100 VIKING NAMES FOR MEN AND WOMEN - HISTORY

There are many Viking names for men and women that history and literature have recorded, of which you will find here some of the most prevalent that have survived to this day. It should be noted that the word Viking itself was used as a proper name in some Germanic languages.

The Vikings were a traveling people from the kingdoms of Sweden, Denmark and Norway located north of Scandinavia. These Norse settlers rose to fame over the years due, in large part, to their forays into England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Russia, even Constantinople, and other parts of Europe.

Image by Lothar Dieterich from Pixabay

It is said that the word Viking comes from the Norse word vika which means 'marine mile', while others claim that it comes from the phrase vik in which means 'inside bay', and refers to landings; or from the word vík which means 'entrance, small bay' and can refer to one who frequently disembarks in a bay.

Interestingly, Viking children were named after a recently dead relative because it was believed that this would acquire the characteristics of the deceased. Here is a list of the main names of boys and girls most frequent among this type of society in northern Europe. You may also be interested in this list of epic names.

Viking names for men

Adalsteinn

Derived from the old Norse elements aðal 'noble' and steinn 'stone'.

Alf

Name of Nordic origin. It means elf.

Alrek

Warrior. Alrek Eriksson was the King of Hordaland and a Viking leader of Norway. He was the son of King Eirík the Eloquent and father of Vikar.

Arne

Name that means eagle in Old Norse.

Arvid

From Old Norse Arnviðr, derived from the elements arn "eagle" and viðr "tree".

Asger

From Old Norse Ásgeirr, derived from the elements áss meaning "god" and geirr meaning "spear."

Ask

From Norse mythology. It means "ash tree." In Norse mythology Ask and his wife Embla were the first human beings created by the gods.

Baggi

Derived from the old Norse that means backpack or backpack.

Balder

From Norse mythology. It means "prince." In Norse mythology Balder was the son of Odin and Frigg.

Bard

The Norwegian form of the Old Norse name Bárðr, derived from the elements baðu "battle" and friðr "peace".

Björn

It means 'bear'. Björn Ironside Ragnarsson was king of Sweden in the 8th century, beginning the well-known Munsö dynasty. He was the first son of Ragnar and Lagertha. One of the best known Vikings and one of the biggest looters in Europe.

Bo

Derived from Old Norse bua which means "to live".

Brandr

From Old Norse, it means "sword" or "fire."

Brynjar

In Old Norse it means "warrior in armor."

Canute (

It means 'knot'. Knut, Knud or Canute, also known as Canute the Great (Knut The Great), was the prince of Denmark who managed to subdue England in the 11th century and managed to become the king of Norway.

Corey

It derives from an Old Norse surname. Its meaning is unknown.

Dag

This name means 'day' in Old Norse. Dag the Wise was a legendary king of Sweden who, according to legend, understood birds and received news from all over the world to communicate to the king.

Dan

In Old Norse it means “the Danish”.

Dustin

It derives from an English surname that has its origin in the Old Norse rsórsteinn or Torsten which means “stone of Thor”.

Ebbe

Diminutive of Eberhard and comes from the Old Norse word "boar"

Einar

From Old Norse, it means "the lone warrior."

Eindride

From Norse Eindriði, possibly from the elements ein "one, alone" and ríða "to mount."

Eirík

This name comes from the term ei which means 'always' and rik which means 'ruler'. Thus, Eirík means 'eternal ruler'. He was a Viking king of Jórvik, although his reign was short (947-948).

Erik

It comes from the Norse name Eiríkr. Better known as Erik the Red, he was one of Norway's most famous Vikings for having colonized Greenland. He was born in 950 and was also known as Erik Thorvaldsson.

Floki

This name means "Viking hero." In addition to the character from 'Vikings', its most famous representative is Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson, the first Scandinavian navigator to visit Iceland.

Halfdan

Its name comes from the terms halfr which means 'half' and danr which means 'Danish'. Halfdan Ragnarsson was a warlord during the Viking Age (time of the incursions into Europe by the Vikings). He was the son of Ragnar Lothbrok.

Hallr

From the Old Norse word hallr which means "rock."

Halstein

From the Norse words Hallsteinn, which is made up of the words hallr "rock" and steinn "stone."

Halvard

Name of Viking origin that means "the guardian of the rock."

Hjalmar

From the Old Norse word Hjálmarr which means "warrior's helmet".

Harald

He is considered the last Viking king. Its name comes from the term har which means 'army' and vald which means 'prince' in Old Norse. From this name derives the surname Haraldsson (son of Harald).

Harbard

The meaning of this name "gray beard", although other scholars indicate that it is another way of calling the god Odin.

Håkon

It means "person of prominent family."

