Names That Mean Helmet

Selma has recently been given a more youthful spin via actresses Selma Blair and Salma Hayek. But while Selma has not yet become popular again in the US, it is widely used in both Sweden and Norway.

Velma likely originated as a phonetic spelling of the German name Wilma, itself derived from Wilhelmina. Velma Dinkley is a smart, if nerdy, character in Scooby Doo.

Historically a diminutive of Wilhelmina, Elma's parent name and soundalike sisters are slowly stirring back to life as the trend for vintage baby names continues. With Alma on the rise in the US, Thelma chic in France, and Selma hot in Scandinavia, Elma could be in with a shot at a revival – especially given the popularity of Emma and Ella. But Muppet Elmo and Looney Tune Elmer Fudd may cast a long shadow.

Cool Finnish name ripe for import.

Sleek modern short form of a classic Scandinavian name.

The Selma-Thelma-Velma connection dates it.

Malte began as a short form of the now-obsolete Ancient Germanic name Helmold. Helmold has gone extinct, but Malte has survived and is now enjoying a popularity resurgence in Germany and Sweden.

Old Norse name that lives on more appealingly in modern times as Jalmari, short form Jari. This form remains popular in Sweden, however.

Firmly in Dad name territory in Norway, where it peaked in the early 1970s.

A grandfather name in Norway, where it was a Top 5 name through the 1940s and '50s.

Distinctive-sounding Scandinavian name. with deep roots. Short form is the attractive Jari.

Hilma is heard in Germany and the Scandinavian countries, and sometimes used as a shortening of Wilhelmina--though there are more appealing German names for girls. to be found. Hilma Wolitzer is an American novelist and the mother of author Meg Wolitzer.

This rare name is possibly a Romani version of William, or may derive from Old English elements meaning "wife" or "woman" and "land".

This cool surname and place name has multiple origins. As an Irish place name, it may derive from the Gaelic for "fair hilltop" or "head fort', while as a surname it comes from the Norse name Ketill, meaning "helmet, cauldron".

Manx variant of the Norse name Asketill.

Scottish form of Asketill or Askell

From elements meaning "a god" and "cauldron, helmet", this name is more at home in a Norse saga than on a baby, even in its native Scandinavia. But variants Askell and Eskil feel interesting and wearable.

Medieval French diminutive of Gui (Guy), ultimately from William.

A Top 10 name in Iceland, where it is also the name of an active volcano.

An old Norwegian name derived from ketill, the word for a cauldron or kettle used to catch sacrificial animal blood in ancient Norse pagan rituals. Today the name is more often seen in its Kjetil and Kjell variations for boys, and Katla for girls.