Male Viking Names: 102 Norse Boy Names With Meanings

Male Viking names featured illustration: the words Viking Boy Names, Norse names with meanings, beside a large letter M framing a longship on a fjord under the northern lights

Male Viking names are the Old Norse boys’ names of the Viking Age, and the famous ones are Ragnar, Ivar, Bjorn, Leif, Erik, Harald, Olav, Sigurd, Knut and Odin. Most end in a fighting word such as -ar (warrior), -ulf (wolf) or -geir (spear). Sigurður is still the second most common man’s name in Iceland, held by 4,073 men, according to Statistics Iceland.

This guide is part of our Scottish Names collection. See the full Scottish Names directory, our Viking names hub for how the naming system worked, and the matching list of female Viking names.

This is for parents choosing a boy’s name with real Viking roots, and for anyone who wants to know which of the TV Vikings were real people. Each name has its Old Norse spelling, a meaning from Norway’s national encyclopedia, a say-it guide, the famous bearer where there is one, the Scottish form where the name crossed the sea, and real counts from Norway, Iceland and Scotland.

Men’s names dominate the Viking record. The National Museum of Denmark notes that men’s names appear far more often than women’s on runestones and in Viking settlements abroad, because men went on the expeditions. That is good news if you are naming a boy: there is a lot more to choose from.

Two Scots Abroad · Scottish names

Male Viking name finder

102 Viking boys’ names with the Old Norse form, meaning and how to say them. Filter for the famous Vikings, the names that turned Scottish, what each name means, and whether parents still use it.

Sources: Store norske leksikon, Statistics Norway (2025), Statistics Iceland (2023), National Records of Scotland (2025), saga pages on WikipediaAs of October 2026 · twoscotsabroad.com

Which Viking boy names are still used today?

A lot of them, in all three countries. Iceland’s 2023 top ten for men includes Sigurður, Gunnar, Ólafur, Einar and Magnús. Statistics Norway counts tens of thousands of men called Bjørn, Knut and Erik, and Olav, Magnus and Odin all went to more than 190 Norwegian boys in 2025. In Scotland, National Records of Scotland has Finn at 18th with 159 boys and Magnus at 41.

NameMen in Norway, 2025Norwegian baby boys, 2025Men in Iceland, 2023Scottish baby boys, 2025
Bjørn (Björn)33,7771191,715fewer than 3
Knut21,59837outside top 100fewer than 3
Erik (Eiríkur)20,8111116694
Tor19,64322outside top 100fewer than 3
Magnus (Magnús)18,0912522,28741
Olav (Ólafur)14,7242852,743fewer than 3
Harald (Haraldur)12,20460825fewer than 3
Gunnar10,471163,074fewer than 3
Einar9,8271182,390fewer than 3
Sigurd (Sigurður)7,6291454,073fewer than 3
Odin4,187195outside top 10024
Håkon13,574181outside top 100fewer than 3
Ragnar3,743231,256fewer than 3
Ivar (Ívar)7,6365855110
Finn5,65235outside top 100159
Norway: Statistics Norway tables 10501 and 10467. Iceland: Statistics Iceland table MAN11101, 1 January 2023, top 100 only. Scotland: National Records of Scotland, all names given to babies in 2025 (2 or fewer suppressed). Checked October 2026.

The pattern is the same as for girls. Norway and Iceland use these names as everyday names, so a Gunnar or an Einar there is about as remarkable as a James in Glasgow. In Scotland, outside Finn and Magnus, most of them are still rare, which is half their appeal.

How Viking boys’ names were built

A boy’s name was usually a front part plus a masculine end part. The end parts lean heavily towards weapons, wild animals and rulers, and Store norske leksikon gives the meanings below. As Ragnhild Ljosland of the UHI Institute for Northern Studies explains, families often recycled one half of a grandfather’s name, which is why the same blocks keep turning up.

