The Most Popular Viking Names to Inspire Your Search

Updated: February 19, 2021
Looking for a Viking-inspired name? The names in this list are inspired by the Viking culture, but modern enough for your little warrior.
most popular viking names for babies

If you want to give your fearless little explorer a Viking name, take a look through our list of names inspired by these Norse conquerors.

Vikings were the seafaring Norse people of Scandinavia. They hailed from what is now Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The Vikings developed an infamous reputation for raiding and pirating throughout Europe and Asia, but they weren't monsters. On the contrary, they had a rich culture including sophisticated survival tactics and fascinating tales of Norse Mythology.

More: 25 Hygge Names Perfect for a Winter Baby

Vikings hailed from the bitter cold Scandinavian North and they went out searching for new and better places to live. That they succeeded in, settling in English, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Iceland, Greenland, and even North America. The period of Viking expansion, from the late 8th to the late 11th Century, is known as the Viking Age.

Thanks to Hollywood, AncestryDNA results, and exciting research findings, more and more people are proudly claiming their Viking heritage. Many people with Irish or Germanic heritage are discovering that they also have Nordic or Finnish DNA, likely tying them to a Viking ancestor long ago.

To honor their ancient Viking heritage, many expectant parents are choosing original Viking names or Norse names for their children. Our favorites for boys include Leif, Rune, Bjorn, and when it comes to girls we love Freya, Helga, and Randi.

If you're on a langskip voyage to find a name for your babe, this article not only unearths Viking naming traditions, but it also uncovers 100 of the most popular Viking names to inspire your search.

Viking Naming Traditions

Vikings followed a few common traditions for name-giving.

  • After a Relative - Vikings revered their Scandinavian ancestors, so calling their child after one was believed to pass on the deceased one’s luck and success to him or her.
  • After a God – Vikings glorified their Norse gods in many ways, including naming their child after them. Many times, they would take elements of a Norse god’s name and create a name for themselves. For example, Thor was commonly turned into Thorald or Thorgest.
  • After a Sibling – Parents would often use the first letter of the oldest sibling for the rest of each child’s name. This is a common tradition with even modern families who have children all with the same first letter. Scandinavian parents would also use the first element of a name for all of their children, such as Astrid, Aren, Åse, Astrid, etc.

Viking Names for Girls

  1. Áma - Ancient Scandinavian, Greenlandic, means "eagle"; Norse Mythology, a giantess
  2. Åse - Norwegian, Swedish, means, "god"
  3. Astra – Norwegian, Swedish, means, "as beautiful as a god"
  4. Astrid – Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "beautiful goddess, divine strength"
  5. Borghild - Norwegian, means “battle fortification”; Norse Mythology, wife of Sigmund
  6. Brynhild - Norse Mythology, a maiden who was rescued by a man pretending to be her husband
  7. Eir - Icelandic, Norwegian, means "mercy"; Norse Mythology, goddess of healing and medicine.
  8. Elli - Norse Mythology, old age personified
  9. Embla - Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "uncertain"; Norse Mythology, one of the first two humans
  10. Erica – Swedish, means "mighty ruler"
  11. Frea - Norse Mythology, Norse goddess of love, beauty, war, and death
  12. Freja - Danish, Swedish, means "lady"; Norse Mythology, goddess of love, beauty, war, and death
  13. Freya – Norse Mythology, Norse goddess of love, beauty, war, and death
  14. Frigg - Norse Mythology, Norse goddess of the earth, air and fertility
  15. Gerd - Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "enclosure"; Norse Mythology, fertility goddess, frost giantess
  16. Grid - Norse Mythology, frost giantess and mother of Víðarr by Odin
  17. Heidrun - Norse Mythology, a goat that would eat the leaves from the tree of life and produce mead in her udder.
  18. Helga - Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic, German, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian
  19. Hilda - Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "battle"
  20. Hilde – German, Dutch, Norwegian, means "battle"
  21. Hildr - Norse Mythology, a valkyrie
  22. Hlife - Ancient Scandinavian, Icelandic, means "protection"
  23. Hrefna - Ancient Scandinavian, means "raven"
  24. Hulda - Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, means “hiding, secrecy”; Norse Mythology, a sorceress
  25. Idunn - Norse Mythology, goddess of spring and immortality
  26. Kara - Norse Mythology, a valkyrie
  27. Liv – Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "protection"
  28. Liva - Danish, means "protection"
  29. Live - Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "protection"
  30. Nanna - Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, means “daring, brave”; Norse Mythology, goddess who died of grief when her husband Balder was killed
  31. Ragnfríðr - Ancient Scandinavian, means "beautiful advice"
  32. Randi - Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "beautiful advice"
  33. Revna – Faroese, means "raven"
  34. Roar - Norwegian, means "warrior"
  35. Rúna – Ancient Scandinavian, Icelandic, Faroese, means "secret lore"
  36. Saga – Swedish, Icelandic, means "seeing one"; Norse Mythology, goddess of poetry and history
  37. Sigrid – Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, means "beautiful victory"
  38. Sif - Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "bride"; Norse Mythology, wife of Thor.
  39. Siv - Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "bride"; Norse Mythology, wife of Thor.
  40. Skadi - Norse Mythology, mountain giantess associated with the winter and skiing
  41. Skuld - Norse Mythology, Norn of the future, one of three goddesses of destiny
  42. Solveig – Norwegian, Swedish, means "strength of the sun"
  43. Svanhild - Norse Mythology, daughter of Sigurd and Gudrun
  44. Urd - Norse Mythology, Norn of the past, one of three goddesses of destiny
  45. Verdandi - Norse Mythology, Norn of the present, one of three goddesses of destiny

