por there are many viking names of men and women that history and literature have left shaped, of which you will find here some of the most predominant that have reached our days. 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 originating from the kingdoms of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway located in northern 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.
The word is said Viking comes from the norse word vika which means ‘nautical mile’, while others claim that it comes from the phrase vik in which means ‘inside the bay’, and refers to the landings; or of the word vik which means ‘inlet, small bay’ and may refer to one who frequently lands in a bay.
Curiously, Viking children received the name of a recently deceased relative because it was believed that this would acquire the characteristics of the deceased. Here is a list with the main names of the most frequent boys and girls 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 the Viking chieftain of Norway. He was the son of King Eirík the Eloquent and father of Vikar.
Arne
Name meaning 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 Old Norse meaning backpack or rucksack.
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 eighth century, starting the well-known Munsö dynasty. He was the first son of Ragnar and Lagertha. One of the best known Vikings and one of the greatest 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 «armored warrior».
Canute (Knut)
It means ‘knot’. Knut, Knud or Padfoot, also known as Padfoot 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
Derived from an Old Norse surname. Its meaning is unknown.
Dagh
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 Dane».
Dustin
It derives from an English surname that has its origin in the Old Norse Þórsteinn 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, only» and ríða «to ride».
Eirík
This name comes from the term hey What does ‘always’ mean? 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 the year 950 and was also known as Erik Thorvaldsson.
Floki
This name means «Viking hero». In addition to the ‘Vikings’ character, his most famous representative is Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson, the first Scandinavian navigator to tour Iceland.
halfdan
Its name comes from the terms hálfr What does ‘half’ mean? danr which means ‘Danish’. Halfdan Ragnarsson was a warlord during the Viking Age (time of the Viking raids on Europe). He was the son of Ragnar Lothbrok.
Hallr
From the Old Norse word hallr meaning «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 meaning «warrior’s helmet».
Harold
He is considered the last Viking king. His name comes from the term har which means ‘army’ and vald meaning ‘prince’ in Old Norse. From this name derives the surname Haraldsson (son of Harald).
Harbard
The meaning of this name «grey beard», although other scholars indicate that it is another way of calling the god Odin.
hakon
It means «prominent family person».
Hemming
From Old Norse Hamr «shape», and was possibly originally a nickname for a person believed to change shape.
herleifr
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 Nordic name Havardr which means sheep shepherd.
Hrafn
Name meaning raven in Old Norse.
Hvitsärk
Very common name in medieval Scandinavian literature. There is a belief that Hvitsärk was a name that Governor Halfdan Ragnarsson gave himself to distinguish himself from others, since his name was quite common at that 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 for berserker, that is, a warrior who used hallucinogens, blind with rage and impervious to pain. He was one of the sons of Ragnar and Aslaug.
Leif
It comes from the Norse Leifr meaning ‘descendant’ or ‘heir’. Leif was the son of Erik the Red. It is said that he arrived in America before Columbus, so he is a very famous Viking.
Magnus
It comes from the term magn from Old Norse meaning ‘mighty’ or ‘strong’. Magnus I, also known as The GoodHe 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 the old Norse and means «the edge of the sword».
olav
It means ‘inheritance or descent from ancestors’. Olav Haraldsson was the son of King Harald. He excelled in archery and spears.
oleg
It comes to mean «health». It is one of the most popular names in Scandinavian countries throughout history. Its 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 for “olive tree”.
Orvar
From Old Norse, it means «arrow».
to go
It means «thor warrior» from the name of the Norse god Þórr.
porgist
From Old Norse By «Thor» and gist, «arrow.»
Porarinn
From Old Norse, it means «the eagle of Thor».
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 regin «council, council» and valdr «power, ruler.»
Roll
This name begins to appear in Latin writings from 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
adalborj
Derived from the Old Norse elements aðal “noble” and björg “to help, save, rescue”.
aila
Scandinavian name meaning «holy, blessed.»
alfhild
Name made up 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. Derived from the words «god» and «goddess».
Aslaug
Derived from Old Norse terms ass What does ‘god’ mean? laug which means ‘betrothed woman’. Aslaug was Ragnar’s second wife, she ruled 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, meaning «sword.»
brunhilda
Brunhilda or Brynhildr means warrior. In Norse mythology she was a shield maiden and a valkyrie. She served Odin under the command of Freyja.
Brynja
Name of Nordic origin meaning «love».
Freda
Derived 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 lower rank.
Frida
It means beauty and peace. It was a popular name in the Viking age. It comes from the old norse friðr meaning ‘beautiful’ or ‘beloved’.
Gerd or Gerda
It derives from the Old Norse garðr meaning «enclosure». In Norse myth Gerd was the goddess of fertility.
Gudrun
From Norse Guðrún meaning «secret of God», derived from the elements guð «god» and rún «secret». In Norse legend Gudrun was the wife of Sigurd.
Gunhilda
It comes from the term daughter meaning ‘war’ or ‘battle’. It is a name of Nordic origin that has variations such as Gunnhild, Gundhild, Gunhild and Gunnhildr.
gyda
Kind and gentle. She was the daughter of two famous Viking warriors from her society. As a child she begins to learn the warrior customs of the Vikings.
hilda
It comes from the term hild which means ‘war’ or…