Scandinavian Boy Names
134 scandinavian boy names with meanings, U.S. popularity, and audio pronunciation on every page.
Looking for girl names instead? Scandinavian Girl Names →
A good Scandinavian boy name does not announce itself. It just stands there, short and squared-off, and lets you come to it. These names cross Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland, so treating them as one national list would be wrong — but the family resemblance in Scandinavian boy names is unmistakable the moment you read a few in a row. Axel is the one most American parents find first, sharp on that x and impossible to make sound soft. Magnus came north from the Latin word for great and was carried by a long line of Norwegian and Swedish kings. Soren is the Danish classic, thoughtful and unhurried. Bo, at two letters, is the most economical name on this entire site.
Beneath the headliners sits a deep bench of everyday northern names that have never really needed a trend to justify them. Anders and Johan are the Scandinavian forms of Andrew and John, familiar in shape but not in spelling. Henrik gives you Henry with a colder, cleaner finish. Emil is beloved across Sweden and Denmark and reads as gentle without reading as fragile, while Mikael, Matias and Mattias do the same trick for Michael and Matthias. Then come the surname-style picks that fit right into current American taste: Jensen began as a Danish family name, Dane points straight at Denmark, and Karson, Kasen and Colsen bring the same crisp ending.
Every name below opens to its full page — a sourced meaning, its U.S. popularity, and a clear audio pronunciation so you can hear it before you fall for it.
Scandinavian Boy Names
Axel#79 in the U.S.Father of peace; Scandinavian form of Absalom from Hebrew Avshalom▶Matias#170 in the U.S.Gift of God — Spanish and Scandinavian form of Matthias, from Hebrew Mattityahu (gift of Yahweh▶Jensen#282 in the U.S.Son of Jens; Jens being the Danish form of John (God is gracious)▶Bo#449 in the U.S.From Old Norse 'búa' meaning to live or dwell, used as a short form in Scandinavian naming; als▶Karson#453 in the U.S.Variant spelling of Carson, an English and Scandinavian surname meaning 'son of Carr,' where Ca▶Soren#464 in the U.S.Scandinavian form of the Latin name Severinus, from 'severus' meaning strict or stern; also con▶Kasen#484 in the U.S.Modern American name, possibly a variant of Cason/Kason (English, from the Carson family meanin▶Colsen#566 in the U.S.Son of Col or Cole; a modern English surname-style name blending Cole with the Scandinavian suf▶Johan#572 in the U.S.God is gracious; the Scandinavian and Dutch form of John, derived from the Hebrew Yochanan mean▶Magnus#765 in the U.S.Great or mighty; from the Latin magnus meaning great or large, adopted into Old Norse as a give▶Dane#821 in the U.S.From the Old English Dene or the demonym Dane, referring to a person from Denmark; used as a gi▶Henrik#917 in the U.S.Home ruler; from Germanic Heimirich (heim: home + ric: ruler, power), the Scandinavian form of ▶Anders#984 in the U.S.Scandinavian form of Andrew, from Greek Andreas, derived from aner (genitive andros) meaning ma▶Mikael#1132 in the U.S.Who is like God? — Scandinavian and Finnish form of Michael, from Hebrew mi-ka-el (who is like ▶Mattias#1144 in the U.S.Gift of God; Scandinavian form of Matthias, from Hebrew Mattityahu (gift of Yahweh)▶Emil#1248 in the U.S.Rival, eager to excel, industrious▶Kolsen#1269 in the U.S.Son of coal; modern compound▶Hans#1324 in the U.S.God is gracious, God is good▶Jenson#1348 in the U.S.Son of Jens; son of John▶Iverson#1352 in the U.S.Son of Ivar; son of the archer▶Aksel#1429 in the U.S.Father of peace, my father is peace▶Stellan#1441 in the U.S.Star, stellar, of the stars▶Karl#1688 in the U.S.German/Scandinavian form of Charles, from Germanic 'karl' meaning 'free man, common man'.