Viking Names for Boys

  1. Aesir – Norse Mythology, a Norse god
  2. Alf - Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means, "elf"; Norse Mythology, Alf was a king who pursued a reluctant maiden who later changed her mind
  3. Alvis - Norse Mythology, a dwarf who was to marry Thor's daughter Thrud.
  4. Aren - Danish, means "eagle"
  5. Arne - Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "eagle"
  6. Aric – Swedish, Old Norse, means "eternal ruler"
  7. Asbjorne - Norwegian, Danish, means "bear"
  8. Arkyn – Old Norse, means "eternal king’s son"
  9. Bjarke - Danish, means "bear"
  10. Bjarne - Ancient Scandinavian, Faroese, means "bear"
  11. Bjoern - Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "bear"
  12. Björn - Swedish, Icelandic, German, means "bear"
  13. Bragi - Icelandic, means “first”; Norse Mythology, Norse god of poetry
  14. Ebbe - Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, means "wild boar"
  15. Erik - Scandinavian, means "eternal ruler"
  16. Erling – Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "heir of the clan, chief"
  17. Espen - Danish, Norwegian, means "bear"
  18. Espen - Danish, Norwegian, means "bear"
  19. Fenrir - Norse Mythology, a giant, monstrous wolf - Loki's son by the evil giantess Angrboða - who was destined to kill the god Odin at the final battle of Ragnarök
  20. Frey - Norse Mythology, Norse god of fertility, sunlight, and rain
  21. Freyre – Norse Mythology, Norse god of fertility, sunlight, and rain
  22. Frode – Danish, Norwegian, means "learned, wise"
  23. Gandalf - Old Norse, means "wand elf"
  24. Gisli – Icelandic, Faroese, Ancient Scandinavian, means "pledge"
  25. Gunnar – Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, means "he who stands alone"; Norse Mythology, husband of Brynhildr, a maiden rescued by another man who pretended to be Gunnar
  26. Harald – Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, means "lord and ruler"
  27. Helge - Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, means "holy, blessed"
  28. Herleif – Norwegian, means "warrior descendant"
  29. Hrafen - Ancient Scandinavian, means "raven"
  30. Ivar – Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "bow warrior, archer"
  31. Leif – Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "descendant, heir"
  32. Loki – Norse Mythology, the trickster god
  33. Magnus – Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "great, mighty"
  34. Njord - Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means “strong, vigorous”
  35. Odin – Norse Mythology, the highest of the Norse gods, presiding over art, war, wisdom and death
  36. Olaf - Norwegian, Danish, means "ancestor's descendent"
  37. Ragnar – Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, means "army rule"
  38. Rune - Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, means "secret lore"
  39. Sindri - Ancient Scandinavian, Icelandic, means “sparkling”; Norse Mythology, dwarf who made magical items for the gods
  40. Tor - Norse Mythology, Norse god of strength, thunder, war and storms, son of Odin
  41. Thor – Norse Mythology, Norse god of strength, thunder, war and storms, son of Odin
  42. Tyr - Norse Mythology, god of war and justice
  43. Ulf – Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "wolf"
  44. Ulrik – Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, means "noble ruler"
  45. Vidar – Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means "warrior"; Norse Mythology, son of Odin and Grid
  46. Volund - Old Norse, means “skillful, artful”

Gender-Neutral Viking Names

  1. Alex - Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, means "defender"
  2. Audor - Ancient Scandinavian, means "wealth"
  3. Hanne - Danish, Norwegian, means "Yaweh is gracious"
  4. Henny - Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, means "home ruler"
  5. Inge – Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, means "ancestor"
  6. Jo - English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, means "Yaweh is gracious"
  7. Mille - Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, means "rival"
  8. Selby – English, means "willow farm"
  9. Storm - Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, means "storm"