Viking names are the Old Norse first names used in Scandinavia and its colonies during the Viking Age, roughly 800 to 1050: Bjorn, Ragnar, Ivar, Leif, Erik, Astrid, Sigrid, Ingrid and Freya are the ones most people know. Most of them never went out of use. 33,777 people in Norway are called Bjørn today, according to Statistics Norway, and Freya was Scotland’s most popular girls’ name in 2025.
This guide is part of our Scottish Names collection. Browse the full Scottish Names directory for first names, surnames and Gaelic lists, and see our Shetland and Orkney Norse names for the Viking names Scotland’s Northern Isles still use.
This page is for anyone choosing a baby name with Viking roots, writing a character, or just wondering what their own name meant to a Norseman. You get 150 names with the original Old Norse spelling, what each part means, a say-it guide, and whether anyone actually gives the name now, with real counts from Norway and Scotland rather than a vague “popular in Scandinavia”.
A wee bit of context first. The Viking Age is usually dated from the raid on Lindisfarne in 793 to somewhere in the 11th century, with 1066 and the Battle of Stamford Bridge the end point many people use (Wikipedia summarises the debate). The names come down to us from runestones, place-names and later Icelandic sagas, which is why the same name can turn up as Þórr on a stone, Thor in an English book and Tor on a Norwegian birth certificate.
Two Scots Abroad · Scottish names
Viking name finder
150 Old Norse first names, every one with its Viking Age form, meaning and a say-it guide. Filter by boy or girl, by what the name means, and by whether parents still use it today.
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Are Viking names still used today?
Yes, and in big numbers. Norway never stopped using its Old Norse names, and a fresh wave of parents has gone back to the oldest ones. Statistics Norway counts people by their first name (the only first name, or the first of several), and its 2025 figures read like a saga cast list. In Scotland the numbers are smaller, but National Records of Scotland shows Freya at number one and Finn, Magnus and Odin all in real use.
| Name | People in Norway, 2025 | Norwegian babies, 2025 | Scottish babies, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bjørn | 33,777 | 119 | fewer than 3 |
| Ingrid | 24,062 | 237 | fewer than 3 |
| Erik | 20,811 | 111 | 4 |
| Liv | 20,317 | 86 | 4 |
| Magnus | 18,091 | 252 | 41 |
| Astrid | 15,815 | 296 | 16 |
| Olav | 14,724 | 285 | fewer than 3 |
| Frida | 9,435 | 337 | 3 |
| Odin | 4,187 | 195 | 24 |
| Håkon | 13,574 | 181 | fewer than 3 |
| Sigurd | 7,629 | 145 | fewer than 3 |
| Sigrid | 7,327 | 143 | fewer than 3 |
| Saga | 1,828 | 152 | fewer than 3 |
| Ylva | 2,520 | 135 | fewer than 3 |
| Frøya (Norway) / Freya (Scotland) | 1,430 | 114 | 268 |
| Finn | 5,652 | 35 | 159 |
| Ivar | 7,636 | 58 | 10 |
Two things jump out. Olav, Magnus and Astrid are not museum pieces in Norway: each went to more than 250 baby boys or girls last year. And Odin, the chief god himself, went to 195 Norwegian boys and 24 Scottish ones. That is a lot of wee gods in Norwegian nurseries.
How Viking names were built
Most Viking names are two building blocks stuck together, a front part and an end part, and once you know two dozen blocks you can read most of the names on this page. Ragnhild Ljosland of the UHI Institute for Northern Studies explains that the end part often marks the sex, so Rognvald and Ragnhild share a front but not an end. The meanings below come from the name articles in Store norske leksikon, Norway’s national encyclopedia, written by the name scholar Gulbrand Alhaug.
| Block | Meaning | Names built with it |
|---|---|---|
| Ás-, Ås-, Es- | god | Asbjorn, Asgeir, Aslaug, Astrid, Eskil |
| Þór-, Tor- | the god Thor | Torstein, Torvald, Tordis, Turid, Tove |
| Ing-, Yngv- | the god Ing (Yngvi) | Ingrid, Ingvar, Ingolf, Ingeborg, Ingvild |
| Sig- | victory | Sigurd, Sigmund, Sigrid, Signe, Sigrun |
| Ragn- | counsel, decision | Ragnar, Ragnvald, Ragnhild, Randi |
| Gunn- | battle | Gunnar, Gunnhild, Gunvor |
| Hall- | flat stone | Hallvard, Halldis, Hallgerd |
| Arn- | eagle | Arne, Arnfinn |
| -bjǫrn, -bjørn | bear | Asbjorn, Torbjorn |
| -ulfr, -olf | wolf | Ingolf, Rolf |
| -geirr | spear | Asgeir, Torgeir |
| -arr | warrior (sometimes spear) | Gunnar, Ragnar, Einar, Ivar, Vidar |
| -valdr | ruler | Ragnvald, Torvald, Harald |
| -fríðr, -ríðr | beautiful | Astrid, Ingrid, Sigrid, Turid |
| -hildr | battle | Gunnhild, Ragnhild, Brynhild, Svanhild |
| -dís | goddess, woman | Halldis, Tordis, Vigdis, Hjordis |
| -rún | secret lore | Gudrun, Sigrun, Dagrun |
| -bjǫrg | protection, rescue | Ingebjorg, Solbjorg |
Here is the bit that surprises people: the two halves did not have to make sense together. Store norske leksikon points to Gunnhild, which is battle plus battle, and Hallstein, stone plus stone, as proof that sounding good and honouring a relative mattered more than meaning. Parents often reused one block from a grandparent’s name, so a Thorfinn might have a grandson called Thorvald.