EndingMeaningExamples
-arr, -arwarrior (sometimes spear)Gunnar, Ragnar, Einar, Ivar, Vidar, Steinar
-bjǫrn, -bjørnbearAsbjorn, Torbjorn, Arnbjorn
-ulfr, -olfwolfIngolf, Rolf, Gunnulf
-geirrspearAsgeir, Torgeir, Holger
-valdr, -aldrulerRagnvald, Torvald, Harald, Roald
-mundrprotectorSigmund, Gudmund, Asmund
-steinnstoneTorstein, Eystein, Hallstein
-ketill, -kellhelmet; sacrificial cauldronTorkel, Eskil, Kjetil
-varðrguardianHallvard, Sigurd
-leifrheirLeif, Torleif, Eilif
-finnrSámiTorfinn, Arnfinn
Endings and meanings from Store norske leksikon (Gulbrand Alhaug).

On top of that came the patronymic and, very often, a byname. Keith Ruiter of the University of Aberdeen lists some of the best: Ragnar Hairy-Breeks, Ulf the Squint-Eyed, Eirik Ale-Lover and Eystein Foul-Fart. Nobody chose their own, which is something everyone who has ever been given a nickname at school can sympathise with.

Famous Vikings and their names

Ragnar

Meaning: counsel, decision + warrior. Old Norse: Ragnarr. Say it: RAG-nar. Today: revived since 1800.

Counsel plus warrior. Ragnar Lodbrok, whose byname means hairy breeches, is a saga hero whose stories historians mostly treat as fiction, though his sons Ivar, Halfdan, Bjorn, Ubba and Sigurd were real. Store norske leksikon says the name died out in the late Middle Ages and came back in 1851. Iceland has 1,256 Ragnars.

Ivar

Meaning: yew + warrior (disputed). Old Norse: Ívarr. Say it: EE-var. Today: everyday name in Norway.

Possibly yew plus warrior, though it 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. Nobody knows why he was boneless: a skeletal condition and a scribe’s mistake are both on the table. In Gaelic the name became Ìomhar, giving Scotland Ivor and MacIver.

Bjorn (Bjørn)

Meaning: bear. Old Norse: Bjǫrn. Say it: BYURN. Today: popular with parents now.

Bear. Björn Ironside is one of the sons of Ragnar whom historians accept as a real man, and Bjørn is the most widely held name on this page, with 33,777 men in Norway. Iceland adds 1,715 Björns.

Harald

Meaning: army + ruler. Old Norse: Haraldr. Say it: HA-rald. Today: everyday name in Norway.

Army plus ruler. Two kings made it: Harald Fairhair, who swore not to cut his hair until Norway was his, and Harald Hardrada, whose byname has been translated as hard in counsel, severe or resolute. Hardrada picked up the Orkney earls Paul and Erlend on his way to England and died at Stamford Bridge in 1066. Harold is the English form.

Leif

Meaning: heir, descendant. Old Norse: Leifr. Say it: LAYF. Today: everyday name in Norway.

Heir or descendant. Leif Erikson, Leif the Lucky, son of Erik the Red, reached North America about 500 years before Columbus. Say LAYF, to rhyme with safe.

Knut

Meaning: knot. Old Norse: Knútr. Say it: k-NOOT. Today: everyday name in Norway.

Knot. Cnut the Great was king of England from 1016, of Denmark from 1018 and of Norway from 1028, and his father was Sweyn Forkbeard. English history still calls him Canute. 21,598 Norwegians are called Knut.

Rolf

Meaning: fame + wolf. Old Norse: Hrólfr. Say it: ROLF. Today: everyday name in Norway.

Fame plus wolf. Rollo, first ruler of Normandy, is a Latin form of Hrólfr, and Norwegian and Icelandic tradition identifies him with Walking Hrolf, the man too big for a horse.

Egil

Meaning: respect; or sword edge. Old Norse: Egill. Say it: AY-gil. Today: everyday name in Norway.

Respect, or sword edge. Egil Skallagrimsson was a war poet, berserker and farmer, born around 904, who composed the poem Head-Ransom to save his own neck from Eric Bloodaxe in England. Iceland has 724 Egills.

