Scandinavian Girl Names
Scandinavian female given names stem mainly from Old Norse via Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish, with some Icelandic forms. A common feminine marker is the -a or -e ending in modern spellings. Many traditional women’s names are compounds using feminine elements such as -hild (battle) and -laug (vow), and feminine adaptations of Old Norse roots appear widely.
In current use, Old Norse revivals sit alongside Christian and international forms, and hyphenated Ann- combinations remain familiar. Popular or well-known examples from this set include Astrid, Åse, Annika, Annelise, Ann-Britt, Anni-Frid, Agnetha, Alvhild, Aina, and Alfhilda.
Showing 50
of 440 names
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leena | Arabic: 'tender, delicate'; Sanskrit: 'devoted, absorbed'; Finnish/Scandinavian (from Helena): 'light, torch'. | Arabic, Finnish, Hindi, Sanskrit, Scandinavian | Girl | 26,398 #1 | |
| Sanna | Lily (from Susanna); sometimes associated with 'radiance' if linked to Arabic Sana | Scandinavian | Girl | 21,758 #2 | |
| Elina | Bright, shining light; torch | Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Scandinavian, Slavic | Girl | 17,605 #3 | |
| Ulla | Heritage ruler | German, Latin, Old High German, Scandinavian | Girl | 15,940 #4 | |
| Mirja | Variant of Maria/Miriam; meaning uncertain - commonly given as “beloved” or “bitter” | Finnish, Scandinavian | Girl | 11,858 #5 | |
| Kirsti | Follower of Christ (anointed) | Scandinavian | Girl | 11,323 #6 | |
| Sonja | Wisdom | German, Greek, Russian, Scandinavian | Girl | 9,683 #7 | |
| Linnea | Derived from the twinflower (Linnaea); named in honor of botanist Carl Linnaeus | Scandinavian, Swedish | Girl | 9,585 #8 | |
| Aila | Multiple origins - in Finnish/Scandinavian linked to Helga meaning "holy, blessed"; in Scottish/ Gaelic related to Eileen/Isla; in Hebrew (Eilah) "oak"; in Turkish (Aylā/Ayla) "halo of the moon". | Finnish, Hebrew, Norse, Scandinavian, Scottish Gaelic, Turkish | Girl | 9,402 #9 | |
| Jonna | God is gracious | Scandinavian | Girl | 8,952 #10 | |
| Emmi | Diminutive of Emma or Emily - from Emma: "whole, universal" (Old German); from Emily: "rival" or "industrious" (Latin Aemilia) | Finnish, Scandinavian | Girl | 8,788 #11 | |
| Elli | Diminutive of names such as Eleanor or Elizabeth; commonly associated with 'light/torch' (from Eleanor/Helena) or 'God is my oath' (from Elizabeth). | English, German, Greek, Scandinavian | Girl | 7,970 #12 | |
| Saga | “story” or “tale”; also the name of a Norse goddess associated with storytelling/poetry | Norse, Scandinavian | Girl | 7,634 #13 | |
| Nea | Short form of Linnea - 'twinflower' (a small flowering plant named after the botanist Linnaeus). | Finnish, Scandinavian, Swedish | Girl | 6,793 #14 | |
| Maja | Diminutive of Maria (from Hebrew Miryam - often interpreted as 'bitter' or 'beloved') or a form of Maia (goddess of spring), associated with motherhood, spring and renewal. | Croatian, German, Polish, Scandinavian, Serbian, Slavic, Slovenian | Girl | 5,461 #15 | |
| Inka | Diminutive of Inga/Ingrid - beloved/beautiful; 'protected by the god Ing' | German, Germanic, Scandinavian | Girl | 5,011 #16 | |
| Ingrid | From Old Norse Ing (a Norse god) + fríðr 'beautiful' - 'Ing's beauty' or 'beautiful/beloved'. | Norse, Scandinavian | Girl | 4,891 #17 | |
| Krista | Follower of Christ; 'anointed' | English, Scandinavian | Girl | 4,839 #18 | |
| Eira | Welsh: 'snow'. From Old Norse Eir: goddess name meaning 'mercy, help, healing'. | Finnish, Norse, Scandinavian, Welsh | Girl | 4,385 #19 | |
| Sigrid | Fair victory | Old Norse, Scandinavian | Girl | 3,946 #20 | |