▶Lars#2244 in the U.S.crowned with laurel▶Olsen#2245 in the U.S.son of Ole, son of the ancestor▶Jonatan#2347 in the U.S.God has given; Yahweh's gift; Scandinavian form of Jonathan, from Hebrew Yonatan (Yahweh + nata▶Kallan#2379 in the U.S.Powerful; brook; from Irish Gaelic Caoilfhinn (caol: slender + fionn: fair/white) or Scandinavi▶Bodee#2419 in the U.S.Body; island; a spelling variant of Bode/Bodi, from Old Norse bo (island settlement) or a short▶Larson#2453 in the U.S.Son of Lars; from Scandinavian Larsson/Larsen (son of Lars, the Scandinavian form of Laurence f▶Hilding#2994 in the U.S.Hilding is a Scandinavian name from the Old Norse hildr, battle, the same warlike element found▶Ordean#3216 in the U.S.Ordean reads as a Scandinavian-American coinage of the sort that clustered among Norwegian and ▶Einar#3226 in the U.S.One warrior, lone fighter; from Old Norse einn, 'one, alone', and herr, 'army, warrior' — relat▶Arik#3266 in the U.S.Israeli pet form of Ariel, 'lion of God'▶Brandt#3269 in the U.S.From a German and Scandinavian surname rooted in Old Norse brandr — 'fire, firebrand', and by p▶Olson#3307 in the U.S.Scandinavian patronymic surname, 'son of Ole' — Ole descending from Olaf, 'ancestor's descendan▶Erickson#3338 in the U.S.Son of Erick — Erik being Old Norse for 'eternal ruler' or 'ever powerful'▶Hilmar#3516 in the U.S.Hilmar comes from the Germanic elements hild, 'battle,' or helm, 'helmet, protection,' joined w▶Oley#3519 in the U.S.Oley is a variant of Ole, the Norwegian and Danish short form of Olaf, from the Old Norse 'Anle▶Espen#3710 in the U.S.Norwegian form of Asbjørn — Old Norse ass, 'god', plus bjǫrn, 'bear' — 'god bear, bear of the A▶Walfred#3763 in the U.S.Walfred is a Germanic name combining wald, 'rule, power,' with frid, 'peace,' giving a sense of▶Juel#3831 in the U.S.Spelling of Jewel — the precious-stone word — also a Danish surname (Juel) and Joel echo; route▶Oland#3861 in the U.S.Oland is best read as a clipped or variant form of Roland, from the Germanic hrod, 'fame,' plus▶Verland#3919 in the U.S.Verland is a rare given name built on the '-land' ending, likely joining a Ver- or Verl- elemen▶Axyl#3983 in the U.S.Y-spelling of Axel — Scandinavian form of Absalom, Hebrew 'father of peace'▶Bodin#3985 in the U.S.Linked to Norse/Germanic roots ('shelter; messenger') or an elaboration of Bodhi ('awakening');▶Hjalmer#4009 in the U.S.Hjalmer is a variant of the Scandinavian Hjalmar, built from Old Norse hjalmr, 'helmet,' and he▶Bodey#4073 in the U.S.-ey spelling of Bodie — linked to Norse/Germanic roots for 'messenger, herald'; also a Boden sh▶Isak#4109 in the U.S.Scandinavian form of Isaac — Hebrew Yitzhak, 'he will laugh'▶Selmer#4122 in the U.S.Selmer is a Scandinavian masculine name related to Selma and, more distantly, to Anselm ('god-h▶Sander#4154 in the U.S.Short form of Alexander — Greek 'defender of the people' — popular in Scandinavia and the Low C▶Tage#4161 in the U.S.From Danish/Swedish Tage — likely from Old Norse Taki, 'to take, receive', or linked to 'day'; ▶Dana#4206 in the U.S.From an