property, inheritance) – Leiv (same as Leif)

M

Magnar – Magni (magn – power, strength)

N

Narfi (narrow) – Narvi (same as Narfi) – Nottolv

O

Olaf (Óláfr – ancestor / inheritance) – Olav (same as Olaf) – Odd (oddr – tip of a blade, for example spearhead, arrowhead, sword tip) – Oddbjorn – Oddfred – Oddgeir – Oddleif – Oddleiv – Oddmar – Oddmund – Oddvar – Odin (Óðinn – The Viking god Odin) – Olbjorn – Olgir – Olgeir – Olvar – Ottar

P

(None)

Q

(None)

R

Raadgeir – Raadmund – Raadolf – Raadolv – Ragnar (ragn – advise or reccomendation / arr – warrior) – Ragnvald (ragn – advise or reccomendation / valdr – leader or ruler) – Randmod – Randolf – Randolv – Reidalv – Reidar (hreid – house or home / arr – warrior) – Reidmar – Reidolf – Reidolv – Reidulf – Reidulv – Roald – Roar – Rolf (rod – honour / ulfr – wolf) – Rolleif – Rolleiv – Runolv – Rorek – Rorik –Runi (rún – secret)

S

Sigbjorn – Sigfred – Sigstein – Sigtrygg – Sigurd (sigr – victory / vard – guardian) – Sigvald – Sigvat – Sjaundi – Skjalg – Skuli – Snorri (snurre – the unruly one) – Solmund – Stein (steinn – stone) – Steinar (steinn – stone / arr – worrier) – Steinbjorn – Steingrim – Stig – Styrbjorn – Svein (sveinn – boy or young man) – Sveinar – Sveinbjorn – Sveinung – Sverre (sverrir – restless or wild)  – Sverri (same as Sverre) – Saebjorn – Saemund – Saevald

T

Tali – Tarjei – Tjodgeir – Tjodolf – Tjoldolv – Tjodrek – Tjodrik – Toki – Thor (Thórr – thunder, the Viking god Thórr) – Thoralf -Thoralv – Thorbjorn – Thord (Tórdr, composed of Thor, thunder, and a word meaning peace or protection) – Thorfinn – Thorgeir (Thórr – thunder, the Viking god Thor / geirr – spear) – Thorgrim – Thorkel – Thorkell – Thorleik – Thorleiv – Thormod – Thorodd – Thorolf – Thorolv – Thorstein (Thórr – thunder, the Viking god Thórr / steinn – stone) – Thorsten – Thorvald – Trond – Tryggvi (tryggr – the trustworthy one)

U

Ulrik – Ulf (ulfr – wolf) – Ulv (same as Ulf)

V

Vebjorn (ve – home / bjorn – the big brown animal / bear) – Vegard (ve – home / gardr – fence or protection) – Vegeir – Vemund – Vidar (Víðarr – wide ruler, the viking god Víðarr) – Vidkunn – Vigbjorn – Volund

W

(None)

X

(None)

 Y

Yngvi (The Viking god Yngvi – probably an older name for the god Freyr, also named Yngvi-Freyr)

Z

(None)

See also: A Viking Naming Ceremony in Gudvangen

Text by: Thor Lanesskog, ThorNews

Categories: Culture, History, Language, Vikings