Scandinavian Names

More familiar in its K forms, where it's associated with football legend Knute Rockne, Canute has a tough, macho image.

An unknown, strong Scandinavian name related to Tor/Thor, the Norse god of thunder, that would fit in perfectly here.

Norse god who's the son of light plus historic diplomat Dag Hammarskjöld and author Dag Solstad combine to boost this Nordic name's appeal, but this could be difficult in English-speaking countries where the obvious tease will be "daggy Dag."

Old Norse name that lives on more appealingly in modern times as Jalmari, short form Jari.

Well used in northern Europe, almost unknown here.

The raven was a holy bird in Norse mythology, giving this choice some resonance beyond other Bart variations.

Variation of Christian.

Norwegian city name heard much more often as a last name than a first.

One of the Valkyries, still clad in heavy armor.

Ada, yes. Ida, maybe. But Oda, a Scandinavian version of Odelia, not really. To English speakers, it sounds too much like "odor".

It may surprise Americans to hear that Ulrik is a fashionable choice elsewhere in the world, as U is the least-used letter for given names in the US. In recent years, Ulrik has been one of the fastest-rising names in Norway.

One of the few K names that sounds middle-aged.

The American child given this name of four kings of Denmark, not to mention one so similar to that of the Harry Potter archvillain Lord Voldemort, might have to pay a large emotional import tax.

Karin was a fairly popular spelling variation of Karen in the US but fell off the Top 1000 in the late 80s, as Karen's popularity wained. Today, the Karen meme interferes with the otherwise appealing sound of this name.

This familiar surname with a surprising meaning could be added to your list of undiscovered 'last names first' names.