Scandinavian Names for Girls
Updated Fri Feb 16 2024
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Scandinavian names for baby girls hail from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, but NOT Finland despite its geographical proximity to the Scandinavian countries.
Mia is the most popular Scandinavian name for girls in the US, ranking in the Top 10. Along with Mia, other Scandinavian girl names ranking in the US Top 1000 include Astrid, Freya, Dahlia, and Liv.
Unique Scandinavian female names trending now include Juni, Sunniva, and Toril.
In the Scandinavian countries, popular native names for girls include Frida and Iben in Norway, Astrid and Freja in Sweden, and Asta and Saga in Denmark.
These Scandinavian names for girls have become more visible and fashionable in recent years, with the popularity of Scandinavian books such as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series and television shows like Borgen and Vikings.
If you're in search of a Scandinavian name for your baby girl, browse the following list, ordered by current popularity on Nameberry.
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- Freya
Origin:
NorseMeaning:
"a noble woman"Description:
Freya has long been popular in the U.K. but has only taken off in the US in the last decade, along with the entire category of mythological names. Derived from the Old Norse name Freyja, meaning "Lady, noble woman", Freya is the name of the Norse goddess of love, beauty, and fertility.
- Mia
Origin:
Italian word name or Scandinavian short form of MariaMeaning:
"mine or bitter"Description:
Mia is an appealingly unfussy multicultural name that has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the charts and is now firmly among the ten top girl names. Mia has surpassed its mother name Maria as the Number 1 girls' name starting with M.
- Astrid
Origin:
ScandinavianMeaning:
"divinely beautiful"Description:
Astrid has been a Scandinavian royal name since the tenth century, and many people associated it with the Swedish author of the Pippi Longstocking stories, Astrid Lindgren. Astrid is derived from the name Ástríðr, which is made up of the Old Norse elements that mean "god" and "beautiful."
- Kaia
Origin:
Latin, Scandinavian, or HawaiianMeaning:
"to rejoice or sea"Description:
The new Maia, the next Kayla, Kaia has been on the charts since the year 2000. You might see it as a female form of the also-rising Kai, which means sea in Hawaiian and is sometimes used for girls as well, or as a Kardashianization of the ancient goddess name Caia.
- Dahlia
Origin:
Flower name, from Swedish surnameMeaning:
"Dahl's flower"Description:
One of the flower names, used occasionally in Britain (where it's pronounced DAY-lee-a). It seems to have recovered from what was perceived as a slightly affected la-di-dah air. The flower was named in honor of the pioneering Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl, which means dale.
- Hallie
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"dweller at the meadow by the manor"Description:
Hallie -- it rhymes with alley and is not to be confused with Halle or Hailey or Holly -- is one of those comfy nicknamish names that are in favor in these complicated times.
- Ingrid
Origin:
NorseMeaning:
"fair; Ing is beautiful"Description:
The luminous Ingrid Bergman's appeal was strong enough to lend universal charisma to this classic Scandinavian name, which has been somewhat neglected in the US. Even today, a child named Ingrid would be assumed to be of Scandinavian ancestry, signaling the name has never been fully integrated into the English lexicon the way other European choices from the same era like Danielle or Kathleen have.
- Andrea
Origin:
Feminine variation of Andrew, GreekMeaning:
"strong and manly"Description:
Andrea — a feminine form of Andrew (and a male name in several European cultures) — comes with a good selection of pronunciations — ANN-dree-a, AHN-dree-a, or ahn-DRAY-a — each with a slightly different image: girl next door/slightly affected/downright mysterious
- Liv
Origin:
Diminutive of Olivia, English, NorseMeaning:
"olive tree; life, protection"Description:
Liv combines the succinct charm of a nickname—people might assume it's short for Olivia—with the solidity of being a classic stand-alone Scandinavian name with a life-force meaning. It was brought into the public eye (in the English speaking world that is) due to the fame of actress and Aerosmith daughter Liv Tyler.
- Kara
Origin:
Spelling variation of Cara or Norse mythology nameMeaning:
"wild stormy one"Description:
Kara and the soundalike (though not necessarily related) Cara are among the most multi-cultural names around. Cara has roots in Latin, Italian, Irish, Spanish, and Portuguese, and Kara can be viewed as simply as K-starting version of Cara.
- Vega
Origin:
Arabic, SpanishMeaning:
"swooping eagle; meadow"Description:
Another astral name, this one relating to one of the largest and brightest stars in the heavens, is popular in Scandinavia and Spain, where it ranks among the Top 50 girls' names. Although still very rare in the US, we think it has serious potential to follow the likes of Luna and Lyra up the charts.
- Darby
Origin:
Irish, NorseMeaning:
"free from envy; from the deer estate"Description:
Once a common boys' name in Ireland (e. g. , Darby O'Gill and the Little People), the dynamic Darby now has a definite unisex feel. Actor Paul Rudd has a young daughter named Darby.
- Juni
Origin:
ScandinavianMeaning:
"June"Description:
Juni is the Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and Finnish form of the month name June. While Juni feels cute and fresh, most Americans would assume it was a nickname or a Joni variation. We prefer Juna or the English June.
- Halle
Origin:
Modern invented name or diminutive of Harald, English or NorseMeaning:
"Thor's stone"Description:
Until the beautiful actress Halle Berry inspired hundreds of parents to emulate her name, it was the diminutive Swedish families used for their sons christened Harald. Now, in a complete turnaround, it couldn't be more feminine. It is worth noting, however, that its popularity has fallen dramatically since 2002 when it reached a high of 316.
- Eyre
Origin:
Literary name and Old NorseMeaning:
"gravel bank river"Description:
This lovely name is best-known as the surname of eponymous Bronte heroine, Jane Eyre, and would make an appealing and distinctive middle name for the child of fans of that book. While the surname Eyre is found mainly in England, its origins are Norse and it's thought to derive from Norse settlers. Still, the status of the classic books means Eyre deserves to stand proudly among English baby names.
- Kai
Origin:
HawaiianMeaning:
"sea"Description:
This appealing multi-cultural name, pronounced KYE, is beginning to be used for girls as well as boys. Among its many derivations and meanings: "sea" in Hawaiian, "forgiveness" in Japanese, "willow tree" in Navajo, "food" in Maori, and "earth" in Scandinavian. For girls, it debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2010.
- Erica
Origin:
Norse, feminine form of EricMeaning:
"eternal ruler"Description:
The straightforward Erica is a Norse feminization that was long associated with the complex, mega-popular character Erica Kane, played by Susan Lucci for decades on the soap opera All My Children. Used in Scandinavia since the early eighteenth century, where it was usually spelled Erika, it was in the Top 50 girls' list in the USA in the 1970s and eighties.
- Nessa
Origin:
ScandinavianMeaning:
"headlands, promontory"Description:
Like its cousin Tessa, Nessa -- a shortening of Vanessa or Agnes or Anastasia among other possibilities -- is an attractive nickname that can stand on its own.
- Thora
Origin:
NorseMeaning:
"thunder goddess"Description:
Thora, related to Thor, is the ancient Norse thunder goddess name that's much softer and gentler than its meaning suggests. A noted bearer is actress Thora Birch.
- Signe
Origin:
ScandinavianMeaning:
"new victory"Description:
Signe could make an offbeat, more unusual alternative to Sydney or Sigrid. In Norse mythology, Signe was the twin sister of Sigmund. Can also be spelled Signy.