Patronymics: son of, daughter of
Vikings did not have surnames. Keith Ruiter of the University of Aberdeen explains that a person had one given name plus their father’s name: Ragnar Sigurðsson was Ragnar, son of Sigurd, and a daughter would be Sigurðardóttir. Iceland still works this way, and an Icelandic name is built from the father’s or mother’s name plus -son or -dóttir, with -bur allowed for people registered as nonbinary since 2019.
Bynames: Hairy-Breeks and worse
With so few given names going round, nicknames did the heavy lifting. Ragnar’s byname loðbrók means hairy breeches (or shaggy trousers), from the protective clothes he wore to fight a giant serpent, according to the saga tradition. Ruiter’s Aberdeen piece lists Ulf the Squint-Eyed, Eirik Ale-Lover, Walking Hrolf (too big for a horse to carry) and, a personal favourite, Eystein Foul-Fart. You did not get to pick your own, which is a lesson for anyone who has ever had a nickname stick at school.
The National Museum of Denmark sorts bynames into three kinds: family (son of, daughter of), origin (Bjarke the Norwegian, who lived in Denmark) and a quality or possession (Asgot with the Red Shield). Some of today’s first names began this way. Store norske leksikon says Kåre meant curly-haired, Frode wise, Halfdan half-Danish and Sverre restless before they became ordinary names.
Kennings: the poets’ code names
A kenning is a two-part figure of speech that stands in for a plain noun. The Old Norse examples include wave’s horse for a ship and feeder of the war-gull for a warrior (the war-gull is a raven). Poets used them for gods and heroes too. They were not given to children, but they explain why a Viking name page can feel like a crossword: Yggdrasil, the world tree, is usually read as Odin’s horse.
Viking names in Scotland
Scotland has two Norse stories. In Orkney and Shetland, Norse names stayed in families and came back in the 20th century, which is the subject of our page on the Northern Isles. In the Hebrides and the west, Norse names were taken into Gaelic and came out the other side looking Scottish. The Norse-Gaels, the mixed Norse and Gaelic people who ran the Kingdom of the Isles, left a set of first names that most Scots would never guess were Viking.
| Scottish name | Gaelic form | Old Norse source |
|---|---|---|
| Aulay | Amhlaibh | Óláfr (Olaf) |
| Gorrie | Goraidh | Godfrið (Godfrid) |
| Ivor | Ìomhar | Ívarr (Ivar) |
| Ranald, Ronald | Raghnall | Rǫgnvaldr (Ragnvald) |
| Sorley | Somhairle | Sumarliði (Somerled) |
| Norman | Tormod | Þormóðr (Tormod) |
| Torquil | Torcall | Þorkell (Torkel) |
Somerled, the 12th-century King of the Isles killed at Renfrew in 1164, carried a Norse name, Sumarliði, usually read as summer traveller or summer warrior, a byname for Vikings who raided in the summer months. Torquil comes from Þorkell, Thor plus a sacrificial cauldron, and was used by the MacLeods of Lewis. Norman is the sneaky one: as a Highland name it often stands for Gaelic Tormod, from Norse Þormóðr, Thor plus courage, so it has nothing to do with the Normans at all.
The same thing happened to surnames: MacAulay, MacIver, MacAskill, MacCorquodale and MacLeod all go back to Norse given names, and our guide to Scottish Norse last names takes those apart one by one. And for one Norwegian king, Scotland changed him rather than the other way round. Magnus Barefoot, who raided the Hebrides in 1098, got his byname because he took up the Gaelic dress of the Irish and Scots, a short tunic that left his legs bare.