Gunnar

Meaning: battle + warrior. Old Norse: Gunnarr. Say it: GUN-nar. Today: everyday name in Norway.

Battle plus warrior. Gunnar of Hlidarendi is the formidable hero of Njal’s Saga, the saga often called the peak of the tradition. It is the fourth most common man’s name in Iceland, with 3,074 bearers.

Sigurd

Meaning: victory + guardian. Old Norse: Sigurðr. Say it: SIG-urd. Today: popular with parents now.

Victory plus guardian. The dragon-slayer of the Volsung legend, and Sigurd the Stout, earl of Orkney from 991 to 1014 according to the list of Orkney earls. Sigurður is Iceland’s second most common man’s name, and 145 Norwegian boys got Sigurd in 2025.

Ingolf

Meaning: the god Ing + wolf. Old Norse: Ingolfr. Say it: ING-olf. Today: rare or saga name.

The god Ing plus wolf. Ingolf Arnarson is commonly recognised as Iceland’s first Norse settler, who built his farm at Reykjavík in 874.

Olav

Meaning: ancestor + heir. Old Norse: Óláfr. Say it: OH-lav. Today: popular with parents now.

Ancestor plus heir. The name of Norway’s saint-king Olaf, son of Åsta, and 285 Norwegian boys got Olav in 2025. In Gaelic it became Amhlaibh, giving Scotland Aulay and the MacAulay surname.

Viking names that became Scottish

Here is where Scotland comes in. The Norse-Gaels of the Hebrides took Norse names into Gaelic, and they came back out as some of the most Scottish-sounding names there are.

Scottish nameGaelic formOld NorseMeaning
MagnusMagnúsgreat (Latin, via Charlemagne)
ErlendErlendrforeigner
Ronald, RanaldRaghnallRǫgnvaldrcounsel + ruler
Somerled, SorleySomhairleSumarliðisummer traveller or summer warrior
TorquilTorcallÞorkellThor + sacrificial cauldron
NormanTormodÞormóðrThor + courage
AulayAmhlaibhÓláfrancestor + heir
IvorÌomharÍvarryew + warrior (disputed)
Gaelic forms from Wikipedia’s Norse-Gaels, Sorley and Torquil pages; meanings from Store norske leksikon and Wikipedia. Magnus and Erlend came via Orkney rather than Gaelic.

Somerled, King of the Isles, killed at Renfrew in 1164, was of mixed Norse and Gaelic ancestry, and his name, Sumarliði, is read as summer traveller or summer warrior, a byname for raiders who sailed in the summer. Ronald is derived from Rögnvaldr, sometimes through Gaelic Raghnall, and Torquil is the Gaelic Torcall, borne by MacLeod chiefs of Lewis. Magnus and Erlend came the other way, through the Orkney earls: Erlend Thorfinnsson’s son was St Magnus. See the Scottish R names for Ronald and Ranald, and our Shetland and Orkney names for the island story.

Good to know: Magnus Barefoot, king of Norway, raided the Hebrides in 1098 and got his byname because he wore the Gaelic dress of the Irish and Scots, a short tunic that left his legs bare. The Up Helly Aa guizer jarls in Lerwick keep these names marching: the jarl rode as Eystein Magnusson in 2025 and as Knut the Great in 2026.

More male Viking names worth a look

Einar

Meaning: alone, unique + warrior. Old Norse: Einarr. Say it: AY-nar. Today: popular with parents now.

Alone plus warrior, one of the few Norse names that makes sense as a whole: an outstanding warrior. Torf-Einar founded the dynasty of Orkney earls. Iceland’s seventh most common man’s name, and 118 Norwegian boys got it in 2025.

Torkel (Torquil)

Meaning: Thor + helmet or cauldron. Old Norse: Þorkell. Say it: TOR-kel. Today: rare or saga name.

Thor plus helmet or sacrificial cauldron. In Gaelic it became Torcall, then Torquil. If you want Torquil on a birth certificate, the Scottish T names have the Scottish side.

