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Cool Nordic Baby Names
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The names
Bo
Norse nickname
"to live"
A popular name in Denmark, in this country Bo has some cowboy swagger and a lot of substance in its minimal two letters. In Mandarin Chinese, Bo means "wave".
Leif
Swedish; Danish; Norwegian
"heir, descendant"
Leif is one of the most recognizable Scandinavian names , thanks to Icelandic explorer Leif Erikson, and is still one of the best, with a pleasant aural association with the word leaf. Leif Erikson,…
Tyr
Norse, God of law and heroic victory
Tyr is a very early embodiment of a Norse god, typically thought to guide the law, justice, war and victory.
Calder
English
"rocky water"
A cool, rugged sounding name, Calder is connected to an ancient Scottish clan, an English village, and a Scottish River, along with the sculptor Alexander Calder, who invented the mobile (as in,…
Halvar
Ivar
Norse
"yew wood, archer, warrior"
Closer to the original Norse name Ívarr , it is part of a small group of names with similar roots: Ivor, Iver, Ivo, Ives, and Evander, which all make rugged yet gentle feeling choices. Used…
Jari
Short form of Jalmari, Finnish
"helmet protector"
Sleek modern short form of a classic Scandinavian name .
Kory
Spelling variation of Cory or Corey
Corey was always the most popular form of this Irish name, with Cory (as in New Jersey Senator Booker) in second place and Kory riding caboose. Kory et al were in the first wave of unisex names that…
Rune
German and Swedish
"secret"
Name with connotations both mystical and tragic, newly popular in Europe. For English speakers, though, this name might be ruined by its homonym ruin.
Vali
Bergdis
Estrith
Juni
Scandinavian
"June"
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…
Sylvi
Latin, Norse
"of the forest; sun strength"
A sweet and lively name with two distinct derivations. It can be a short form of Sylvia or a variant spelling of its French form Sylvie, meaning "of the forest". Or, it can be a Norwegian and Swedish…
Skuld
Tyra
Scandinavian, feminine variation of Tyr, an ancient Indo-European god
High profile supermodel/entrepreneur Tyra Banks has put this name in the spotlight, endowing it with her confident, superattractive image.
Ylva
Feminine variation of Ulf, Scandinavian
"wolf"
Ylva may look like it belongs with the Eva family of names, but it actually derives from Ulf, a name meaning "wolf." It's not a very intuitive name to English-speakers, and likely won't get picked up…
Yrsa
Fjord
Norse word name
The Old Norse and modern Norwegian word name Fjord, which refers to a passage in the sea, could work for children of both genders.