Viking names and their modern cousins
Many Viking names live on under a disguise. Here is how a single Old Norse name split into Scandinavian and British forms, so you can spot the Viking in a name you already know.
| Old Norse | Scandinavian forms today | Scottish or English form |
|---|---|---|
| Óláfr | Olav, Olaf | Aulay; surname MacAulay |
| Rǫgnvaldr | Ragnvald, Rognald | Ronald, Ranald |
| Þorkell | Torkjell, Torkel | Torquil; surname MacCorquodale |
| Ívarr | Ivar, Iver | Ivor; surname MacIver |
| Áskell | Askjell, Eskil, Eskild | surname MacAskill |
| Haraldr | Harald, Arild | Harold |
| Eiríkr | Eirik, Erik | Eric |
| Knútr | Knut, Knud | Canute |
| Hrólfr | Rolf, Rolv | Rollo |
| Sveinn | Svein, Sven, Svend | Sweyn (Orkney) |
| Ásbjǫrn | Asbjørn, Esbjörn, Esben | no common British form |
| Auðun | Audun | the same build as English Edwin |
The best-known Viking names for boys
Bjorn (Bjørn)
Meaning: bear. Old Norse: Bjǫrn. Say it: BYURN. For: boy. Today: popular with parents now.
Bear, plain and simple, and the most-used name on this whole page: 33,777 Norwegians have it as their first name. The National Museum of Denmark notes that animal names like Bjørn, Ulf (wolf) and Orm (serpent) were popular partly because those beasts were the gods’ great enemies. The ø is said like the u in fur, so English speakers land on BYURN; Bjorn without the slash is fine on a British form.
Ragnar
Meaning: counsel, decision + warrior. Old Norse: Ragnarr. Say it: RAG-nar. For: boy. Today: revived since 1800.
Counsel plus warrior. Store norske leksikon says the name died out in the late Middle Ages and was revived in 1851, long before any TV series. The famous bearer, Ragnar Lodbrok, is a hero whose stories historians mostly treat as fiction, though some of his sons, including Ivar and Halfdan, were real men.
Ivar
Meaning: yew + warrior (disputed). Old Norse: Ívarr. Say it: EE-var. For: boy. Today: everyday name in Norway.
Possibly yew plus warrior, though the name is disputed and may be a form of Ingvar. Ivar the Boneless led the Great Heathen Army into England in 865 and is often identified with Ímar, king of Dublin. The Gaelic Ìomhar gave Scotland Ivor and the surname MacIver, and 10 Scottish boys were named Ivar in 2025.
Leif
Meaning: heir, descendant. Old Norse: Leifr. Say it: LAYF. For: boy. Today: everyday name in Norway.
Heir or descendant, and the short end of names like Guðleifr. Leif Erikson, son of Erik the Red, reached North America about 500 years before Columbus. The pronunciation is the trap: LAYF, rhyming with safe, not with leaf.
Erik
Meaning: alone, unique + mighty, ruler. Old Norse: Eiríkr. Say it: AIR-ik. For: boy. Today: popular with parents now.
Alone, unique plus mighty, ruler. Erik the Red founded the first Norse settlement in Greenland, and the name never went away: 20,811 Norwegians are called Erik. Eric with a c is one of the variants Store norske leksikon lists, and Eirik is the Norwegian form closest to the Old Norse Eiríkr.
Harald
Meaning: army + ruler. Old Norse: Haraldr. Say it: HA-rald. For: boy. Today: everyday name in Norway.
Army plus ruler. Harald Fairhair, who swore not to cut his hair until he had conquered Norway, and Harald Hardrada, killed at Stamford Bridge in 1066, carried it. Harold is the English form. It is said HA-rald, and it is about the safest Viking name for a British child after Magnus.
Magnus
Meaning: great (Latin). Old Norse: Magnús. Say it: MAG-nus. For: boy. Today: popular with parents now.
The odd one out: Latin for great, first used as a nickname for Charlemagne, then picked up by Scandinavian kings. It is the most Viking-feeling name in Scotland all the same. 252 Norwegian and 41 Scottish boys got it in 2025, and Orkney never stopped using it. See Scottish names beginning with M for its neighbours.
Olav
Meaning: ancestor + heir. Old Norse: Óláfr. Say it: OH-lav. For: boy. Today: popular with parents now.
Ancestor plus heir. Olav went to 285 Norwegian boys in 2025, and it is the root of Scotland’s Aulay and the MacAulay surname. Olaf with an f is the historic, written form; Olav with a v is the one Norwegians actually say.
Odin
Meaning: probably wild, furious. Old Norse: Óðinn. Say it: OH-din. For: boy. Today: popular with parents now.
Probably from a word for wild or furious, which suits the one-eyed chief of the gods. It is now a real baby name: 195 Norwegian boys and 24 Scottish ones got it in 2025. If that feels like a lot of god for a toddler, Ask (ash tree, the first man in Norse myth) is the quieter option, and 90 Norwegian boys got it last year.
Sigurd
Meaning: victory + guardian. Old Norse: Sigurðr. Say it: SIG-urd. For: boy. Today: popular with parents now.
