Names That Mean Old

Tordis left Norway's popularity charts in 1948, placing it among the old lady name that could soon be up for revival.

Too ripe for teasing for an English speaker, but Brá is heard on occasion in Scandinavia.

Emmelina, which can rhyme with "keener" or "liner", is a frillier and much less common version of Emmeline. While Emmeline was in the US Top 1000 girl names in 2022, Emmelina was given to fewer than 5 girls, so it didn't even make it into the extended baby name charts.

A Scandinavian up-and-comer taken directly from Norse mythology. Iðunn was the goddess of apples, fertility, and youth. Idun is another common spelling.

Still heard today on the Faroe Islands, Drós comes from the Old Norse word for woman.

A more modern variation of Rǫskva, a Norse mythological name derived from rǫskr, "brave".

A goddess worshipped in Roman times by Celtic peoples on the British isles, only recently rediscovered by historians. Though little is understood about her -- most of what we know comes from a single archeological finding -- she seems to have been a virgin goddess, analogous to the Greek Athena, Roman Minerva and, distantly, the Virgin Mary. Her name was initially thought to be Senua; both are intriguing, highly unusual possibilities for a little girl today.

Faroese name related to the Norse goddess of destiny.

Not very viable among English speakers, Døgg is a Faroese nature name from the Old Norse dǫgg, "dew"

Icelandic nature name that may be too close to Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

Sheenan updates the longtime Irish favorite Shannon, which ranked in the US Top 100 through much of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Shanon fell off the Top 1000 about ten years ago, but Sheenan is a worthy substitute. You might also consider it a form of Sheena, itself a form of Jane or John, with the meaning "God is gracious".

Bardou is a holiday destination in France, known for its pictureque village nestled in mountains. It is also a region of Guinea. As a name, it is more commonly known from its English derivation, meaning axe-wielding wolf.

Faroese name derived from the Old Norse word fífa, which refers to cotton grass.