Scandinavian Baby Names for Your Hygge Baby
Scandinavia, which includes the Nordic countries Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland, has a treasure trove of truly gorgeous baby names. If you have Scandinavian heritage or simply want to honor an important trip to the region, there are plenty of chic Danish, Norse, Swedish, Finnish and Icelandic baby name options out there for your baby-to-be.
As you may know, hygge is a Danish word that basically describes a feeling of warmth, comfort and home — and coziness. The word itself stems from an Old Norse word hugga, which means "to comfort," and it’s really no surprise that hugga also led to an English word we know very well — hug. So, as you work to develop a safe and snug nursery and plan to cozy down with your newborn babe and hug the heck out of them, scroll through these sweet Scandinavian names to see if one of these monikers stands out.
Scandinavian baby names for girls
Agnes: Agnes is a very popular name with roots in several different Scandinavian languages, including Swedish, Norwegian and Danish.
Aina: This Finnish name means "always."
Aino: This is a Finnish name that stems from Finnish mythology.
Amalie: This Norwegian and Danish name is a version of the Germanic name Amala.
Annika: Here’s a Swedish form of the name Anna.
Astrid: A Scandinavian name that’s become more popular as of late but is still pretty low on the top 1,000 baby name list as of 2017, so it’s pretty unique.
Birgitta: While this Scandinavian name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, there are loads of nicknames you can use instead, such as Britt and Brita.
Christa: This is a shorter version of Christina with a Danish flair.
Dagmar: This is a strong girl name that’s derived from an Old Norse name (Dagmær).
Dagný: This name has ancient Scandinavian roots and is used in Iceland today.
Elín: This is a Scandinavian (and Welsh) form of Helen.
Elína: This is a Finnish and Swedish form of Helen.
Elsa: It’s no surprise Disney used this name for Frozen — it’s a Scandinavian version of the name Elizabeth.
Embla: This gem is from Norse mythology.
Freja: This is the Danish and Swedish version of Freya, who is also from Norse mythology.
Hanna: This is a popular Scandinavian name around the world.
Henna: For a twist, here’s the Finnish (and feminine) form of the name Henry.
Ida: This name came to England from the Normans, who of course were Norsemen who settled in northern France.
Ingrid: This name has Old Norse roots.
Inka: This is a Finnish feminine form of the name Inge.
Kaja: This is a Scandinavian nickname of the popular name Katarina, which comes from the even more popular name Katherine.
Karina: This name has Swedish, Danish and Norwegian roots.
Laila: This is a super-pretty Scandinavian name that has Sami roots (the Sami people are native to northern Norway, Sweden and Finland as well as parts of Russia).
Lise: This is a short form of Elizabeth that can be found in Scandinavian countries.
Lotte: This is another short name — this time it comes from the name Charlotte.
Mæja: An Icelandic name that comes from the name Maria.
Maren: This is the Danish version of the name Marina.
Margrethe: If you’re looking for a Danish or Norwegian version of Margaret, you’re in luck (also, this is the name of the current Queen of Denmark).
Mia: This name comes as a Scandinavian short form of Maria.
Nea: This is a short version of the name Linnea and is found in Sweden and Finland.
Njála: Here’s an Icelandic, feminine form of Njáll, which is related to the name Neil.
Noora: Noora is the Finnish form of Nora.
Rakel: This is the Scandinavian version of the name Rachel.
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Runa: From the Old Norse word that means "secret lore," this name is the feminine version of the name Rune.
Sanne: This name is the Danish version of the name Susanna.
Sigrid: Here’s another super-strong girl name — it has roots in Old Norse.
Siv: Meaning "bride" in Old Norse, this name is also found in Norse mythology as Sif (wife of Thor).
Thora: This name might be related to — you guessed it — Thor.
Tova: This distinct name is Swedish.
Scandinavian baby names for boys
Áki: This name has Old Norse roots and is used in Iceland today.
Agnar: This comes from an Old Norse name with one more letter (Agnarr).
Ari: This is an Old Norse name that means "eagle."
Arvo: A Finnish name, this means "value, worth."
Casper: It’s been long enough since Casper was immediately equated with "The Friendly Ghost." Besides, this is the Scandinavian form of Jasper, and it’s great.
Dag: This name comes from the Old Norse word that means "day."
Einar: An Icelandic name, this means "one warrior."
Espen: A super-cool name that’s both Norwegian and Danish.
Finn: This name has slowly become more popular in the U.S. over the last couple of decades, but it remains a strong Scandinavian name. It refers to the Sami, the native people of this part of the world.
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Gunnar: This is a classic Scandinavian name, which means "warrior."
Halvor: A Norwegian name, this is another version of the name Halvard, which means "rock guardian."
Hinrik: This is the Icelandic version of Henry.
Ismo: This is the Finnish form of Ishmael.
Ivar: Ivan is a cool name, but this is even cooler — it’s the Scandinavian version of the Irish and Scottish name Ivor.
Jørgen: This Scandinavian name is similar to the more familiar name George.
Klaus: This is a short form of the name Nicholas and may enjoy a boost thanks to A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Lars: Here’s the Scandinavian version of Laurence — short, sweet and super-cool.
Magnus: This is a distinctly Scandinavian name. It’s a great name that literally means "great."
Mainio: Meaning "excellent," this name has Finnish roots.
Mikko: This catchy name is the Finnish form of Michael. If that doesn’t work, try Mikkel, which is the Danish form of the same name.
Olaf: Yes, this was the name of Elsa and Anna’s "imaginary" snowman, but it’s still an excellent name and can trace its roots back to an Old Norse name (Áleif).
Otso: If you love bears, this one’s for you — it’s a Finnish name that means "bear."
Ottó: This super-cute name is the Icelandic form of Otto, which is a Scandinavian name on its own as well.
Reijo: Interestingly, this is the Finnish version of the name Gregory.
Rikard: This is the Scandinavian form of Richard and almost sounds like a combination of the names of a certain captain and first officer on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Severin: This is the Scandinavian version of a Latin name (Severinus).
Simo: This is the Finnish version of the familiar name Simon.
Søren: Here’s a great Scandinavian name. The Anglicized version, Soren, is starting to move its way up the baby name popularity chart in the U.S.
Tor: This is the modern Scandinavian version of Þór (also known as Thor).
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Torsten: Here’s another cool Scandinavian name based on Thor — Thorsten means "Thor’s stone."
Vidar: This Scandinavian name has Old Norse roots.
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