Victory plus guardian. It is the dragon-slayer’s name in the Volsung legend and the name of Sigurd the Stout, earl of Orkney from 991 to 1014. 145 Norwegian boys got it in 2025. Sjur is a Norwegian folk form if you want something shorter.
Knut
Meaning: knot. Old Norse: Knútr. Say it: k-NOOT. For: boy. Today: everyday name in Norway.
Simply knot. Cnut the Great ruled England, Denmark and Norway, and English history books still call him Canute. Said with the k sounded: k-NOOT.
Torkel
Meaning: Thor + helmet or cauldron. Old Norse: Þorkell. Say it: TOR-kel. For: boy. Today: rare or saga name.
Thor plus helmet or sacrificial cauldron. In Gaelic it became Torcall and then Torquil, the Hebridean chiefs’ name. If you like the Norse root but want a name your Scottish relatives will recognise, Torquil is the answer; the Scottish T names page has it.
Einar
Meaning: alone, unique + warrior. Old Norse: Einarr. Say it: AY-nar. For: boy. Today: popular with parents now.
Alone plus warrior, one of the few Norse names whose halves make sense together: an outstanding warrior. Torf-Einar, the earl who founded Orkney’s ruling family, carried it. 118 Norwegian boys got it in 2025, and it is easy to say anywhere: AY-nar.
The best-known Viking names for girls
Freya
Meaning: lady (the goddess). Old Norse: Freyja. Say it: FRAY-ah. For: girl. Today: popular with parents now.
Freyja means lady, and she is the goddess who rides in a cart pulled by cats. Freya was Scotland’s top girls’ name in 2025 with 268 babies, plus 19 spelled Freyja. In Norway the spelling is Frøya, and 114 girls got it last year. The downside of a number-one name is obvious: expect company at nursery.
Astrid
Meaning: god + beautiful. Old Norse: Ástríðr. Say it: AS-trid. For: girl. Today: popular with parents now.
God plus beautiful, with a t slipped in because Old Norse speakers avoided the sound sr. Astrid made Norway’s 2025 top 10, and 16 Scottish girls got it too. It needs no help with spelling or saying, which makes it the easiest high-status Viking name for a girl.
Ingrid
Meaning: the god Ing + beautiful. Old Norse: Ingiríðr. Say it: ING-rid. For: girl. Today: popular with parents now.
The god Ing plus beautiful. 24,062 Norwegians carry it, and 237 more girls got it in 2025. It is a revived name in Orkney too, which makes it one of the few Viking names with a Scottish island pedigree as well as a Scandinavian one.
Sigrid
Meaning: victory + beautiful. Old Norse: Sigríðr. Say it: SIG-rid. For: girl. Today: popular with parents now.
Victory plus beautiful, according to Store norske leksikon; the National Museum of Denmark reads it as victorious horsewoman, so the meaning is not settled. 143 Norwegian girls got it in 2025. Siri is the short form, with the obvious modern drawback that your phone will answer.
Gudrun
Meaning: god + secret lore. Old Norse: Guðrún. Say it: GOOD-roon. For: girl. Today: everyday name in Norway.
God plus secret lore, which as a whole could mean she who has divine knowledge. Gudrun is the heroine of the Volsung legend, who marries the dragon-slayer Sigurd. It is rare as a baby name now, which some parents will see as the point.
Gunnhild
Meaning: battle + battle. Old Norse: Gunnhildr. Say it: GUN-hild. For: girl. Today: everyday name in Norway.
Battle plus battle. Gunnhild Mother of Kings, wife of Eric Bloodaxe, lived in Orkney and York, and the University of Nottingham traces Gunthorpe in Nottinghamshire to a woman called Gunnhildr, a rare female name in English place-names.
Aud
Meaning: wealth. Old Norse: Auðr. Say it: OWD. For: girl. Today: everyday name in Norway.
Wealth. Aud the Deep-Minded lived in Dublin, the Hebrides, Caithness, Orkney and the Faroes before she claimed land in Iceland and freed the slaves who came with her. Short, unusual and with a cracking backstory, though it does look like a typo to anyone outside Norway.
Thyra
Meaning: Thor + fight or priestess (disputed). Old Norse: Þyri. Say it: TEE-ra. For: girl. Today: rare or saga name.
Thor plus either fight or priestess; the meaning is disputed. Queen Thyra is honoured on the Jelling stone raised by her husband Gorm the Old, which calls her Denmark’s adornment (or strength). Tyra is the modern Norwegian spelling.
Liv
Meaning: protection (later read as life). Old Norse: Hlíf. Say it: LEEV. For: girl. Today: everyday name in Norway.
Hlíf meant protection, and it was later read as the word for life. Three letters, no spelling queries, and 20,317 Norwegians already have it. Liv is the fallback if the longer Viking names feel like hard work.
