Female Viking names are the Old Norse girls’ names of the Viking Age, and the best known are Astrid, Sigrid, Ingrid, Freya, Gudrun, Gunnhild, Liv and Thyra. Most join a front part to a feminine end part such as -hild (battle) or -rid (beautiful). They are far from dead: Freya was Scotland’s most popular girls’ name in 2025, with 268 babies, according to National Records of Scotland.
This guide is part of our Scottish Names collection. Browse the full Scottish Names directory, or start with our guide to Viking names for boys and girls together, with how the naming system worked.
This page is for parents after a girl’s name with real Viking roots, and for anyone who has met Lagertha on screen and wondered what women in the sagas were actually called. Every name below has its Old Norse spelling, a meaning from Norway’s national encyclopedia, a say-it guide, the saga or myth it comes from where we could verify one, and how many women carry it now in Norway, Iceland and Scotland.
One thing to know first: women’s names are thinner on the ground than men’s. The National Museum of Denmark notes that men’s names turn up far more often on runestones because men went on the expeditions, and the University of Nottingham finds the same in English place-names, where Gunnhild at Gunthorpe is a rare exception. Much of what we know comes from the Icelandic sagas, written down two or three centuries later.
Two Scots Abroad · Scottish names
Female Viking name finder
104 Viking girls’ names with the Old Norse form, meaning and how to say them. Filter by where the name comes from (everyday Viking name, saga woman, goddess or valkyrie), what it means, and whether parents use it now.
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Which Viking girl names are still used today?
Plenty, and Iceland never let go of them. Guðrún is the second most common woman’s name in Iceland, held by 4,472 women in Statistics Iceland‘s 2023 count, and Sigríður, Helga, Sigrún and Ingibjörg all sit in the top ten. In Norway, Statistics Norway shows Frida and Astrid in the 2025 top ten for baby girls. Scotland has fewer, but the ones it uses, it uses a lot.
| Name | Women in Norway, 2025 | Norwegian baby girls, 2025 | Women in Iceland, 2023 | Scottish baby girls, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ingrid | 24,062 | 237 | outside top 100 | fewer than 3 |
| Liv | 20,317 | 86 | outside top 100 | 4 |
| Astrid | 15,815 | 296 | outside top 100 | 16 |
| Solveig | 13,880 | 178 | 1,036 | fewer than 3 |
| Randi | 13,894 | 4 | outside top 100 | fewer than 3 |
| Frida | 9,435 | 337 | outside top 100 | 3 |
| Sigrid (Sigríður) | 7,327 | 143 | 3,192 | fewer than 3 |
| Gudrun (Guðrún) | 1,584 | not listed | 4,472 | fewer than 3 |
| Helga | 2,731 | 6 | 2,674 | fewer than 3 |
| Sigrun (Sigrún) | 2,193 | 7 | 2,466 | fewer than 3 |
| Saga | 1,828 | 152 | outside top 100 | fewer than 3 |
| Ylva | 2,520 | 135 | outside top 100 | fewer than 3 |
| Freya (Frøya, Freyja) | 1,430 | 114 | 621 | 268 |
| Thora (Tora, Þóra) | 1,771 | 26 | 913 | 3 |
| Runa | 1,205 | 19 | outside top 100 | 5 |
Read that table for what it tells you about rarity. Freya is common in Scotland and rare in Norway, where the spelling is Frøya. Ingrid and Liv are everywhere in Norway and barely used in Scotland. If you want a Viking name nobody else at the school gate has, a Norwegian everyday name is usually the best bet.