English surname, 'a Dane, from Denmark'; also linked to Hebrew Daniel ('God is my judge▶Obert#4374 in the U.S.Obert is generally traced to the old Germanic name Osbert, from os, 'god', and beorht, 'bright'▶Andersen#4424 in the U.S.From the Scandinavian surname Andersen — 'son of Anders (Andrew)', from Greek andreios, 'manly,▶Jens#4472 in the U.S.Scandinavian form of John — from Hebrew Yochanan, 'God is gracious'▶Olan#4652 in the U.S.From Irish Olan (an early saint) and/or the Norse Olin/Olaf, 'ancestor's descendant'; routes la▶Janson#4758 in the U.S.From the surname Janson/Jansen — 'son of Jan' (the Dutch/Scandinavian John, 'God is gracious')▶Rickard#4758 in the U.S.Rickard is a Scandinavian and English dialect form of Richard, from Germanic 'ric' (ruler, powe▶Jensyn#4946 in the U.S.-yn spelling of Jensen — 'son of Jens' (the Danish John, 'God is gracious'); here for boys▶Nils#4979 in the U.S.Scandinavian short form of Nicholas/Nikolas — from Greek, 'victory of the people'▶Frederik#5102 in the U.S.Scandinavian/Danish form of Frederick — from Germanic frid, 'peace', plus ric, 'ruler' — 'peace▶Jesper#5124 in the U.S.Scandinavian/Danish form of Jasper/Casper — from Persian, 'treasurer; bringer of treasure' (one▶Ole#5178 in the U.S.Scandinavian form of Olaf/Olav — from Old Norse Anleifr, 'ancestor's descendant; heir, relic'▶Erland#5200 in the U.S.Erland comes from the Old Norse Erlendr, meaning foreigner or stranger. A traditional Scandinav▶Edvin#5275 in the U.S.Scandinavian/Hungarian form of Edwin — from Old English ead, 'wealth, blessing', plus wine, 'fr▶Mia#5356 in the U.S.From Italian/Spanish mia, 'mine'; also a short form of Maria ('beloved; of the sea; bitter'); p▶Nels#5366 in the U.S.Scandinavian short form of Nils (Nicholas) — from Greek, 'victory of the people'; also a short ▶Rasmus#5380 in the U.S.Scandinavian short form of Erasmus — from Greek erasmios, 'beloved; worthy of love, desired'▶Eriksson#5859 in the U.S.Eriksson is a Scandinavian patronymic meaning 'son of Erik.' The base name Erik descends from O▶Jen#6122 in the U.S.Jen is familiar as a girl's short form of Jennifer, but for boys it is unusual. The most likely▶Carlson#6212 in the U.S.From the surname Carlson — 'a son of Carl' (Carl, from Germanic, 'a free man')▶Gustave#6258 in the U.S.The French form of Gustav — from Old Norse, variously 'a staff of the Goths' and 'a meditation/▶Larsen#6319 in the U.S.From the Scandinavian surname Larsen — 'a son of Lars' (Lars being the Nordic Lawrence, 'from L▶Nilson#6353 in the U.S.From the Scandinavian surname Nilson — 'a son of Nils' (Nils being the Nordic Nicholas, 'victor▶Jonerik#6376 in the U.S.Jonerik is a run-together compound of two classic Scandinavian names: Jon, a Nordic form of Joh▶Axil#6481 in the U.S.A spelling of Axel — a Scandinavian form of Absalom, from Hebrew Avshalom, 'father of peace; my▶Guss#6717 in the U.S.Guss is a doubled-s spelling of Gus, the familiar short form of Augustus (Latin, 'great, venera▶Axxel#6928 in the U.S.A double-x respelling of Axel, the Scandinavian form of the Hebrew Avshalom (Absalom), 'my fath▶Axcel#7279 in the U.S.A spelling of Axel — a Scandinavian form of the Hebrew Absalom, 'my father is peace; father of ▶Vigo#7686 in the U.S.A short, bright name linked to the Scandinavian Viggo (from Old Norse 'vig', 'war; battle'); it▶Kristoffer#8034 in the U.S.A Scandinavian form of Christopher — from the Greek Christophoros, 'bearer of Christ; carrying ▶Eivor#8479 in the U.S.From