Saga
Meaning: story, history. Old Norse: Sága. Say it: SAH-ga. For: girl. Today: popular with parents now.
From the word saga, story, and Sága is a goddess of history in the myths. 152 Norwegian girls got it in 2025 and it has been popular in Sweden for years. It is brilliant if you want something Norse that an English speaker can read at first sight.
Ylva
Meaning: she-wolf. Old Norse: Ylva. Say it: IL-va. For: girl. Today: popular with parents now.
She-wolf. It started as a Swedish nickname and 135 Norwegian girls got it in 2025. Say IL-va, not EEL-va.
Solveig
Meaning: house, hall + strength. Old Norse: Sǫlveig. Say it: SOL-vay. For: girl. Today: popular with parents now.
House or hall plus strength. The g is silent: SOL-vay. 178 Norwegian girls got it in 2025, and it is on the UHI list of Norse names revived in Orkney.
How to choose a Viking name
Start by deciding what the name has to survive: a classroom register, a phone call to the bank, or a grandparent with strong opinions. Then work through it in this order.
- Pick the sound before the meaning, because the Vikings did. Gunnhild is battle plus battle and nobody minded. If you love how a name sounds, the meaning is a bonus, not a test.
- Check it survives English spelling. Astrid, Ingrid, Freya, Erik, Leif, Magnus and Ivar all work as written. Names with ø, å or þ need a plan: Bjorn for Bjørn, Hakon for Håkon, Thora for Þóra.
- Look at the real numbers. Freya is Scotland’s number one, so if you want rare, she is the wrong pick. Ylva, Saga, Solveig, Sigurd or Einar are well used in Norway and still unusual in Britain.
- Use the middle name for the big ones. Odin, Ragnar, Thorfinn or Gunnhild can be a lot for a first name. As a middle name they carry the story without the playground commentary.
- Say it out loud with the surname. Leif Smith is fine. Leif Leaf is not. Everyone who has ever named a pet has learned this lesson the hard way.
Watch out for: names from TV that are not Viking names in the way you might think. Lagertha comes from Saxo Grammaticus, a 12th-century Danish writer whose early books are largely fiction, and her Old Norse name was probably Hlaðgerðr. Thea is popular in Norway but is a short form of Dorothea, not Norse. If it is the Gaelic side of Scotland’s names you are after, our Gaelic names list covers it.
Quick list: all 150 Viking names
| Name | Old Norse | Meaning | Say it | For | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aage | Áki | little father, ancestor | OH-geh | Boy | Everyday |
| Agnar | Agnarr | sword edge + warrior | AG-nar | Boy | Rare |
| Alf | Álfr | elf; or noble + wolf | ALF | Boy | Everyday |
| Alfhild | Álfhildr | elf + battle | ALF-hild | Girl | Rare |
| Arne | Arni | eagle | AR-neh | Boy | Everyday |
| Arnfinn | Arnfinnr | eagle + Sámi | ARN-fin | Boy | Everyday |
| Asbjorn | Ásbjǫrn | god + bear | AS-byurn | Boy | Everyday |
| Ase | Ása | god (short form of Ás- names) | AW-seh | Girl | Everyday |
| Asgeir | Ásgeirr | god + spear | AS-gayr | Boy | Everyday |
| Ashild | Áshildr | god + battle | AWS-hild | Girl | Everyday |
| Ask | Askr | ash tree | ASK | Boy | Everyday |
| Aslak | Áslákr | god + combat | AS-lahk | Boy | Everyday |
| Aslaug | Áslaug | god + promised, dedicated | AS-lowg | Girl | Everyday |
| Asta | Ásta | god + beautiful | AWS-ta | Girl | Rare |
| Astrid | Ástríðr | god + beautiful | AS-trid | Girl | Popular now |
| Aud | Auðr | wealth | OWD | Girl | Everyday |
| Audun | Auðun | wealth + friend | OW-dun | Boy | Everyday |
| Balder | Baldr | uncertain; perhaps lord, prince | BAL-der | Boy | Rare |
| Bergljot | Bergljót | help, rescue + perhaps light | BERG-lyoot | Girl | Revived |
| Birger | Birgir | helper | BEER-ger | Boy | Everyday |
| Bjarne | Bjarni | bear | BYAR-neh | Boy | Everyday |
| Bjorn | Bjǫrn | bear | BYURN | Boy | Popular now |
| Bo | Búi | the resident, one who lives on the farm | BOO | Boy | Everyday |