How Viking girls’ names were built
A girl’s name was usually a front part, often a god, a battle word or an animal, plus one of a small set of feminine end parts. The UHI Institute for Northern Studies points out that the end part is what marks the name as female, so Rognvald and Ragnhild share a front. These are the endings you will see again and again, with meanings from Store norske leksikon.
| Ending | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -hild | battle | Gunnhild, Ragnhild, Brynhild, Svanhild, Alfhild |
| -frid, -rid | beautiful | Astrid, Ingrid, Sigrid, Turid, Gudrid |
| -dis | goddess, woman | Halldis, Tordis, Vigdis, Hjordis, Froydis |
| -run | secret lore | Gudrun, Sigrun, Dagrun |
| -veig | probably strength | Solveig, Rannveig |
| -bjørg, -borg | protection, rescue | Ingebjorg, Solbjorg, Ingeborg |
| -gerd | enclosure, protection | Hallgerd, Valgerd, Torgerd |
| -unn | to love | Torunn, Ingunn, Jorunn, Steinunn |
| -ny | new | Signy, Dagny, Gudny, Torny |
| -laug | promised, dedicated | Aslaug, Gunnlaug |
| -vor | careful, defender | Gunvor, Hervor |
A daughter took her father’s name plus -dóttir, so Erik the Red’s daughter was Freydís Eiríksdóttir. Iceland still does exactly that, which is why most Icelandic women still have a surname ending in -dóttir.
The best female Viking names, with their stories
Freya
Meaning: lady (the goddess). Old Norse: Freyja. Say it: FRAY-ah. Source: goddess or valkyrie. Today: popular with parents now.
Freyja means lady, and in the myths she rides a cart pulled by two cats and takes half of those who die in battle to her field, Fólkvangr; Odin gets the other half (Wikipedia sums up the sources). Freya was Scotland’s number one girls’ name in 2025, plus 19 babies spelled Freyja, and Freyja is held by 621 women in Iceland. The downside is the obvious one: there will be another Freya in the class.
Astrid
Meaning: god + beautiful. Old Norse: Ástríðr. Say it: AS-trid. Source: Viking Age name. Today: popular with parents now.
God plus beautiful. Store norske leksikon explains that the t is a helper sound, slipped in because Old Norse avoided the cluster sr. Astrid made Norway’s 2025 top ten, and 16 Scottish girls got it. Easy to spell, easy to say, and properly Viking, which is a rare combination.
Sigrid
Meaning: victory + beautiful. Old Norse: Sigríðr. Say it: SIG-rid. Source: saga woman. Today: popular with parents now.
Victory plus beautiful, though the National Museum of Denmark reads it as victorious horsewoman. The famous bearer is Sigrid the Haughty, a queen in Snorri’s Heimskringla who had unwanted suitors killed in a fire; historians are not sure she existed. Two Orkney babies got Sigrid in the Orkney registrar‘s December 2025 list, and Sigríður is Iceland’s fourth most common woman’s name.
Ingrid
Meaning: the god Ing + beautiful. Old Norse: Ingiríðr. Say it: ING-rid. Source: Viking Age name. Today: popular with parents now.
The god Ing plus beautiful. With 24,062 bearers it is one of the most widely held names in Norway, and it is on the UHI list of Norse names revived in Orkney. It travels well: no accents, no silent letters, no explaining.
Gudrun
Meaning: god + secret lore. Old Norse: Guðrún. Say it: GOOD-roon. Source: saga woman. 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 saga, Sigurd’s wife who later takes revenge on the Hun king Atli. Guðrún is the second most common woman’s name in Iceland, with 4,472 bearers.
Gunnhild
Meaning: battle + battle. Old Norse: Gunnhildr. Say it: GUN-hild. Source: saga woman. Today: everyday name in Norway.
Battle plus battle. Gunnhild Mother of Kings married Eric Bloodaxe, lived in Orkney and York, and saw several sons rule Norway. The sagas paint her as cruel and a sorceress, which modern scholars treat with suspicion. Her daughter Ragnhild married Arnfinn, a son of the Orkney earl Thorfinn.
Aud
Meaning: wealth. Old Norse: Auðr. Say it: OWD. Source: saga woman. Today: everyday name in Norway.
Wealth. Aud the Deep-Minded is the saga woman with the best travel record: Norway, Dublin, the Hebrides, Caithness, Orkney and the Faroes, before she claimed land in western Iceland and freed the slaves who came with her. Auður is held by 1,113 women in Iceland. In Norway, Aud is an everyday name with 9,176 bearers.
