Menu

Swedish Names for Boys

Swedish names for boys can be a severe lot to the American ear, with only a few choices such as Stellan outside of Stockholm. The most popular names for boys in Sweden are a pan-European lot, dominated by Oscar, Lucas, William, Liam, and Oliver, all also popular in the UK, the US, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, and other countries throughout Europe and the English-speaking world. A few more exotic choices from the top of the Swedish boys' list are Ludvig, Axel, Nils, and Arvid, though not all of these originate in the Swedish language. Melvin is a popular name for boys in Sweden, as are Gustav, Viggo, Sixten, and Love.

Browse all the Swedish names for boys on Nameberry here. The top names below rank among the current US Top 1000 Baby Names and are ordered by popularity. Unique names rank below the Top 1000 and are listed alphabetically.
  1. StellanHeart
    • Origin:

      Swedish, meaning unknown, possibly "calm"
    • Meaning:

      "calm"
    • Description:

      Stellan is a strong, attractive, Scandinavian possible up-and-comer, known through actor Stellan Skarsgard, and his namesake, the son of Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany. Its trendy 'an' ending and the similarity in sound to the popular Kellen/Kellan make it all the more accessible.
  2. BjornHeart
    • Origin:

      Swedish
    • Meaning:

      "bear"
    • Description:

      Bjorn is one of the most recognizable Scandinavian names, thanks in large part to tennis great Björn Borg, winner of five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French opens and something of a rock star figure.
  3. LukasHeart
    • Origin:

      German variation of Lucas
    • Meaning:

      "man from Lucanus"
    • Description:

      Highly popular name in Norway and in Germany in a spelling that translates well. Actor Lukas Haas helped popularize this spelling.
  4. ArvidHeart
    • Origin:

      Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
    • Meaning:

      "eagle-tree"
    • Description:

      Arvid, a Scandinavian name that's virtually unknown in the US, is one of the top baby names in Sweden. It might make a handsome, unusual choice for a parent in search of an original yet traditional A name.
  5. OlinHeart
    • Origin:

      Swedish
    • Meaning:

      "to inherit"
    • Description:

      Would fit right in with the trendy Colins and Owens.
  6. AdolphusHeart
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "noble wolf"
    • Description:

      This softer version of Adolf is sadly still off-limits due to the connotations with Hitler.
  7. AmbrosiusHeart
    • ValdemarHeart
      • Origin:

        Nordic variation of Vladimir
      • Description:

        Ten years ago we would have advised people to steer clear of this name (and maybe choose the similar sounding Walter instead); but with the rise of other Nordic and Eastern European names like Viggo and Casimir, maybe its time to re-thing Valdemar. It's a big name, but with enough penache, it could be pulled off. Valdemar was introduced to Scandinavia in the 12th Century by a Danish king named for his Ukrainian grandfather, and is currently in the Danish Top 20.
    • FilipHeart
      • Origin:

        Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Polish, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Romanian, and Finnish variation of Philip, Greek
      • Meaning:

        "lover of horses"
      • Description:

        Streamlined spelling found all across Europe. The Spanish Filipo has extra zip.
    • PelleHeart
      • Origin:

        Scandinavian variation of Peter
      • Description:

        Pelle is one of several possible Peter-related Scandinavian choices. In Swedish or Norwegian, the name Pelle rhymes roughly with Ella.
    • ReinholdHeart
      • StigHeart
        • Origin:

          Swedish
        • Meaning:

          "wanderer"
        • Description:

          Like Stian, a more manageable short form of the unwieldy Srigandr, but with a less euphonic sound. Stig Larsson is a successful Swedish novelist, not to be confused with the even more successful late Swedish novelist Stieg Larsson (born Karl Stig-Erland LArsson), author of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo</>..
      • UlfHeart
        • Origin:

          Scandinavian
        • Meaning:

          "wolf"
        • Description:

          A common Scandinavian name, but hard to imagine being used elsewhere.
      • EvertHeart
        • Origin:

          English, variation of Everett, from German Eberhard
        • Meaning:

          "brave boar"
        • Description:

          Though you might have been a fan of tennis star Chris Evert, stick with EVERETT, which everyone will think you're saying anyway.
      • KalleHeart
        • MelkerHeart
          • Origin:

            Modern Swedish variation of Melchior
          • Meaning:

            "city of the king; king of light"
          • Description:

            Melker, a modern phonetic spelling of ancient Three Wise Men name Melchior, is in the Swedish Top 100 though not used in the US, where it would be heard as "milker." Nickname Mel is not exactly a fashionable choice at the moment either.
        • PauloHeart
          • Origin:

            Portuguese, Swedish, and Hawaiian variation of Paul
          • Description:

            Paulo suffers in comparison to the richer and more authentic-sounding Paolo.
        • FredrikHeart
          • StenHeart
            • Origin:

              Swedish
            • Meaning:

              "a stone"
            • Description:

              Once a short form of names containing this syllable, it is now used on its own, though we'd prefer Sven.
          • ErnstHeart
            • Origin:

              German variation of Ernest
            • Description:

              Concise and clipped European version of the earnest Ernest.