the Old Norse Eivor/Eyvor — variously 'lucky in battle' and 'island/ever cautious' (ey, 'i▶Frey#8514 in the U.S.From the Old Norse Freyr, 'a lord; an exalted one' — the Norse god of fertility, prosperity, an▶Freyr#8515 in the U.S.From the Old Norse Freyr, 'a lord; an exalted one' — the Norse god of fertility, prosperity, an▶Halden#8536 in the U.S.A form/spelling of Haldane/Halfdan — from the Old Norse halfr, 'half', + Danr, 'a Dane', hence ▶Halsten#8538 in the U.S.From the Old Norse Hallsteinn — 'a rock; a stone' (hallr, 'rock/boulder', + steinn, 'stone'), a▶Joakim#8606 in the U.S.A Scandinavian form of Joachim — from the Hebrew Yehoyaqim, 'raised by Yahweh; God will establi▶Linn#8708 in the U.S.As a boy's name Linn works two ways: a clipped form of Lynn or Linden — from Welsh/English word▶Matson#8709 in the U.S.A Scandinavian/English surname — 'the son of Matthew/Matt' (Matthew, from the Hebrew, 'the gift▶Rane#8782 in the U.S.Variously an Old Norse name (Rani, linked to 'counsel/might') and a modern spelling of Rain/Rai▶Thorfinn#8878 in the U.S.From the Old Norse Thorfinnr — Thor (the thunder god) + finnr, 'a Finn/Sami; a wanderer', hence▶Acxel#8956 in the U.S.A spelling of Axel — a Scandinavian form of Absalom, from the Hebrew Avshalom, 'the father of p▶Arvid#9019 in the U.S.From the Old Norse Arnvidhr — arn, 'eagle', + vidhr, 'tree/wood', hence 'eagle tree; eagle of t▶Karin#9393 in the U.S.Usually a Scandinavian form of Katherine ('pure', from the Greek katharos); more often a girls'▶Kristen#9458 in the U.S.A Scandinavian form of Christian/Christine — from the Greek Khristos, 'the anointed one', hence▶Gillis#9686 in the U.S.Gillis is a Scandinavian and Scottish form of Giles, from the Latin Aegidius and Greek aigidion▶Enok#10123 in the U.S.The Scandinavian form of Enoch, from the Hebrew Chanoch, 'dedicated; consecrated; trained.' In ▶Einer#10150 in the U.S.A spelling of Einar — from the Old Norse, 'one who fights alone; a lone/bold warrior' (einn, 'o▶Henning#10236 in the U.S.A Scandinavian/German diminutive of Henry (Heinrich, 'home ruler') or Johannes ('God is graciou▶Jorgen#10299 in the U.S.Jorgen, from the Danish and Norwegian Jorgen, is a Scandinavian form of George, which comes fro▶Kennet#10388 in the U.S.A Scandinavian form of Kenneth, from the Scottish Gaelic Coinneach ('handsome; comely') and Cin▶Alvar#10719 in the U.S.Alvar is a Scandinavian and Spanish masculine name of Germanic origin, usually explained from a▶Alrick#10833 in the U.S.A short form of Alaric/Alrik, from the Germanic for 'ruler of all' (ala, 'all,' + ric, 'ruler')▶Andersson#10992 in the U.S.Andersson is a Scandinavian (especially Swedish) patronymic surname meaning 'son of Anders,' An▶Arne#11018 in the U.S.Arne is a Scandinavian name from Old Norse 'orn' ('eagle'), a short form of names like Arnold o▶Asmund#11029 in the U.S.Asmund (Asmundr) is an Old Norse name from 'ass' ('god') and 'mund' ('protection, hand') — 'div▶Ebba#11197 in the U.S.A Scandinavian name, a short form of names in Eber-/Eberhard ('strong as a boar; brave boar'); ▶Kaia#11278 in the U.S.Kaia is far more often a girl's name — a Scandinavian form of Katarina ('pure') and a Hawaiian ▶Eriksen#11290 in the U.S.From the Scandinavian surname Eriksen, 'son of Erik' (from Eirikr, 'eternal ruler; ever-powerfu▶Kristan#11382 in the U.S.Kristan reads as a variant of Kristian/Christian, ultimately from the Latin christianus, 'follo▶Kristjan#11383 in the U.S.Kristjan is the Estonian