Traditional Danish Girl Names and Their Meanings
Check out my list of traditional Danish girl names below and get some inspiration if you’re looking for a cool name for your daughter. Or maybe you want to know what your name of Danish origins means… or that of a person you know.
Whatever your reasons to be interested in learning more about Danish names, I am here to help you with this full list of girl names.
And if you’re not sure if you’re going to have a baby girl, I’ve got you covered: check out my list of Danish boy names here.
Agnes – A Latinized form of the Greek name Hagnes, which Is derived from the Greek word hagnos, meaning “chaste.”
Aili – Derived from Scandinavian influences, meaning “holy”, “blessed”, or “light”.
Andrea – The feminine form of the name Andrew, is the English form of the Greek name Andreas. This name comes from the Greek word andreios, meaning “manly, masculine” which itself is derived from the Greek word aner meaning “man.”
Astrid – Derived from the Old Norse elements “ás” (god) and “fríðr” (beautiful, beloved), meaning “divinely beautiful.”
Birgitte – Danish form of Birgitta, which comes from the name Bridget, meaning “the high one” or “strength.”
Related reading: Cost of Living in Denmark.
Clara – The feminine form of the Late Latin name clarus, meaning “bright, clear, famous.”
Dagmar – From the Old Norse name Dagmær, meaning “day maiden,” referring to the beauty of the day or light of day.
Ella – Diminutive form of Eleanor, Ellen, or other names beginning with El, or a short form for names ending in ella.
Elin – Danish variant of Ellen or Helena, meaning “torch,” “beautiful,” “light,” or “bright one.”
Emma – This name was initially used as a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element ermen, which meant “whole, universal.”
Emilie – Scandinavian feminine form of the name Emil. Derived from the Roman family name Aemilius, which was derived from the Latin word aemulus, this name means “rival.”
Esteri – Finnish form of Esther, possibly meaning “star” or stemming from the Persian word for “myrtle leaf”.
Also read: This Is the Minimum and Average Salary in Denmark.
Freja – This is the Danish and Swedish version of the Old Norse name Freyja, which means “lady.”
Gertrud – Danish form of Gertrude, from the Germanic elements “ger” (spear) and “þruþ” (strength), meaning “spear of strength.”
Hanne – Danish diminutive of Johanne, meaning “God is gracious.”
Ida – This name was derived from the Germanic element id, which meant “work, labor.”
Ingrid – From the Old Norse name Ingríðr, which means “beautiful” or “loved by Ing,” Ing being a Norse god associated with fertility.
Kirsten – Danish form of Christina, meaning “a Christian” or “follower of Christ.”
Want to learn more about Denmark? Check out my guide to winter holidays in Denmark.
Liselotte – A combination of the names Elisabeth (“God is my oath”) and Charlotte (“free woman”), often used in Denmark.
Filippa – Swedish feminine form of the name Philip, which comes from the Greek name Philippos, meaning “friend of horses.”
Felicia – A feminine form of the Latin name Felicius, which is derived from the name Felix which means “lucky, successful”.
Freja – The Swedish and Danish spelling of the name Freya, which comes from the Old Norse word “Freyja,” meaning “lady.”
Frida – Derived from the Old Norse name Fríða, the name Frida is a short form for names containing the element fríðr, which means “beautiful, beloved.”
Ida – This name was derived from the Germanic element id, which meant “work, labour.”
Johanne – French Norwegian and Danish form of the name Joanna, which is the English form of the Latin Iohanna. This name is the feminine form of the Greek name Ioannes, which was derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning “Yahweh is gracious” or “God is gracious.”
Josefine – Scandinavian form of the French name Joséphine, which is the Latin form of the Greek name Ioseph. This name was originally derived from the Hebrew name Yosef, meaning “God shall grow.”
Julie – French Danish and Norwegian form of the name Julia, which is the feminine version of the Roman family name Julius. Possibly derived from the Greek word ioulos, which means “downy-bearded youth.”
Karla – German Scandinavian and Croatian feminine form of the name Charles. This name was either derived from the Germanic elements karl, meaning “man,” or hari, meaning “army, warrior.”
Katrine – Danish and Norwegian form of the name Katherine, which comes from the Greek name Aikaterine. Aikaterine possibly comes from an earlier Greek name Hekaterine, which came from the Greek word hekateros, meaning “each of the two” or is derived from the name of the Greek Goddess Hecate.
Laura – The well-known circular wreath worn in Ancient Rome, as a symbol of glory and honor, was made from the leaves of laurel trees, this is where the Late Latin name Laurus comes from. Laura is the feminine form of this name which means “victorious.”
Lærke – Unlike most common names, this name is a strictly Danish name. Lærke means “lark” in Danish.
Liva – Possibly a variation of the Scandinavian name Liv, which is derived from the Old Norse name Hilf, which means “protection.”
Maja – A diminutive form of the name Maria. Let’s look at some related names:
Maria – From the Hebrew name Miryam, the meaning of this name is unknown. This name might mean “sea of bitterness” or “rebelliousness.” It is however more likely that this name was derived from the Egyptian name Mry, which means “beloved.” Maiken – A Danish and Norwegian diminutive form of the name Maria.
Mathilde – a cognate of the name Mathilda, which is derived from the Germanic name Mathildis, meaning “strength in battle.”
Mette – Danish diminutive of Margarethe, meaning “pearl.”
Nanna – Derived from the Old Norse word nanþ, which means “daring, brave.” In Norse Mythology, Nanna is the name of a Goddess.
Nora – Short form for names like Honora or Eleanor.
Olivia – This name was first used by William Shakespeare, possibly derived from the names Oliver and Oliva, or from the Latin word oliva, which means “olive.”
Pernille – Danish form of Petronella, meaning “rock” or “stone,” a feminine diminutive of Peter.
Rikke – Danish diminutive of Frederikke, the feminine form of Frederik, meaning “peaceful ruler.”
Sanne – Originally a Danish diminutive of Susanne, meaning “lily” or “rose” in Hebrew.
Sofie – A more Danish variant of the name Sophia which in Greek means “wisdom.”
Signe – Signe or Signy are more modern forms of the Ancient Scandinavian name Signý.
Signý – An Old Norse name that is derived from the elements sigr, meaning “victory” and ný, meaning “new.”
Thyra – An old Danish name possibly meaning “Thor’s warrior” or derived from the Norse god Thor and “victory.”
Tove – Derived from the Old Norse name Tófa, a short form of names containing the element “þórr” (Thor) or “tó” (dove).
Ulla – Short form of Ursula, meaning “little bear,” adopted into Danish naming practices.
Victoria – The feminine form of the Latin name Victorius, this name means “victory.”
Vibeke – Danish form of Wiebke, meaning “war,” “battle,” or “fighter.”
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The most common Danish girl names (and my favorite)
Some of the more popular Danish girl names are: Alma, Anna, Freja, Ida and Sofie.
Keep in mind that times constantly change, and so does the popularity of the names here. My recommendation is to simply choose one that you really like, no matter if it’s popular or not.
You might notice that some of these names are similar to Swedish or other Scandinavian names, that’s why my personal favorite is the name Lærke. It is specifically Danish in both origin and meaning.
Conclusion
Whether you want to give your daughter a Danish name or you are just interested in finding out the meaning of the name of a Danish girl you know, I’m sure you found my list of traditional Danish names helpful.
If you’re interested in more Scandinavian names, make sure to check out our list of Icelandic girl names, or Swedish and Finnish girl names.
And if you notice that I missed any popular Danish girl name, don’t hesitate to let me know by commenting below.
