Norwegian Baby Names: Happy (belated) Birthday, Henrik Ibsen!
Last week was the birthday of Henrik Ibsen, the towering nineteenth century Norwegian playwright and poet who was one of the founders of Modernism in the theater. Known for his realistic exploration of controversial social issues, his plays A Doll’s House and Hedda Gabler are considered feminist landmarks.
Ibsen‘s twenty-six frequently produced plays are populated by a wide range of characters. Those listed below offer an interesting selection of Scandinavian names of that period (though a few are imports from other cultures), from the familiar (Ingrid, Nora, Finn) to those that are less known.
Agnes—Brand
Anitra—Peer Gynt
Asta—Little Eyolf
Aurelia–Catiline
Bolette—The Lady from the Sea
Catiline—Catiline
Dagny—The Vikings at Helgeland
Eline—Lady Inger
Ellida—The Lady from the Sea
Frida—John Gabriel Borkman
Hedda—Hedda Gabler
Helga—Peer Gynt
Inga—The Pretenders
Inger—Lady Inger
Ingrid—Peer Gynt
Kaja—The Master Builder
Kirsten—Olaf Liljekrans
Lona—Pillars of Society
Maja—When We Dead Awaken
Margit—The Feast at Solhoug
Margrete—The Pretenders
Netta—Pillars of Society
Nevita—Emperor and Galilean
Nora—A Doll’s House
Petra—An Enemy of the People
Regine–Ghosts
Signe—The Feast at Solhoug
Sigrid—The Pretenders
Sira—The Pretenders
Thea—Hedda Gabler
Thora—The League of Youth
Alf—Brand
Anders—The League of Youth
Bastian—The League of Youth
Bj**ørn–**Lady Inger
Finn—Lady Inger
GunnarThe Vikings at Helgeland
Ivar—The Pretenders
Jens—Lady Inger
J**örgen—**Hedda Gabler
Jovian—Emperor and Galilean
Karsten—Pillars of Society
Knut—The Master Builder, The Feast at Silhoug
Maximus—Emperor and Galilean
Nils—A Doll’s House, Lady Inger
Olaf—Pillars of Society, Olaf Liljekrans
Oswald–Ghosts
Torvald—A Doll’s House
Ulrik—Rosmerholm
Varro—Emperor and Galilean
Do you have a favorite Scandinavian name?