Ketil (Kjetil)

Meaning: helmet; sacrificial cauldron. Old Norse: Ketill. Say it: CHEH-til. Today: everyday name in Norway.

Helmet or sacrificial cauldron, from Latin catillus, a pot. Ketil Flatnose was a 9th-century king in the Hebrides in the sagas and the father of Aud the Deep-Minded. Kjetil is the modern Norwegian spelling.

Halfdan

Meaning: half Danish. Old Norse: Hálfdanr. Say it: HALF-dan. Today: rare or saga name.

Half Danish, literally a byname. Halfdan Ragnarsson was one of the leaders of the Great Heathen Army. Halvdan is the Norwegian spelling.

Snorre

Meaning: the quick one, or the reckless one. Old Norse: Snorri. Say it: SNOR-eh. Today: everyday name in Norway.

The quick one, or the reckless one, a byname from the verb snurre. Snorri Sturluson, the 13th-century Icelander who wrote Heimskringla, is the famous bearer, and Iceland still has 586 Snorris.

Odin

Meaning: probably wild, furious. Old Norse: Óðinn. Say it: OH-din. Today: popular with parents now.

Probably from a word meaning wild or furious. As a baby name it is now mainstream: 195 Norwegian and 24 Scottish boys got Odin in 2025. Ask, the first man in Norse myth, is the quieter alternative.

Sverre

Meaning: the restless one. Old Norse: Sverrir. Say it: SVER-reh. Today: popular with parents now.

The restless one, a byname that became a name. Revived in 1817 and now properly popular in Norway: 188 boys in 2025.

Ulf

Meaning: wolf. Old Norse: Ulfr. Say it: OOLF. Today: everyday name in Norway.

Wolf, plain and simple. The National Museum of Denmark notes that wolf, bear and serpent names celebrated the great enemies of the gods. Ulv is the spelling that looks most like the animal.

How to choose a male Viking name

  1. Start with the Scottish crossovers if family matters. Magnus, Erlend, Ronald, Torquil, Sorley and Ivor all have Norse roots and centuries of Scottish use.
  2. Check the spelling in English. Erik, Leif, Ivar, Einar, Gunnar and Harald work as written. Bjørn and Håkon need Bjorn and Hakon on a British form.
  3. Look at the numbers. Finn and Magnus are well used in Scotland. Sigurd, Einar, Sverre and Brage are common in Norway but rare in Britain.
  4. Know the story behind the famous ones. Ivar the Boneless and Eric Bloodaxe were not gentle men. That is fine, just be ready for the question.
  5. Use the middle name for the big ones. Ragnar, Odin and Thorfinn can sit in the middle and still do the job.

Watch out for: Bjorn Ironside, Ivar and Ubba are real, but much of what TV shows about their father Ragnar comes from later sagas that historians treat as fiction. And Magnus, the most Viking-feeling name in Scotland, is actually Latin.