| Bodil | Bóthildr | remedy + battle | BOH-dil | Girl | Everyday |
| Borghild | Borghildr | protection + battle | BORG-hild | Girl | Everyday |
| Brage | Bragi | the foremost; or poetry | BRAH-geh | Boy | Popular now |
| Brynhild | Brynhildr | mail-shirt + battle | BRIN-hild | Girl | Rare |
| Dag | Dagr | day | DAHG | Boy | Everyday |
| Dagny | Dagný | day + new | DAG-nee | Girl | Revived |
| Egil | Egill | respect; or sword edge | AY-gil | Boy | Everyday |
| Einar | Einarr | alone, unique + warrior | AY-nar | Boy | Popular now |
| Eldrid | Eldríðr | noble + strength (from Old English) | EL-drid | Girl | Rare |
| Embla | Embla | uncertain; perhaps elm | EM-bla | Girl | Everyday |
| Erik | Eiríkr | alone, unique + mighty, ruler | AIR-ik | Boy | Popular now |
| Erlend | Erlendr | foreigner | ER-lend | Boy | Everyday |
| Erling | Erlingr | perhaps earl’s son | ER-ling | Boy | Everyday |
| Eskil | Áskell | god + helmet or cauldron | ES-kil | Boy | Everyday |
| Eystein | Eysteinn | perhaps luck + stone | AY-stayn | Boy | Everyday |
| Eyvind | Eyvindr | perhaps luck + victor | AY-vin | Boy | Everyday |
| Finn | Finnr | a Sámi person | FIN | Boy | Popular now |
| Freya | Freyja | lady (the goddess) | FRAY-ah | Girl | Popular now |
| Frida | Fríða | beautiful | FREE-da | Girl | Popular now |
| Frode | Fróði | wise, clever | FROH-deh | Boy | Everyday |
| Froydis | Freydís | the god Frey + goddess, woman | FROY-dis | Girl | Revived |
| Geir | Geirr | spear | GAYR | Boy | Everyday |
| Gerd | Gerðr | enclosure, protection | GAIRD | Girl | Everyday |
| Gorm | Gormr (from Guðþormr) | god + honour | GORM | Boy | Rare |
| Gro | Gróa | to grow | GROO | Girl | Everyday |
| Gudmund | Guðmundr | god + protector | GOOD-mund | Boy | Rare |
| Gudrid | Guðríðr | god + beautiful | GOOD-rid | Girl | Rare |
| Gudrun | Guðrún | god + secret lore | GOOD-roon | Girl | Everyday |
| Gunnar | Gunnarr | battle + warrior | GUN-nar | Boy | Everyday |
| Gunnhild | Gunnhildr | battle + battle | GUN-hild | Girl | Everyday |
| Gunvor | Gunnvǫr | battle + careful, defender | GUN-vor | Girl | Everyday |
| Guttorm | Guðþormr | god + honour | GUT-orm | Boy | Rare |
| Gyda | Gyða | god + beautiful | YEE-da | Girl | Rare |
| Hakon | Hákon | high + kin or son (disputed) | HAW-kon | Boy | Popular now |
| Halfdan | Hálfdanr | half Danish | HALF-dan | Boy | Rare |
| Halldis | Halldís | flat stone + goddess, woman | HAL-dis | Girl | Rare |
| Hallgerd | Hallgerðr | flat stone + enclosure | HAL-gerd | Girl | Rare |
| Hallvard | Hallvarðr | flat stone + guardian | HAL-vard | Boy | Everyday |
| Harald | Haraldr | army + ruler | HA-rald | Boy | Everyday |
| Hauk | Haukr | hawk | HOWK | Boy | Rare |
| Helga | Helga | the holy one | HEL-ga | Girl | Everyday |
| Helge | Helgi | the holy one | HEL-geh | Boy | Everyday |
| Herdis | Herdís | army + goddess, woman | HAIR-dis | Girl | Rare |
| Hervor | Hervǫr | army + careful, defender | HAIR-vor | Girl | Rare |
| Hild | Hildr | battle | HILD | Girl | Rare |
| Hjalmar | Hjalmarr | helmet + warrior or famous | YAL-mar | Boy | Rare |
| Hjordis | Hjǫrdís | sword + goddess, woman | YUR-dis | Girl | Revived |
| Idun | Iðunn | she who renews youth | EE-dun | Girl | Revived |
| Inga | Inga | short form of the Ing- names | ING-ah | Girl | Everyday |
| Inge | Ingi | the god Ing (Yngvi) | ING-eh | Boy | Everyday |
| Ingeborg | Ingibjǫrg | the god Ing + protection | ING-eh-borg | Girl | Everyday |
| Ingolf | Ingolfr | the god Ing + wolf | ING-olf | Boy | Rare |
| Ingrid | Ingiríðr | the god Ing + beautiful | ING-rid | Girl | Popular now |
| Ingunn | Ingunnr | the god Ing + to love | ING-un | Girl | Everyday |
| Ingvar | Yngvarr | the god Ing + warrior | ING-var | Boy | Everyday |
| Ingvild | Yngvildr | the god Ing + battle | ING-vil | Girl | Everyday |
| Ivar | Ívarr | yew + warrior (disputed) | EE-var | Boy | Everyday |
