Vikings – and especially Viking names – are more popular now than ever. It makes sense – they were awesome!

Today I am here to share with you 100+ Viking name ideas for boys and girls. If you want your little bundle of joy to have the amazing name of a mighty Viking, this is the article to read!

These Viking-inspired names are connected to the Norse world, along with their commonly accepted meanings and origins where known. Some come directly from Old Norse, others were used throughout Scandinavia during or after the Viking Age, and a few are linked to legendary figures and Norse mythology.

Before getting there, let’s quickly talk about these Vikings and why are you reading about them here on Nomad Not Mad.

Vikings were people from Scandinavia who lived during the Viking Age, generally considered to span from the late 8th century to the 11th century. They were traders, explorers, settlers, craftsmen, warriors, and sailors.

Because of that, there isn’t really a single category called “Viking names.” Instead, most names we associate with Vikings today come from Old Norse and were used throughout Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and other Norse communities.

Many of these names are still used across Scandinavia today, which I think says a lot about their staying power.

So without further ado, let’s check out some great Viking names below!

Shortlist of the Best Viking Names

If you don’t want to scroll through more than 100 names, these are some of my personal favorites:

For boys:

• Ragnar
• Bjorn
• Erik
• Leif
• Sigurd
• Gunnar
• Ivar
• Harald
• Magnus
• Ulf

For girls:

• Astrid
• Freydis
• Sigrid
• Ingrid
• Liv
• Eir
• Helga
• Ragnhild
• Skadi
• Aslaug

Now, let’s get to the full list! (Or if you want to change the register, here are the Best Traditional Italian Girl Names and their Meanings)

Best 50+ Viking names for Boys

Choosing a Viking name for your boy can be a difficult task since there are so many great options to choose from.

To help you narrow down your choices, I’ve compiled a list of the best 50 Viking names for boys.

So whether you’re looking for a name for your little warrior or just want to find a cool name for your baby boy, I’ve got you covered!

1. Asger – A Scandinavian name meaning “spear of God.”

2. Bjorn – A name that can be translated as Bear, meaning “strong and brave.”

3. Dag – A form of the name Day, meaning “bright and shining.”

4. Einar – A Viking name originating from Einer, Traditionally interpreted as “one warrior” or “lone warrior.”

5. Erik – A name that requires no introduction, meaning “ever-ruler.”

6. Finn – Generally interpreted as “Finn” or “person from Finland,” although interpretations vary.

7. Gunnar – Meaning “battle-ready,” this is one of the most popular Viking names you can choose for your boy.

8. Halfdan – It sounds pretty spectacular in my opinion. The name means “half Danish.”

9. Harald – Derived from Harold, this name means “army ruler.”

10. Hrothgar – A traditional Viking name, meaning “famous spear.”

11. Ingvar – Usually interpreted as “Ing’s warrior,” referring to the Germanic deity Ing/Yngvi.

12. Jarl – A Norse form of the name Earl, meaning “chieftain.”

13. Kjartan – Considered to be derived from Old Irish origins and used in Icelandic tradition. It means “warrior king.”

14. Leif – Meaning “lion-hearted,” this somehow sounds better suited for a middle name, in my opinion. Also, generally interpreted as “heir” or “descendant.”

15. Magnus – A Norse form of the name Matthias, meaning “Mighty, great.”

16. Olaf – Although we might associate it with the silly yet charming snowman from the Disney animated movie Frozen, it actually means “bold and fearless.”

17. Oslo – A municipality in Norway named after the old Norse city of Odda.

18. Regin – Derived from the less impressive name Reginald this one means “counselor.”

19. Rolf – This one comes from a more impressive one – Rupert – and it means “eager wolf.”

20. Roland – A truly manly name, meaning “manly bear.”

21. Sigurd – Meaning “victorious warrior,” this is a pretty unique name.

22. Sigmund – Another lesser known and less popular name these days, it has a nice meaning: “wise ruler.”

23. Svein – Meaning “joyful warrior,” this will surely be a great choice for your son.

24. Thorgeir – As you can see, this is very close to Thor, the God of thunder. The name basically means “thunder-hammer.”

25. Tostig – A Norse form of the name Toten, meaning “tooth of the dead.”

26. Unferth – This might sounds really good, but have in mind that it means “from the unfruitful land.”

27. Vigdis – This is actually a female name, but sounds pretty cool as a male name in my opinion. It does translate as “war goddess” so for males, we could update it to mean “war god”. Problem solved!

28. Yngvi – A Norse form of the name John, meaning “gift of God.”

29. Þorvaldur – Special characters make names even more special, and I have a few of those to share also. This particular name means “thorny tree.”

30. Þorgeir – A name derived from Torre, meaning “tower.”

31. Þorkell – Just like the first recommendation above, this also means “thorny tree.”

32. Þórir – A Norse form of the name Torrance, meaning “man of iron” or “Thor’s warrior”.

Now, after these 32 Viking names that work great as first names, here are a few more in random order – but which I consider better suited as middle names. However, you can easily use them as the main first name too.