Quick list: all 102 male Viking names

NameOld NorseMeaningSay itScottish formToday
AageÁkilittle father, ancestorOH-gehEveryday
AgnarAgnarrsword edge + warriorAG-narRare
AlfÁlfrelf; or noble + wolfALFEveryday
ArnbjornArnbjǫrneagle + bearARN-byurnRare
ArneArnieagleAR-nehEveryday
ArnfinnArnfinnreagle + SámiARN-finEveryday
AsbjornÁsbjǫrngod + bearAS-byurnEveryday
AsgeirÁsgeirrgod + spearAS-gayrEveryday
AskAskrash treeASKEveryday
AslakÁslákrgod + combatAS-lahkEveryday
AsmundÁsmundrgod + protectorAWS-mundEveryday
AudunAuðunwealth + friendOW-dunEveryday
BalderBaldruncertain; perhaps lord, princeBAL-derRare
BardBárðrbattle + peaceBORDEveryday
BirgerBirgirhelperBEER-gerEveryday
BjarneBjarnibearBYAR-nehEveryday
BjornBjǫrnbearBYURNPopular now
BoBúithe resident, one who lives on the farmBOOEveryday
BrageBragithe foremost; or poetryBRAH-gehPopular now
DagDagrdayDAHGEveryday
EgilEgillrespect; or sword edgeAY-gilEveryday
EilifEilífralone, unique + heirAY-leefRare
EinarEinarralone, unique + warriorAY-narPopular now
ErikEiríkralone, unique + mighty, rulerAIR-ikPopular now
ErlendErlendrforeignerER-lendEveryday
ErlingErlingrperhaps earl’s sonER-lingEveryday
EskilÁskellgod + helmet or cauldronES-kilMacAskill (surname)Everyday
EysteinEysteinnperhaps luck + stoneAY-staynEveryday
EyvindEyvindrperhaps luck + victorAY-vinEveryday
FinnFinnra Sámi personFINPopular now
FrodeFróðiwise, cleverFROH-dehEveryday
GauteGautiman from GötalandGOW-tehEveryday
GeirGeirrspearGAYREveryday
GisleGíslishoot of a plant, or an arrow (uncertain)YEES-lehEveryday
GormGormr (from Guðþormr)god + honourGORMRare
GudbrandGuðbrandrgod + swordGOOD-brandRare
GudmundGuðmundrgod + protectorGOOD-mundRare
GunnarGunnarrbattle + warriorGUN-narEveryday
GunnulfGunnulfrbattle + wolfGUN-ulfRare
GuttormGuðþormrgod + honourGUT-ormRare
HakonHákonhigh + kin or son (disputed)HAW-konPopular now
HalfdanHálfdanrhalf DanishHALF-danRare
HalldorHallþórrflat stone + the god ThorHAL-dorRare
HallfredHallfreðrflat stone + peaceHAL-fredRevived
HallsteinHallsteinnflat stone + stoneHAL-staynRare
HallvardHallvarðrflat stone + guardianHAL-vardEveryday
HaraldHaraldrarmy + rulerHA-raldHaroldEveryday
HaukHaukrhawkHOWKRare
HelgeHelgithe holy oneHEL-gehEveryday
HjalmarHjalmarrhelmet + warrior or famousYAL-marRare
IngeIngithe god Ing (Yngvi)ING-ehEveryday
IngolfIngolfrthe god Ing + wolfING-olfRare
IngvarYngvarrthe god Ing + warriorING-varEveryday
IvarÍvarryew + warrior (disputed)EE-varIvorEveryday
KareKáricurly-hairedKOR-ehEveryday
KjetilKetillhelmet; sacrificial cauldronCHEH-tilEveryday
KnutKnútrknotk-NOOTEveryday
KolbeinKolbeinncoal-black + legKOL-baynRare
LeifLeifrheir, descendantLAYFEveryday
MagnusMagnúsgreat (Latin)MAG-nusPopular now
NjalNjállfrom Irish Niall, championNYAHLRare
OddOddrpoint; spearODEveryday
OdinÓðinnprobably wild, furiousOH-dinPopular now
OlavÓláfrancestor + heirOH-lavAulayPopular now
OrmOrmrserpentORMRare
OttarÓttarrfear (dread) + warrior or spearOT-tarCotter (Irish surname)Everyday
RagnarRagnarrcounsel, decision + warriorRAG-narRevived
RagnvaldRǫgnvaldrcounsel + rulerRAG-n-valdRonald, RanaldRare
RavnHrafnravenRAWNRare
RoaldHróaldrfame + rulerROO-alEveryday
RoarHróarrfame + spearROO-arEveryday
RolfHrólfrfame + wolfROLFEveryday
RuneRúnisecret loreROO-nehRevived
SigmundSigmundrvictory + protectorSIG-mundEveryday
SigurdSigurðrvictory + guardianSIG-urdPopular now
SigvaldSigvaldrvictory + rulerSIG-valdRare
SindreSindrito sparkleSIN-drehEveryday
SnorreSnorrithe quick one, or the reckless oneSNOR-ehEveryday
SteinarSteinarrstone + warrior or spearSTAY-narEveryday
StigStígrwandererSTEEGEveryday
SumarlidiSumarliðisummer traveller or summer warriorSOO-mar-lid-eeSomerled, SorleyRare
SveinSveinnyoung manSVAYNSweynEveryday
SverreSverrirthe restless oneSVER-rehPopular now
TokeTókiThor + helmetTOH-kehRare
TorÞórrthe god Thor (thunder)TOREveryday
TorbjornÞorbjǫrnThor + bearTOR-byurnEveryday
ToreÞórirfrom the god ThorTOR-ehEveryday
TorfinnÞorfinnrThor + SámiTOR-finThorfinnRare
TorgeirÞorgeirrThor + spearTOR-gayrEveryday
TorgrimÞorgrímrThor + mask, helmetTOR-grimRare
TorkelÞorkellThor + helmet or cauldronTOR-kelTorquilRare
TorleifÞorleifrThor + heirTOR-layvRare
TormodÞormóðrThor + courageTOR-modNormanEveryday
TorsteinÞorsteinnThor + stoneTOR-staynEveryday
TorvaldÞorvaldrThor + rulerTOR-valdRare
TroelsÞorgíslThor’s arrowTROLSRare
TrondÞróndrman from TrøndelagTRONDEveryday
TrygveTryggvitrusty, safeTRIG-vehRevived
UlfUlfrwolfOOLFEveryday
VegardVégarðrholy place + enclosureVAY-gardRevived
VidarVíðarrwide + warriorVEE-darRevived
VigleikVígleikrcombat + play (both mean fight)VEEG-laykRare
“Popular now” means 100 or more Norwegian or 20 or more Scottish baby boys in 2025; “everyday” means at least 1,000 men in Norway; “revived” means brought back since 1800 (Store norske leksikon dates); “rare” covers the rest. Checked October 2026.