and broader Nordic spelling of Christian, from the Latin Christianus, ▶Kjell#11509 in the U.S.Kjell is a Norwegian and Swedish name derived from the Old Norse Ketill, meaning a cauldron or ▶Larz#11608 in the U.S.Larz is a spelling of Lars, the Scandinavian short form of Laurentius, or Laurence. The Latin r▶Karlson#11611 in the U.S.A patronymic surname, 'son of Karl,' from the Germanic Karl ('free man; man'). Carried into fir▶Kyell#11681 in the U.S.Kyell is a modern coinage. It may be a respelling of the Scandinavian Kjell, from the Old Norse▶Nore#11897 in the U.S.Reads as a short modern name — possibly a trim of Norman/Norris, a Scandinavian short form, or ▶Patrik#11933 in the U.S.A Slavic and Scandinavian spelling of Patrick, from the Latin patricius, 'nobleman; patrician.'▶Hilmer#12093 in the U.S.Hilmer is a Germanic and Scandinavian name built from 'helm' ('helmet, protection') and 'mer/ma▶Airik#12246 in the U.S.A modern respelling of Erik, from the Old Norse Eirikr — 'ever-ruler; eternal ruler' (ei, 'ever▶Aksil#12305 in the U.S.A modern spelling that echoes Aksel/Axel, the Scandinavian form of Absalom, 'father is peace.' ▶Christoffer#12390 in the U.S.Christoffer is the Danish, Norwegian and Swedish form of Christopher, from the Greek Christopho▶Axzel#12498 in the U.S.Axzel reads as a modern stylized respelling of Axel, the Scandinavian form of Absalom, from the▶Ayvin#12501 in the U.S.Ayvin reads as a modern respelling, echoing names like Avin, Ervin, or the Scandinavian Oyvind ▶Daine#12554 in the U.S.Daine is a spelling variant of Dane, an English name that originally marked a person from Denma▶Eliason#12582 in the U.S.A patronymic surname, 'son of Elias' (Eliasson in Scandinavian use); Elias is the Greek form of▶Edvard#12819 in the U.S.The Scandinavian and Central-European form of Edward, from the Old English Eadweard, 'rich guar▶Iversyn#12990 in the U.S.Iversyn is a modern -syn respelling of Iverson, a Scandinavian patronymic surname meaning 'son ▶Jann#13044 in the U.S.Chiefly a Scandinavian/German short form of Johannes (John), from Hebrew Yochanan, 'God is grac▶Knute#13270 in the U.S.Knute is an anglicized Scandinavian form of Knut (Old Norse Knutr), generally understood as 'kn▶Per#13551 in the U.S.Per is the everyday Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish form of Peter, which comes from the Greek Pe▶Olaf#13645 in the U.S.From Old Norse Áleifr/Óláfr, from anu ('ancestor') and leifr ('heir; descendant') — 'ancestor's▶Peder#13743 in the U.S.Peder is the Danish and Norwegian form of Peter, from the Greek petros, meaning rock or stone, ▶AgnerA rare Scandinavian name, also known as a Danish surname; its exact roots are unsettled and it ▶SiggiA Scandinavian and German pet form of names on the sig- element ('victory'), such as Sigurd and▶
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Frequently Asked
What are the best Scandinavian boy names?
Axel, Magnus, Soren and Emil are the standouts for most families, balancing an authentic northern feel with an easy fit in English.
What Scandinavian boy name means great?
Magnus comes from the Latin word for great and entered Scandinavian use through medieval kings of Norway and Sweden. It has been a royal name in the north for roughly a thousand years.
How is Soren pronounced?
Americans generally say SOR-en, while the Danish pronunciation uses a rounded vowel closer to SUR-en. The Soren page includes audio so you can pick the version you want to use.