Freydis (Frøydis)
Meaning: the god Frey + goddess, woman. Old Norse: Freydís. Say it: FROY-dis. Source: saga woman. Today: revived since 1800.
The god Frey plus goddess or woman. Freydís Eiríksdóttir, Leif Erikson’s sister, went to Vinland, and the two sagas tell very different stories about her: in one she scares off attackers while eight months pregnant, in the other she kills five women with an axe. Revived in Norway in 1858.
Gudrid
Meaning: god + beautiful. Old Norse: Guðríðr. Say it: GOOD-rid. Source: saga woman. Today: rare or saga name.
God plus beautiful. Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir, known as the far-travelled, sailed to Vinland, where her son Snorri was born, reportedly the first European child born in the Americas. She later made a pilgrimage to Rome and became a nun. A brilliant name with a real story, though almost nobody uses it now.
Thyra
Meaning: Thor + fight or priestess (disputed). Old Norse: Þyri. Say it: TEE-ra. Source: saga woman. Today: rare or saga name.
Thor plus either fight or priestess; the meaning is disputed. Queen Thyra is named on the Jelling stone raised by her husband Gorm the Old, which calls her Denmark’s adornment. Tyra is the modern Norwegian spelling, and 16 Norwegian girls got it in 2025.
Aslaug
Meaning: god + promised, dedicated. Old Norse: Áslaug. Say it: AS-lowg. Source: saga woman. Today: everyday name in Norway.
God plus promised or dedicated. In the sagas Aslaug is the daughter of Sigurd and Brynhild, hidden in a harp, raised under the name Kráka (crow) and married to Ragnar Lodbrok after passing his riddle test. Áslaug is held by 533 women in Iceland.
Brynhild
Meaning: mail-shirt + battle. Old Norse: Brynhildr. Say it: BRIN-hild. Source: goddess or valkyrie. Today: rare or saga name.
Mail-shirt plus battle. She is the valkyrie Sigurd wakes in the Volsung legend, and her story ends badly for everyone. As a modern name it is rare: 473 women in Norway carry it, which makes it a bold middle name rather than an everyday first name.
Hallgerd
Meaning: flat stone + enclosure. Old Norse: Hallgerðr. Say it: HAL-gerd. Source: saga woman. Today: rare or saga name.
Flat stone plus enclosure. Hallgerd langbrok is Gunnar’s wife in Njal’s Saga, and her feud with Njal’s wife Bergthora sets off years of killings in the saga. Great saga, difficult name. Admire it from a distance.
Hervor
Meaning: army + careful, defender. Old Norse: Hervǫr. Say it: HAIR-vor. Source: saga woman. Today: rare or saga name.
Army plus careful or defender. Store norske leksikon notes that Hervor is the daughter of the berserker Angantyr in Hervor’s saga, and only around 20 Norwegian women born since 1900 have had it as their first name. Rare, strong and very easy to say.
Idun
Meaning: she who renews youth. Old Norse: Iðunn. Say it: EE-dun. Source: goddess or valkyrie. Today: revived since 1800.
She who renews youth. Iðunn keeps the apples that stop the gods from ageing, until a giant carries her off in eagle form. Revived in Norway in 1858 and still used: 13 Norwegian girls in 2025.
Embla
Meaning: uncertain; perhaps elm. Old Norse: Embla. Say it: EM-bla. Source: goddess or valkyrie. Today: everyday name in Norway.
Uncertain, perhaps elm. Embla is the first woman in Norse myth, carved with Ask by the gods from two trees found on a beach. 62 Norwegian girls got it in 2025 and 506 women in Iceland carry it, which shows how far a myth name can travel.
Saga
Meaning: story, history. Old Norse: Sága. Say it: SAH-ga. Source: goddess or valkyrie. Today: popular with parents now.
From the word saga, story. Sága is a goddess of history, and Store norske leksikon notes that Saga has been popular in Sweden for years. 152 Norwegian girls got it in 2025. It reads easily in English, which is half the battle.