| Jorunn | Jórunn | boar (helmet) + to love | YOO-run | Girl | Everyday |
| Kare | Kári | curly-haired | KOR-eh | Boy | Everyday |
| Kjetil | Ketill | helmet; sacrificial cauldron | CHEH-til | Boy | Everyday |
| Knut | Knútr | knot | k-NOOT | Boy | Everyday |
| Kolbein | Kolbeinn | coal-black + leg | KOL-bayn | Boy | Rare |
| Leif | Leifr | heir, descendant | LAYF | Boy | Everyday |
| Liv | Hlíf | protection (later read as life) | LEEV | Girl | Everyday |
| Magnus | Magnús | great (Latin) | MAG-nus | Boy | Popular now |
| Njal | Njáll | from Irish Niall, champion | NYAHL | Boy | Rare |
| Odd | Oddr | point; spear | OD | Boy | Everyday |
| Odin | Óðinn | probably wild, furious | OH-din | Boy | Popular now |
| Olav | Óláfr | ancestor + heir | OH-lav | Boy | Popular now |
| Orm | Ormr | serpent | ORM | Boy | Rare |
| Ottar | Óttarr | fear (dread) + warrior or spear | OT-tar | Boy | Everyday |
| Ragna | Ragna | counsel (short Ragn- form) | RAG-na | Girl | Everyday |
| Ragnar | Ragnarr | counsel, decision + warrior | RAG-nar | Boy | Revived |
| Ragnfrid | Ragnfríðr | counsel + beautiful | RAG-n-frid | Girl | Revived |
| Ragnhild | Ragnhildr | counsel + battle | RAG-n-hild | Girl | Everyday |
| Ragnvald | Rǫgnvaldr | counsel + ruler | RAG-n-vald | Boy | Rare |
| Randi | Ragnfríðr | counsel + beautiful | RAN-dee | Girl | Everyday |
| Rannveig | Rannveig | house or counsel + strength | RAN-vayg | Girl | Rare |
| Ravn | Hrafn | raven | RAWN | Boy | Rare |
| Revna | Hrefna | raven | REV-na | Girl | Rare |
| Roald | Hróaldr | fame + ruler | ROO-al | Boy | Everyday |
| Roar | Hróarr | fame + spear | ROO-ar | Boy | Everyday |
| Rolf | Hrólfr | fame + wolf | ROLF | Boy | Everyday |
| Runa | Rúna | secret lore | ROO-na | Girl | Everyday |
| Rune | Rúni | secret lore | ROO-neh | Boy | Revived |
| Saga | Sága | story, history | SAH-ga | Girl | Popular now |
| Sigmund | Sigmundr | victory + protector | SIG-mund | Boy | Everyday |
| Signe | Signý | victory + new | SIG-neh | Girl | Popular now |
| Sigrid | Sigríðr | victory + beautiful | SIG-rid | Girl | Popular now |
| Sigrun | Sigrún | victory + secret lore | SIG-roon | Girl | Everyday |
| Sigurd | Sigurðr | victory + guardian | SIG-urd | Boy | Popular now |
| Sindre | Sindri | to sparkle | SIN-dreh | Boy | Everyday |
| Siri | Sigríðr | short form of Sigrid | SEE-ree | Girl | Everyday |
| Siv | Sif | kinship | SEEV | Girl | Everyday |
| Snorre | Snorri | the quick one, or the reckless one | SNOR-eh | Boy | Everyday |
| Solbjorg | Salbjǫrg | house, hall + protection | SOL-byurg | Girl | Everyday |
| Solveig | Sǫlveig | house, hall + strength | SOL-vay | Girl | Popular now |
| Steinar | Steinarr | stone + warrior or spear | STAY-nar | Boy | Everyday |
| Steinunn | Steinunn | stone + to love | STAY-nun | Girl | Rare |
| Stig | Stígr | wanderer | STEEG | Boy | Everyday |
| Sunniva | Sunnifa | sun + gift (from Old English) | SUN-ee-va | Girl | Everyday |
| Svanhild | Svanhildr | swan + battle | SVAN-hild | Girl | Everyday |
| Svein | Sveinn | young man | SVAYN | Boy | Everyday |
| Sverre | Sverrir | the restless one | SVER-reh | Boy | Popular now |
| Thyra | Þyri | Thor + fight or priestess (disputed) | TEE-ra | Girl | Rare |
| Tor | Þórr | the god Thor (thunder) | TOR | Boy | Everyday |
| Tora | Þóra | short form of Thor- names | TOR-ah | Girl | Everyday |
| Torbjorn | Þorbjǫrn | Thor + bear | TOR-byurn | Boy | Everyday |
| Tordis | Þórdís | Thor + goddess, woman | TOR-dis | Girl | Everyday |
| Torfinn | Þorfinnr | Thor + Sámi | TOR-fin | Boy | Rare |
| Torhild | Þórhildr | Thor + battle | TOR-hild | Girl | Everyday |
| Torkel | Þorkell | Thor + helmet or cauldron | TOR-kel | Boy | Rare |
| Tormod | Þormóðr | Thor + courage | TOR-mod | Boy | Everyday |
| Torstein | Þorsteinn | Thor + stone | TOR-stayn | Boy | Everyday |