Male Viking names FAQ

What is a strong Viking name for a boy?

Gunnar (battle plus warrior), Einar (outstanding warrior), Ivar, Bjorn (bear), Ulf (wolf), Harald (army plus ruler) and Sigurd (victory plus guardian) are the strong classics. All are genuine Old Norse names, all are easy to say in English, and all are still given in Norway or Iceland today.

What was the most common Viking name for men?

No full count survives, but today the most widely held of these names in Norway is Bjørn, with 33,777 men. In Iceland, Sigurður (4,073), Guðmundur, Gunnar, Ólafur, Einar and Magnús are all in the top ten, which gives a fair idea of which names lasted.

What are Scottish names with Viking roots?

Magnus and Erlend came through Orkney; Ronald and Ranald from Rögnvaldr; Somerled and Sorley from Sumarliði; Torquil from Þorkell; Norman, in its Highland use, from Þormóðr; Aulay from Óláfr; and Ivor from Ívarr. Surnames such as MacAulay, MacIver and MacLeod come from Norse names too.

Was Ragnar Lodbrok real?

Opinion is divided. Most of the stories about Ragnar Lodbrok are treated as fiction by modern historians, although some accept parts of his story. Several men called his sons, including Ivar the Boneless, Halfdan and Bjorn Ironside, are accepted as real historical figures.

How do you say Viking names?

Stress the first syllable almost every time: GUN-nar, AY-nar, SIG-urd. J is said like an English y, so Bjorn is BYURN. Leif rhymes with safe, and the g in Solveig is silent. Each name in the finder above has a simple say-it guide.

Final thoughts on male Viking names

If you want a name that is unmistakably Viking but will not need spelling, Erik, Leif or Einar is the call. If the Scottish link matters most, Magnus has the history and Torquil has the swagger.

For something less obvious, filter the finder by meaning and look at the wolf and bear names. And if you are naming a whole family, the girls’ list linked at the top has names built from the same blocks, so a Sigurd can have a sister called Sigrid. For more Scottish ideas, our rare Scottish boy names cover the Gaelic side.

Sources