Liv
Meaning: protection (later read as life). Old Norse: Hlíf. Say it: LEEV. Source: Viking Age name. Today: everyday name in Norway.
Hlíf meant protection, and later people heard it as life. Three letters and no spelling queries. 20,317 Norwegian women carry it, and 4 Scottish girls got it in 2025.
Ylva
Meaning: she-wolf. Old Norse: Ylva. Say it: IL-va. Source: Viking Age name. Today: popular with parents now.
She-wolf. It began as a Swedish nickname and is now properly popular: 135 Norwegian girls in 2025. Say IL-va.
Solveig
Meaning: house, hall + strength. Old Norse: Sǫlveig. Say it: SOL-vay. Source: Viking Age name. Today: popular with parents now.
House or hall plus strength. The g is silent: SOL-vay. 178 Norwegian girls got it in 2025, Iceland has 1,036 Sólveigs, and UHI lists it among the Norse names revived in Orkney.
Thora (Tora)
Meaning: short form of Thor- names. Old Norse: Þóra. Say it: TOR-ah. Source: saga woman. Today: everyday name in Norway.
A short form of the Thor names, written Thora in Orkney. Thora was the mother of St Magnus of Orkney, killed on Egilsay in about 1117. Three Scottish girls were named Thora in 2025, and Þóra is held by 913 women in Iceland.
Signy
Meaning: victory + new. Old Norse: Signý. Say it: SIG-nee. Source: saga woman. Today: rare or saga name.
Victory plus new. Signý is Sigmund’s twin sister in the Volsung saga, who helps him take revenge. Signe is the everyday form now, and 143 Norwegian girls got Signe in 2025.
Valkyrie names and goddess names
Valkyrie means chooser of the slain, from valr (the slain) and kjósa (to choose), and the Valkyrie page lists dozens of their names. A handful make usable girls’ names; most make better dog names. Here are the ones with a translation in the sources.
| Name | Meaning | Usable? |
|---|---|---|
| Hild (Hildr) | battle | Yes: Hilde is an everyday Norwegian name |
| Sigrun (Sigrún) | victory-rune | Yes: 2,466 women in Iceland |
| Skuld | that which shall be (also a norn) | Bold |
| Mist | cloud | Short and modern-sounding |
| Hrist | shaker | Hard to say in English |
| Gondul (Gǫndul) | wand-wielder | Bold |
| Reginleif | power-truce | Middle name only |
| Brynhild (Brynhildr) | no translation given on the list; SNL: mail-shirt + battle | Yes, as a middle name |
For goddess names, the safe bets are Freya, Saga, Idun and Siv (from Sif, Thor’s wife). Frigg, Skadi and Sigyn are brilliant on paper and a lot to carry in a nursery; Frigg in particular will be misheard in any English-speaking playground.
Viking girls’ names that survived in Scotland
Scottish survivals: Orkney and Shetland are where Norse girls’ names held on. The Orkney registrar‘s December 2025 list had Freya or Freyja joint top with three babies and Sigrid with two. UHI lists Ingrid, Inga and Solveig among names revived in Orkney, and Thora was St Magnus’s mother. Our page on Shetland and Orkney Norse names has the full island story.
On the mainland, the Viking influence on girls’ names is mostly Freya. If you want something with Scottish roots on the Gaelic side instead, our unusual Scottish girl names are the other half of the family.
How to choose a female Viking name
- Decide how common you can live with. Freya is Scotland’s number one. Astrid, Sigrid and Solveig are well used in Norway but still unusual in Britain, which is usually the sweet spot.
- Pick an ending you like the sound of. The -hild names sound strong, the -rid names soft, the -dis names a bit unusual. The meaning comes along for free.
- Check the spelling travels. Liv, Saga, Astrid, Ingrid and Signe need no help. Frøydis, Åshild and Hjørdis will be spelled wrong on every form, so use Freydis or Hjordis, or keep them for the middle.
- Read the saga first. Gudrun and Hallgerd are fantastic characters with brutal stories. Fine if you know what you are signing up for.
