Year 867 AD: Gunnhild and her friends are enjoying the summer in Central Norway. (Illustrating photo: Steinkjer Municipality / Leif Arne Holme)

Old Norse Girl Names are both feminine and strong at the same time – just like the Viking Age women. Why not naming the newborn baby girl “Vigdis” (vig – battle, combat / dis – goddess), or what about “Ragnhild” (ragn – advice, decision / hildr – battle)?

Notice that almost all of the Norse names are composed of two words that together give a new meaning.

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

The names are English forms of Old Norse 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 boy names you will find here on ThorNews.

Old Norse Girl Names – Alphabetical List

A

Aadny  – Aafrid – Aagunn – Aalaug – Aasa (Ása, short form of names starting with ás, meaning “god”) – Aasbjorg (ás – god / bjorg – protection) – Aase (variation of Aasa) – Aasfrid (ás – god / frídr – beautiful) – Aasgerd (ás – god / garðr  – fence, protection) – Aashild (ás – god / hildr – combat) – Aaslaug (ás – god / laug – engaged to be married) – Aasne (ás – god / ný ­– new) – Aasrunn (ás – god / rún – secret) – Aasveig  (ás – god / vé – home, sacred place or from víg – battle) – Agnhild (agn  – respect, fear or tip of a sword / hildr – battle) – Alfhild (alfr – elf, shining / hildr – battle, combat) – Alfrid  – Annbjorg (see Arnbjorg) – Annfrid – Anngjerd – Annhild  – Annlaug – Annveig  – Arnbjorg (arn – eagle /bjorg – protection) – Arnfrid – Arnhild – Arnhill  – Arnlaug – Arnveig – Asbjorg – Asfrid – Asgjerd  – Aslaug – Asrunn – Asta (short form of names starting with ás – god)  – Astrid (ás – god / frídr – beautiful)  – Asveig – Aud (audr – wealth) – Audbjorg – Audfrid – Audgerd – Audgunn (audr – wealth / gunnr – war, battle) – Audhild – Audrun – Audveig

B

Bergfrid – Berghild – Bergljot (berg – rescue, protection / ljótr – light, shining) – Bergthora (berg – rescue, protection / Thórr – thunder, god) – Bergunn – Bjarnhild – Bjorg (bjorg – protection) – Bjorgfrid – Bjorghild – Bjorgunn – Bjorgveig – Bjornhild – Bodhild (bót – aid, hildr – battle, combat) – Bodil (see Bodhild) – Borghild (borg – castle, protection / hildr – battle, combat) – Borgny (borg – castle, protection / ny – new) – Borgunn (borg – castle / unna – love) – Bryngerd – Brynhild

C

(None)

D

Dagbjorg (dagr – day / bjorg – protection) – Dageid – Dagfrid (dagr – day / frídr – beautiful) – – Daghild (dagr – day / hildr – battle, combat) – Dagmoy (dagr – day / mey – young girl, virgin) – Dagny (dagr – day / ny – new) – Dagrun (dagr – day / rún – secret knowledge) – Dagveig (dagr – day / veig – strength, warring)

E

Eidbjorg – Eidfrid – Eidunn – Eirunn – Eivor (ey – happiness, gift / vor – alert, careful) – Eldbjorg – Eldfrid – Eldrid (eld – fire / frídr – beautiful) – Embla – Erika (feminine variation of Eirik: ei – allways, allone / ríkr – ruler) – Eydis – Eyrun – Eyvor (ey – happiness, or gift / vor – alert, or careful)

F

Finngerd – Finnlaug – Fredbjorg – Fredgunn – Fredhild – Fredlaug – Fredmoy – Freidun – Freydis ( from Freyja – Norse goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility and death, her brother was Freyr; master, the first one / dis – goddess) – Frida (short form of girl names beginning with frídr – beautiful) – Fridbjorg – Fridgunn – Fridhild

G

Geirhild (geirr – spear, spearhead / hildr – battle, combat) – Geirunn – Gerd (feminin variation of Gard: gardr – fortress, fencing) – Gjartrud (geirr – spear / trúdr – strength) – Gro (gróa – grow, sprout) – Gudbjorg – Gudfrid (gud – god / frídr – beautiful) – Gudlaug – Gudrun (gud – god / rún – secret)  – Gudveig – Gudvor – Gunn (gunnr – war, battle) – Gunbjorg (gunnr – war, battle /bjorg – protection) – Gunda (short form of names beginning with gunnr – war, battle) – Gunnbjorg (gunnr – war, battle / bjorg – protection ) – Gunnfrid – Gunnhild (gunnr – war, battle / hildr – battle, warfare) – Gunn (short form of names starting with gunnr – war, battle)  – Gunnlaug – Gunnveig – Gunnvor – Gyda (variation of the name Gudfrid: gud – god / frídr – beautiful)

H

Hallbjorg – Hallfrid – Hallgerd (hall – stone / gardr – fortress, fencing) – Hallgunn – Hallrid – Hallveig – Heidrun (Heiðrún – a  female goat in Norse mythology) – Helga (feminine form of Helge: heilagr – lucky, affluent, later holy) – Helgunn – Hella (heilagr – lucky, affluent, later holy) – Herbjorg – Herborg (her – army / bjorg – protection) – Herfrid – Hergunn – Hervor – Hild (variation of Hilda)  – Hilda (short form of names beginning with hildr – battle, combat) – Hilde (variation of Hilda) – Hildebjorg – Hildeborg – Hildegunn – Hill (variation of Hilda) – Hjartrud – Hjordis (hjor – sword /dis – goddess) – Holmfrid (holmr – islet, island / frídr – beautiful) – Hladgerd (hlað – lace-work, headdress / gardr – fortress, fencing)