| Torunn | Þórunnr | Thor + to love | TOR-un | Girl | Everyday |
| Torvald | Þorvaldr | Thor + ruler | TOR-vald | Boy | Rare |
| Tove | Tófa | Thor + beautiful | TOH-veh | Girl | Everyday |
| Trond | Þróndr | man from Trøndelag | TROND | Boy | Everyday |
| Trygve | Tryggvi | trusty, safe | TRIG-veh | Boy | Revived |
| Turid | Þuríðr | Thor + beautiful | TOO-rid | Girl | Everyday |
| Ulf | Ulfr | wolf | OOLF | Boy | Everyday |
| Unn | Unnr | to love | OON | Girl | Everyday |
| Vegard | Végarðr | holy place + enclosure | VAY-gard | Boy | Revived |
| Vidar | Víðarr | wide + warrior | VEE-dar | Boy | Revived |
| Vigdis | Vígdís | combat + goddess, woman | VEEG-dis | Girl | Everyday |
| Ylva | Ylva | she-wolf | IL-va | Girl | Popular now |
| Yrsa | Yrsa | uncertain; latinised as Ursula | IR-sa | Girl | Rare |
Viking names FAQ
What are some Viking names?
Well-known Viking names include Bjorn, Ragnar, Ivar, Leif, Erik, Harald, Olav, Sigurd, Knut and Odin for boys, and Astrid, Sigrid, Ingrid, Freya, Gudrun, Gunnhild, Aud, Thyra, Liv and Solveig for girls. Most are built from two Old Norse parts, such as Sig (victory) plus urd (guardian) in Sigurd.
What is the most popular Viking name today?
In Scotland it is Freya, the top girls’ name of 2025 with 268 babies, according to National Records of Scotland. In Norway, Bjørn is the most widely held Viking name on our list, with 33,777 bearers, while Frida, Astrid, Olav and Magnus each went to more than 250 babies in 2025.
Did Vikings have last names?
No. Vikings had one given name plus a patronymic from their father, such as Ragnar Sigurðsson, Ragnar son of Sigurd, or a daughter’s -dóttir. Many also had a byname, like Hairy-Breeks or the Squint-Eyed. Iceland still uses patronymics today; Sweden abolished the practice in 1901, and Norway required hereditary family names for newborns from 1923.
What do Viking names mean?
Most Viking names have a literal meaning made from two parts: Astrid is god plus beautiful, Gunnar battle plus warrior, Torstein Thor plus stone. The two halves did not have to make sense together, so treat the meaning as a fun fact rather than a description. Store norske leksikon is the best free source for each name.
Are there Viking names in Scotland?
Yes. Orkney and Shetland kept names like Magnus, Erlend and Inga, and the Hebrides turned Norse names into Gaelic ones: Torquil from Þorkell, Ranald and Ronald from Rǫgnvaldr, Sorley from Sumarliði, Aulay from Óláfr and Norman, in its Highland sense, from Þormóðr.
Final thoughts on Viking names
If you want one name that works everywhere, carries real Viking history and will not need spelling on the phone, go for Astrid or Erik. If you want the Scottish link as well, Magnus and Freya are the obvious calls, and Torquil is the brave one.
The finder above has all 150, so filter it by meaning and see what you find; Thor and bear between them account for a surprising share of the Viking Age. If the islands themselves are where the interest started, our pick of the best Scottish islands to visit covers Orkney, Shetland and the Hebrides.
Sources
- Statistics Norway, Names: most popular baby names and name statistics, 2025 (tables 10467 and 10501)
- National Records of Scotland, Babies’ First Names 2025, published May 2026
- Store norske leksikon, name articles by Gulbrand Alhaug (Bjørn and the other names on this page)
- National Museum of Denmark, Names in the Viking Age
- University of Aberdeen, Ragnar Shaggy-Trousers and Eystein Foul-Fart: the truth behind Viking names (Keith Ruiter, 2016)
- UHI Institute for Northern Studies, Delving into the roots of Norse first names (Ragnhild Ljosland)
- University of Nottingham, The East Midlands in the Viking Age: Viking Names
- Norse-Gaels, Wikipedia
- Kenning, Wikipedia
- Icelandic name, Wikipedia
- Scandinavian family name etymology, Wikipedia
- Ragnar Lodbrok, Wikipedia
- Magnus Barefoot, Wikipedia