- If you cannot settle on one, put the bold name in the middle: Liv Brynhild or Astrid Hervor works on a CV and still says Viking.
Watch out for: Lagertha. The TV shieldmaiden comes from Saxo Grammaticus, a 12th-century Danish writer whose early books are generally considered largely fictional, and her Old Norse name was probably Hlaðgerðr. Thea is a Norwegian favourite too, but it is a short form of Dorothea, not a Viking name.
Quick list: all 104 female Viking names
| Name | Old Norse | Meaning | Say it | Source | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfhild | Álfhildr | elf + battle | ALF-hild | Viking Age | Rare |
| Arnhild | Arnhildr | eagle + battle | ARN-hild | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Ase | Ása | god (short form of Ás- names) | AW-seh | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Ashild | Áshildr | god + battle | AWS-hild | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Aslaug | Áslaug | god + promised, dedicated | AS-lowg | Saga | Everyday |
| Asta | Ásta | god + beautiful | AWS-ta | Saga | Rare |
| Astri | Ástríðr | god + beautiful | AS-tree | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Astrid | Ástríðr | god + beautiful | AS-trid | Viking Age | Popular now |
| Aud | Auðr | wealth | OWD | Saga | Everyday |
| Bergljot | Bergljót | help, rescue + perhaps light | BERG-lyoot | Viking Age | Revived |
| Bjorg | Bjǫrg | help, rescue | BYURG | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Bodil | Bóthildr | remedy + battle | BOH-dil | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Borghild | Borghildr | protection + battle | BORG-hild | Saga | Everyday |
| Brynhild | Brynhildr | mail-shirt + battle | BRIN-hild | Myth | Rare |
| Dagny | Dagný | day + new | DAG-nee | Viking Age | Revived |
| Dagrun | Dagrún | day + secret lore | DAG-roon | Viking Age | Rare |
| Eir | Eir | peace, clemency; or help, mercy | AIR | Myth | Rare |
| Eldrid | Eldríðr | noble + strength (from Old English) | EL-drid | Viking Age | Rare |
| Ellisiv | Elisif | from Russian Elisava (Elizabeth) | EL-ee-siv | Viking Age | Rare |
| Embla | Embla | uncertain; perhaps elm | EM-bla | Myth | Everyday |
| Estrid | Ástríðr | god + beautiful | ES-trid | Viking Age | Rare |
| Freya | Freyja | lady (the goddess) | FRAY-ah | Myth | Popular now |
| Frida | Fríða | beautiful | FREE-da | Viking Age | Popular now |
| Frigg | Frigg | from a root meaning love | FRIG | Myth | Rare |
| Froydis | Freydís | the god Frey + goddess, woman | FROY-dis | Saga | Revived |
| Fulla | Fulla | possibly bountiful | FUL-la | Myth | Rare |
| Gerd | Gerðr | enclosure, protection | GAIRD | Myth | Everyday |
| Gondul | Gǫndul | wand-wielder | GUN-dul | Myth | Rare |
| Gro | Gróa | to grow | GROO | Saga | Everyday |
| Gudbjorg | Guðbjǫrg | god + protection | GOOD-byurg | Viking Age | Rare |
| Gudny | Guðný | god + new | GOOD-nee | Viking Age | Rare |
| Gudrid | Guðríðr | god + beautiful | GOOD-rid | Saga | Rare |
| Gudrun | Guðrún | god + secret lore | GOOD-roon | Saga | Everyday |
| Gunnhild | Gunnhildr | battle + battle | GUN-hild | Saga | Everyday |
| Gunnlaug | Gunnlaug | battle + promised, dedicated | GUN-lowg | Viking Age | Rare |
| Gunvor | Gunnvǫr | battle + careful, defender | GUN-vor | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Gyda | Gyða | god + beautiful | YEE-da | Viking Age | Rare |
| Halldis | Halldís | flat stone + goddess, woman | HAL-dis | Viking Age | Rare |
| Hallfrid | Hallfríðr | flat stone + beautiful | HAL-frid | Viking Age | Rare |
| Hallgerd | Hallgerðr | flat stone + enclosure | HAL-gerd | Saga | Rare |
| Helga | Helga | the holy one | HEL-ga | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Herdis | Herdís | army + goddess, woman | HAIR-dis | Viking Age | Rare |