I

Idunn (id – «again», one more time / unna – to love) – Inga (from the Old Norse god Ing, also known as Freyr, the brother of Freyja) – Ingebjorg (from the Old Norse god Ing, also known as Freyr / bjorg – protection) – Ingegerd (from the Old Norse god Ing, also known as Freyr / gardr – fortress, fencing) – Inger (variation of Ingegerd) – Inghild – Inglaug – Ingrid (from the Old Norse god Ing, also known as Freyr / frídr – beautiful) – Ingunn (from the Old Norse god Ing, also known as Freyr /gunnr – war, combat) – Ingvild (from the Old Norse god Ing, also known as Freyr / vildr – battle, combat, fighting)

J

Jarlaug – Jarlfrid – Jarnhild – Joreid – Jorgunn (jór – boar / gunnr – war, battle) – Jorhild – Jorfrid – Jorlaug – Jorunn (jór – boar / unna – love)

K

Kjellaug (from man’s name Kjetil: kjell – sacrifice-kettle / laug – engaged to /married with, or dedicated) – Kjellbjorg – Kjellfrid – Kjellrun – Kjellvor – Kjerlaug – Knuthild – Kollbjorg

L

Ladgunn – Lagertha (variation of Hladgerd) – Lidveig – Lidvor – Liv (hlif – protection, but also means «life») – Liveig – Livunn (hlif – protection, but also means «life» / unna – love) – Lydveig – Lydvor

M

Magnhild (magn – power, strength / hildr – battle, combat) – Magnvor – Malfrid (mál – speech / vor – alert, careful) ­– Malmfrid – Mildfrid – Mildrun – Modgunn – Modhild – Moyfrid (mey – young girl, virgin / fríðr – beautiful)

N

Norbjorg – Norfrid – Norgunn (norðr – north / gunnr – war, battle) – Norhild – Norlaug – Norveig

O

Oda – Oddbjorg – Oddfrid – Oddgunn – Oddlaug – Oddrun (oddr – spear, spearhead/ rún – secret) – Oddrunn (see Oddrun) – Oddveig (oddr – spear, spearhead / veig – strength, warring) – Odfrid – Odlaug – Odveig – Olbjorg – Oleiv – Olrun (from Ǫlrún ; ǫl – ale – witcheries / rún – secret, like in runes / rune writing – secret writing) – Olveig – Oslaug – Oyfrid – Oygunn – Oylaug – Oyonn – Oyvor (ey – happiness, gift / vor – alert, careful)

P

(None)

Q

(None)

R

Ragna (short form of Old Norse names starting with ragn – advice, decision) – Ragnfrid – Ragnhild (ragn – advice, decision / hildr – battle) – Rambjorg – Ramfrid – Randi – Ranfrid – Rannveig (rann – house / veig – strength, warring ) – Ranveig (see Rannveig) – Reidhild – Reidun (hreiðr – nest / unna –  love, or unnr – wave) – Reinhild – Runa (rún – secret) – Runhild (rún – secret / hildr – battle, combat)

S

Sabjorg – Salmoy – Sebjorg – Sif (siv – bride, or from sif – friendship) – Sigbjorg – Sigfrid (see Sigrid) – Signe (see Signy)  – Signhild – Signy (sigr – victory / ny – new) –  Sigrid (sigr – victory / frídr – beautiful) – Sigrunn (sigr – victory / rún – secret) – Sigurda – Sigvalda – Sigvarda – Sigveig – Sigvor –  Siv (siv – bride, or from sif – friendship) – Skjaldvor – Snefrid (snjó – snow / frid – beautiful) – Solaug – Solbjorg (salr – house / bjorg – protection) – Solfrid – Solgerd – Solgunn (salr – house /gunnr – war /battle) – Solhild – Sollaug – Solmoy – Solrunn – Solunn – Solveig (salr – house /veig – strength, warring) – Solvor – Steinunn – Steinvor – Svanbjorg (svanr – swan  / bjorg – protection) – Svanfrid – Svanhild (svanr – swan / hildr – battle, combat) – Svanlaug

T

Thora (short form of girl names beginning with Thor, from Thórr – god, thunder) – Thorbjorg – Thorborg – Thordis – Thordny – Thordun – Thorfrid (Thórr – thunder, god / frídr – beautiful) – Torgerd – Thorgunn (Thórr – thunder, god / gunnr – battle, combat) – Thorhild (Thórr – thunder, god / hildr – battle, combat) – Torgerd – Thorunn (Thórr – thunder, god /unna – love) – Thorvalda – Thurid (see Thorfrid) – Tjodhild – Tjodunn – Tjodvor – Tova (see Thorfrid) – Tove (from Tófa, a short form of names starting with torv/thorv/torf/thorf, i.e. Thorfrid) Trude (short form of Old Norse girl names ending with trúdr – strength) – Trudi (see Trude) – Tryghild – Turid (see Thorfrid), Tuva (see Thorfrid)

U

Udbjorg – Ulvhild – Unn (unna – love) – Unnfrid – Unnhild – Unni (unna – love /ny – new) – Unnlaug – Unnveig – Urda (from Urðr, one of a group of three Norns in Norse mythology)

V

Valbjorg – Valfrid – Valgerd (valr – killed / garðr – fencing) – Varunn – Vebjorg – Velaug – Venhild – Vidrun – Vigdis (vig – battle, combat / dis – goddess) – Vighild – Vilbjorg – Vilborg – Vilfrid – Vilgerd – Vilgunn

W

(None)

X

(None)

Y

Ymbjorg – Yngvild (same as Ingvild: from the Old Norse god Ing, also known as Freyr / vildr – battle, combat, fighting)

Z

(None)

Text by: Thor Lanesskog, ThorNews

Categories: Culture, Language, Vikings