Hemming

From Old Norse Hamr "shape", possibly originally a nickname for a person believed to be shapeshifting.

Herleifr

It is derived from the Old Norse words herr "army" and leifr "son, descendant."

Holger

From Old Norse Hólmgeirr, derived from the elements hólmr "island" and geirr "spear." This was the name of one of Charlemagne's generals, a nobleman from Denmark.

Horik

It refers to two of the most important kings of the 9th century Danish empire.

Howard

It derives from the Norse name Havardr which means shepherd of sheep.

Hrafn

Name that means raven in Old Norse.

Hvitsärk

Very common name in medieval Scandinavian literature. There is a belief that Hvitsärk was a name given by Governor Halfdan Ragnarsson to distinguish himself from others, as his name was quite common at the time.

Inge

He was a Viking god and his name probably means God.

Ivar

It means 'archer' or 'bow warrior'. Ivan Ragnarsson was a Scandinavian warlord with a reputation as a berserker, that is, a warrior who consumed hallucinogens, blind with rage and insensitive to pain. He was one of the sons of Ragnar and Aslaug.

Leif

It comes from the Old Norse term magn which means 'powerful' or 'strong'. Magnus I, also known as The Good, was King of Norway and Denmark.

Njord

From Old Norse Njörðr, possibly derived from the Indo-European root, meaning "strong and vigorous." Njord was the Norse god of the sea, fishing, and fertility. With his children Freyr and Freya he was a member of the Vanir.

Odd

Name that derives from Old Norse and means "the edge of the sword."

Olav

It means 'inheritance or descent from the ancestors'. Olav Haraldsson was the son of King Harald. He excelled at archery and spears.

Oleg

It comes to mean "health." It is one of the most popular names in Scandinavian countries throughout history. Her female variation would be Helga.

Oliver

It is a name that is derived from the Norse name Olaf, it is believed that it was altered to associate it with the Latin word “olive tree”.

Orvar

From Old Norse, it means "arrow".

Porir

It means the "warrior of Thor" from the name of the Norse god Þórr.

Porgist

From Old Norse For "Thor" and gist, "arrow."

Porarinn

From Old Norse, it means "Thor's eagle."

Ragnar

It means 'Warrior of the gods'. Ragnar Lothbrok is one of the best-known historical figures of all the conquests in Europe by the Vikings; he led the pagan army that dominated much of England. Thanks to him the Vikings decided to explore unknown lands.

Ragnvall or Ronald

From Old Norse, composed of the elements region "council, council" and "power, ruler".

Roll

This name begins to appear in Latin writings of the Middle Ages. It derives from the Norse name Hrólfr, which was the contracted form of Hrodwulf ("famous wolf").

Ubbe

It has its origin in the Scandinavian name UlfR, which meant "wolf" or also "unfriendly". It was one of the preferred names among Viking society.

Viking names for women

Image by Daniel Battershell from Pixabay

Adalborj

Derived from the old Norse elements aðal "noble" and björg "help, save, rescue."

Aila

Scandinavian name meaning "holy, blessed."

Alfhild

Name that is composed of the elements alfr "elf" and hildr "battle". In Norse legend Alfhild was a maiden who disguised herself as a warrior to avoid marrying King Alf.

Audhild

Derived from the old Norse elements auðr "wealth, fortune" and hildr "battle"

Handle

From Old Norse. It derives from the word "ass" which means "God".

Asdis

From Old Norse. It derives from the word "god" and "goddess".

Aslaug

It derives from the Old Norse terms áss which means 'god' and laug which means 'promised woman'. Aslaug was Ragnar's second wife, she remained ruling while he was away.

Astrid

Derived from the old Norse elements áss "god" and fríðr "beautiful, beloved."

Brenda

Possibly a feminine form of the Old Norse name Brandr, which means "sword."

Brunhilda

Brunhilda or Brynhildr means warrior. In Norse mythology it was a shield maiden and a Valkyrie. She served Odin under the command of Freyja.

Brynja

Name of Nordic origin that means "love".

Freda

It derives from Freyja which means "lady". This was the name of the goddess of love, beauty, war, and death in Norse mythology.

Freydis

Freyr was the goddess of fertility, a goddess of inferior rank.

Frida

It means beauty and peace. It was a popular name in the Viking era. It comes from the old Norse fríðr which means 'beautiful' or 'loved'.

Gerd or Gerda

It derives from the Old Norse garðr which means "enclosure". In Norse myth Gerd was the goddess of fertility.

Gudrun

From the Norse Guðrún meaning "secret of God", derived from the elements guð "god" and rún "secret". In Norse legend Gudrun was Sigurd's wife.

Gunhilda

It comes from the term hild which means 'war' or 'battle'. It is a name of Norse origin that has variations such as Gunnhild, Gundhild, Gunhild and Gunnhildr.