| Hervor | Hervǫr | army + careful, defender | HAIR-vor | Saga | Rare |
| Hild | Hildr | battle | HILD | Myth | Rare |
| Hildegunn | Hildigunnr | battle + battle | HIL-deh-gun | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Hildur | Hildr | battle | HIL-dur | Viking Age | Rare |
| Hjordis | Hjǫrdís | sword + goddess, woman | YUR-dis | Viking Age | Revived |
| Hrist | Hrist | shaker | HRIST | Myth | Rare |
| Idun | Iðunn | she who renews youth | EE-dun | Myth | Revived |
| Inga | Inga | short form of the Ing- names | ING-ah | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Ingebjorg | Ingibjǫrg | the god Ing + protection | ING-eh-byurg | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Ingeborg | Ingibjǫrg | the god Ing + protection | ING-eh-borg | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Ingerid | Ingiríðr | the god Ing + beautiful | ING-eh-rid | Viking Age | Rare |
| Ingrid | Ingiríðr | the god Ing + beautiful | ING-rid | Viking Age | Popular now |
| Ingunn | Ingunnr | the god Ing + to love | ING-un | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Ingvild | Yngvildr | the god Ing + battle | ING-vil | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Jofrid | Jófríðr | horse + beautiful | YOH-frid | Viking Age | Revived |
| Jorunn | Jórunn | boar (helmet) + to love | YOO-run | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Lagertha | Hlaðgerðr (probably) | no meaning given in the sources | la-GER-ta | Saga | Rare |
| Liv | Hlíf | protection (later read as life) | LEEV | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Mist | Mist | cloud | MIST | Myth | Rare |
| Nanna | Nanna | possibly mother, or the daring one | NAN-na | Myth | Rare |
| Ragna | Ragna | counsel (short Ragn- form) | RAG-na | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Ragnfrid | Ragnfríðr | counsel + beautiful | RAG-n-frid | Viking Age | Revived |
| Ragnhild | Ragnhildr | counsel + battle | RAG-n-hild | Saga | Everyday |
| Randi | Ragnfríðr | counsel + beautiful | RAN-dee | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Rannveig | Rannveig | house or counsel + strength | RAN-vayg | Viking Age | Rare |
| Reginleif | Reginleif | power + truce | RAY-gin-layv | Myth | Rare |
| Revna | Hrefna | raven | REV-na | Viking Age | Rare |
| Runa | Rúna | secret lore | ROO-na | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Saga | Sága | story, history | SAH-ga | Myth | Popular now |
| Signe | Signý | victory + new | SIG-neh | Viking Age | Popular now |
| Signy | Signý | victory + new | SIG-nee | Saga | Rare |
| Sigrid | Sigríðr | victory + beautiful | SIG-rid | Saga | Popular now |
| Sigrun | Sigrún | victory + secret lore | SIG-roon | Myth | Everyday |
| Sigyn | Sigyn | victorious girl-friend | SIG-in | Myth | Rare |
| Siri | Sigríðr | short form of Sigrid | SEE-ree | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Siv | Sif | kinship | SEEV | Myth | Everyday |
| Skadi | Skaði | possibly linked to Scandinavia | SKAH-dee | Myth | Rare |
| Skuld | Skuld | that which shall be; or debt | SKULD | Myth | Rare |
| Snotra | Snotra | the clever one | SNOT-ra | Myth | Rare |
| Solbjorg | Salbjǫrg | house, hall + protection | SOL-byurg | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Solveig | Sǫlveig | house, hall + strength | SOL-vay | Viking Age | Popular now |
| Steinunn | Steinunn | stone + to love | STAY-nun | Viking Age | Rare |
| Sunniva | Sunnifa | sun + gift (from Old English) | SUN-ee-va | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Svanhild | Svanhildr | swan + battle | SVAN-hild | Saga | Everyday |
| Thyra | Þyri | Thor + fight or priestess (disputed) | TEE-ra | Saga | Rare |