33. Ragnar – Traditionally interpreted as “warrior counsel” or “army counsel.”

34. Rollo – Meaning “famous warrior.”

35. Ivar – A nice name that means “archer.”

36. Gunnar – A masculine sounding name that also has a very masculine meaning: “bold warrior.”

37. Birger – It might sound a bit like “beer,” but it actually means “keeper”

38. Håkon – Meaning “high son.”

39. Gorm – A name of Scottish origins actually, which means “blue.”

40. Ulf – A truly Viking name, meaning “wolf.”

41. Kåre – Make sure you choose this name carefully, as it means “curly haired.”

42. Jørgen – It sounds good, but with a more peaceful meaning: “farmer.”

43. Anders – It simply means “manly”

44. Aren – Maybe I am biased to like this one so much because it’s almost identical to my name. Either way, great name that means “eagle”

45. Gandalf – Yes, the name existed long before Tolkien used it. It is traditionally interpreted as “wand elf” or “staff elf.”

46. Stromr – This is actually a gender-neutral name that means “the one who’s looking for trouble”.

47. Troels – We’ve seen many names related to Thor and this is one of them. It means “Thor’s Arrow”.

48. Sune – A name that’s still very common in the Scandinavia region, which means “Son”.

49. Odger – A Viking name coming from Edgar, which means “blessed arrow”

50. Njal – A perfect name for a Viking to be, as it means “Giant”.

51. Sten – Meaning “stone.”

52. Knut – Sounds like it, and that’s what it means: Knot.

Also read: Swedish Girl Names and Their Meanings

Best 50+ Viking names for Girls

The best Viking names for girls are those that are strong, beautiful, and meaningful. Some popular Viking names for girls include Astrid, Freya, Ingrid, and Sigrid. These names are all derived from Old Norse, the language of the Vikings.

Many of these names have been passed down through generations of Viking families and are still used throughout Scandinavia.

1. Astrid: Meaning “divinely beautiful” or “beautiful goddess.”

2. Brynhild: Meaning “armored battle.”

3. Freydis: Generally interpreted as “lady” or “woman of Freyr.”

4. Gudrun: Meaning “god’s secret lore” or “divine knowledge.”

5. Gunnhild: Meaning “battle maiden.”

6. Hilde: War or battle

7. Ingrid: Generally interpreted as “Ing’s beauty.”

8. Jorunn: Feminine form of Jörn, meaning”soft”

9. Kara: Meaning “wild” or “curly-haired” in some interpretations, although meanings vary depending on origin.

10. Kirsten: Follower of Christ – A Scandinavian form of Christina.

11. Lagertha: A legendary shieldmaiden known from Norse tradition and medieval writings.

12. Liv: Life

13. Sigrid: Beautiful victory

14. Tora: The feminine version of the name “Thor”

15. Ulvhild: Wolf battle

16. Vigdis: War goddess

17. Aila: Noble

18. Aslaug: Devoted to God

19. Aud: Wealth or prosperity

20. Borgny: Fortified hill

21. Dagmar: Bright day

22. Eir: Goddess of healing

23. Embla: First woman

24. Gunnora: Battle strength

25. Gyda: War

26. Helga: Holy

27. Hlif: Protection

28. Ingeborg: Fair maid

29. Jorunn: Joyful

30. Kari: Valiant

31. Kristin: Pure

32. Lygia: Peaceful

33. Margret: Lovely

34. Mathilde: Mighty protector

35. Merethe: Blessed

36. Nanna: Promise of fertility

37. Oddny: Wealthy

38. Ragnhild: Battle maiden

39. Rigmor: Beautiful lady

40. Sigrun: Victory

41. Signe: Sign

42. Siri: Maybe it doesn’t sound too Viking nowadays thanks to Apple’s Siri, but it is of Viking origins and means “beautiful victory”.

43. Skadi: Beauty of the snow

44. Tove: Joy

45. Yngve: This was the Norse god of fertility. It basically means “Young man” but I think it sounds really feminine and a great choice for a girl’s name

46. Astrid: Divine beauty or God’s beauty

47. Brynhild: Armor battle

48. Freydis: Lady of the peace

49. Gudrun: God’s secret love

50. Jor: Wild Boar

51. Thyra – Meaning is debated, but generally associated with strength or Thor-related origins.

52. Runa – It has various accepted meanings, like Secret lore,” “rune,” or “hidden wisdom.”

53. Yrsa – Meaning “She-bear.” Not very appealing nowadays, most likely.

Also read: Icelandic Girl Names and their Meanings

How to Choose the Right Viking Name for Your Child

If you’re choosing a name for a child, I would suggest looking beyond the meaning alone. I also recommend thinking about:

• How easy it is to pronounce where you live.
• Whether it works well as both a child and adult name.
• How it sounds with your surname
• How common or unique you want the name to be or sound

For example, Bjorn, Erik, Astrid, and Ingrid are easier for most people to recognize and pronounce internationally.

Names like Þorvaldur, Þorgeir, or Thordis are more distinctive but may require frequent explanations outside Scandinavia.

Neither approach is right or wrong. It simply depends on what you’re looking for.

Wrapping up

Hopefully this list of 100+ names is enough for you to find a Viking-sounding name for your child. Or fantasy game RPG – I’m not here to judge your choices.

If you want additional ideas, you can check out the previous article I wrote recommending some Danish boy names (or Danish girl names).

If you have other recommendations of great Viking names for boys and/or girls, don’t hesitate to let us all know by commenting below.