Gyda

Kind and gentle. She was the daughter of two famous warrior Vikings from her society. As a child she began to learn the warrior customs of the Vikings.

Hilda

It comes from the term hild which means 'war' or 'battle', as a short form of the names that contain this term, such as Brunhilda or Gunhilda. This short form was used as a common name in both Scandinavia and England.

Boil

Warrior She was the daughter of a berserker. She grew up as a slave, dressed as a man so she could fight and take part in Viking raids.

Ingrid

From Old Norse, derived from Ingríðr meaning "Ing is beautiful."

Lagertha

Strong and respected. She is a warrior with a noble and sweet heart. Lagertha is a woman who goes from being a family woman who is in charge of protecting her home and her children to being an important strong and independent warrior among the Vikings.

Liv

It derives from the Old Norse Hlíf which means "protection." Its use has been influenced by the Scandinavian word liv which means "life."

Nanna

Possibly a name derived from Old Norse nanþ which means "daring, brave." In Norse legend she was a goddess who died of grief when her husband Balder was killed.

Ragnheidr

Derived from the Old Norse elements 'council' and heiðr 'brightness'.

Sigrid

From Old Norse. Name derived from the elements sigr "victory" and fríðr "beautiful, fair".

Siggy

Sigrid's diminutive. It is a name that takes center stage in the 'Vikings' series due to its sentimental bond with protagonists such as Earl Haraldson or Rollo.

Siv

She was Thor's wife. It means "bride" in Old Norse.

Solveig

From an old Norse name derived from the elements sol "sun" and veig "strength."

Thornbjörg

Warrior woman. She was the daughter of Eirík and his wife Ingegerd. She was a squire maiden who ruled over part of the Viking kingdom of Sweden.

Torhild

From Old Norse meaning "Thor's fight."

Tyra

From Old Norse Þýri, a variant of the Norse names Porvi and Porveig. It means "strength".

Urd

It means 'destiny' and comes from the term urðr. Urd was one of the three female spirits or goddesses of destiny in Norse mythology. She was responsible for the past.

Valkyrie

It means "The one who chooses the dead." In Norse myth, Valkyries were maidens who carried heroes killed in battle to Valhalla.

Veborg

Warrior She was a Viking warrior maiden. She led an army of 300 shield maidens alongside Viking King Harald Hilditonn and her daughter.

Other names

Randall: From the Old Norse name Randel. It contains the element "ran" which means "of the shield" in Germanic.

Ralph: From the old Norse name Radulf. It means "advisor to the wolves."

Rune: In Old Norse it means "secret wisdom".

Sigmund: From Old Norse sigr "victory" and mundr "protector"). In Norse mythology, this was the name of the father of the hero Sigurd, the wielder of the mighty sword Gram.

Sigurd: From Old Norse Sigurðr, which was derived from the elements sigr "victory" and varðr "guardian".

Sindri: Possibly means "small, trivial" or "sparkling" in Old Norse.

Sixten: From the Old Norse name Sigsteinn, which was derived from the elements sigr "victory" and steinn "stone."

Snorre: Means the undisciplined or rebellious in Old Norse.

Steinar: It means stone of the warrior in Old Norse.

Sten: It means stone in Old Norse.

Storm: It comes from the old Norse word stormr, which means "storm".

Sven: From Old Norse, it means "boy".

Torstein: Means "the stone of the mighty Thor" in Old Norse.

Trygve: Name that comes from the old Norse word that means "the trustworthy one"

Ulf: Old Norse name meaning "wolf."

Valdemar: Name of a King of Denmark that means “the famous one who rules”.

Vidar: From Old Norse Víðarr, possibly derived from víðr "broad" and arr "warrior." In Norse mythology Víðarr was the son of Odin. At the time of the end of the world, Ragnarok, he will avenge his father's death.

Viggo: From the Old Norse word that means "war."

Viking: From Old Norse Víkingr meaning "Viking, raider", and from Vík "bay, entrance".

Yngve: The Viking god Yngve. It derives from the Old Norse Yngvarr, which means warrior.

References

Campbell, M. (1996-2017). Old norseNames. 3-25-2017, retrieved from behindthename.com.
Statistics Norway. (2001). Viking given names. 3-28-2017, retrieved from viking.no.
com. (2011). Viking names. 3-28-2017, retrieved from babynames.net.
(2016). Norse names. 3-28-2017, retrieved from babble.com.
Nordic names Editors. (2017). Nordic names. 3-28-2017, retrieved from nordicnames.
Ward, C. (2014). Old Norse Names. 3-28-2017, retrieved from vikinganswerlady.com-

100 VIKING NAMES FOR MEN AND WOMEN - HISTORY - 2025