| Tone | Þorný | Thor + new | TOH-neh | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Tora | Þóra | short form of Thor- names | TOR-ah | Saga | Everyday |
| Tordis | Þórdís | Thor + goddess, woman | TOR-dis | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Torgerd | Þorgerðr | Thor + enclosure | TOR-gerd | Viking Age | Rare |
| Torhild | Þórhildr | Thor + battle | TOR-hild | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Torny | Þorný | Thor + new | TOR-nee | Viking Age | Rare |
| Torunn | Þórunnr | Thor + to love | TOR-un | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Tove | Tófa | Thor + beautiful | TOH-veh | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Turid | Þuríðr | Thor + beautiful | TOO-rid | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Ulvhild | Ulfhildr | wolf + battle | OOLV-hild | Viking Age | Rare |
| Unn | Unnr | to love | OON | Saga | Everyday |
| Urd | Urðr | fate | OORD | Myth | Rare |
| Valgerd | Valgerðr | the fallen in battle + enclosure | VAL-gerd | Viking Age | Rare |
| Var | Vár | beloved | VAHR | Myth | Rare |
| Vigdis | Vígdís | combat + goddess, woman | VEEG-dis | Viking Age | Everyday |
| Ylva | Ylva | she-wolf | IL-va | Viking Age | Popular now |
| Yrsa | Yrsa | uncertain; latinised as Ursula | IR-sa | Viking Age | Rare |
Female Viking names FAQ
What is a good Viking name for a girl?
Astrid, Sigrid, Ingrid, Freya, Liv, Saga, Solveig and Ylva are the strongest all-rounders: real Viking Age names, easy to spell in English and still given today. For something rarer, try Gudrid, Aud, Hervor or Thyra, each with a saga or runestone story behind it.
What is the most popular female Viking name?
In Scotland it is Freya, the top girls’ name of 2025 with 268 babies, per National Records of Scotland. In Iceland, Guðrún is held by 4,472 women, the second most common female name. In Norway, Frida and Astrid were both in the 2025 top ten for baby girls.
What Viking girl name means warrior or battle?
Any name ending in -hild means battle: Gunnhild (battle plus battle), Brynhild (mail-shirt plus battle), Ragnhild (counsel plus battle) and Hild on its own. Hervor means army plus defender, and Vigdis means combat plus goddess. Gunnhild and Hildegunn are battle twice over.
What are Norse goddess names for girls?
Freya (lady) is the most used, followed by Saga, Idun (she who renews youth), Siv (from Sif, Thor’s wife), Embla (the first woman) and Nanna. Frigg, Skadi and Sigyn are genuine goddess names too, but they are rarely given and harder to carry in English.
How did Viking women’s surnames work?
They did not have surnames. A woman took her father’s name plus -dóttir, daughter, so Erik the Red’s daughter was Freydís Eiríksdóttir. Some also had a byname, like Aud the Deep-Minded. Iceland still uses the same system, with -dóttir surnames on most Icelandic women today.
Final thoughts on female Viking names
If you want the name with the most Viking history per letter, Aud wins. If you want something your child can spell for the rest of her life without a sigh, Astrid or Liv. And if you want a Scottish island link as well, Sigrid and Thora both have Orkney credentials.
The finder above holds all 104, so filter by saga women or goddesses and see what jumps out. For the men of the same sagas, the Viking names guide linked at the top has the boys’ side too.
Sources
- National Records of Scotland, Babies’ First Names 2025
- Statistics Norway, Names (tables 10467 and 10501), 2025
- Statistics Iceland, Female names 1 January 2023 (MAN11111)
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- University of Nottingham, The East Midlands in the Viking Age: Viking Names
- Valkyrie, Wikipedia
- Völsunga saga, Wikipedia
- Aud the Deep-Minded, Wikipedia
- Freydís Eiríksdóttir, Wikipedia
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