| Solveig | Sun strength | Old Norse, Scandinavian | Girl | 3,320 #21 | |
| Tuva | From Old Norse Tófa (likely from Þórfríðr), linking to the god Thor and the element fríðr 'beautiful' - often interpreted as 'Thor's beautiful one' or 'beautiful/beloved'. | Scandinavian | Girl | 3,242 #22 | |
| Elvi | Diminutive related to Elvira/Elvis; commonly associated with 'elf' or 'all-wise' depending on the root | Estonian, Finnish, Scandinavian | Girl | 3,100 #23 | |
| Inga | From the theonym Ing (Yngvi); 'belonging to/descendant of Ing', often 'protected by Ing' | Norse, Scandinavian | Girl | 2,883 #24 | |
| Liv | Originally 'protection' or 'life' (Old Norse); also associated as short form of Olivia | Scandinavian | Girl | 2,798 #25 | |
| Lina | Tender, delicate; also used as a diminutive of names ending in -lina (e.g., Angelina, Carolina). In Arabic, often interpreted as 'tender' or 'young palm tree'. | Arabic, Germanic, Greek, Latin, Scandinavian | Girl | 2,383 #26 | |
| Stina | Christian; anointed | Greek, Latin, Scandinavian | Girl | 2,335 #27 | |
| Senni | Diminutive form associated with Scandinavian names like Signe, carrying the sense of 'victory' or 'new victory' (i.e., 'victorious'). | Finnish, Scandinavian | Girl | 2,296 #28 | |
| Birgitta | Exalted, high; associated with strength and power | Irish, Scandinavian | Girl | 2,278 #29 | |
| Lykke | Happiness; luck; good fortune | Scandinavian | Girl | 2,249 #30 | |
| Iben | Uncertain: commonly given as 'yew' (from a Germanic root related to Ivo) or 'ebony' (from Danish association); interpretations vary | Scandinavian | Girl | 2,170 #31 | |
| Mette | Pearl (derived from Margaret) | Scandinavian | Girl | 2,156 #32 | |
| Lilli | Lily (the flower); associated with purity and innocence | English, German, Scandinavian | Girl | 2,132 #33 | |
| Saila | From Sanskrit 'Śaila' meaning 'mountain' or 'of the mountain'; also used as a feminine given name in Finland and other countries. | Finnish, Sanskrit, Scandinavian | Girl | 2,014 #34 | |
| Lena | From Helena meaning 'light, torch, shining'; in Arabic from Leena meaning 'tender, delicate' or 'young palm' | Arabic, German, Greek, Scandinavian, Slavic | Girl | 1,971 #35 | |
| Karin | Usually derived from Katherine meaning 'pure'; in Japanese can mean 'quince' or relate to 'flower' depending on kanji | Dutch, German, Japanese, Scandinavian | Girl | 1,953 #36 | |
| Kerstin | Follower of Christ (Christian) | Scandinavian | Girl | 1,863 #37 | |
| Tyra | Feminine form of the Old Norse name Týr, often interpreted as 'god' or 'god of battle' (associated with warfare and valor). | Norse, Scandinavian | Girl | 1,796 #38 | |
| Maila | Multiple origins: in Hawaiian related to the maile vine ('fragrant vine'); in Finnish the word means 'bat' or 'racket' and is used as a feminine name; also treated as a variant of names like Maija/Maja. | Estonian, Finnish, Hawaiian, Scandinavian | Girl | 1,662 #39 | |
| Titta | Diminutive/pet form of Birgitta/Bridget; the root Brigid means 'exalted one' or 'strength' | Scandinavian | Girl | 1,442 #40 | |
| Birgit | Exalted; strong, powerful | Scandinavian | Girl | 1,407 #41 | |
| Mille | Diminutive of Camilla/Emilie - generally 'young' or linked to roots meaning 'rival' (depending on the original name) | Scandinavian | Girl | 1,405 #42 | |
| Mina | Varies by origin: Persian 'azure/enamel', Sanskrit 'fish', Arabic 'harbor/port', or a diminutive of Wilhelmina meaning 'will/protection'. | Arabic, Germanic, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Sanskrit, Scandinavian | Girl | 1,384 #43 | |
| Meja | Variant of Maja/Maria - commonly associated with meanings from Maria such as "beloved" (or traditionally "bitter/sea of bitterness") | Scandinavian | Girl | 1,303 #44 | |
| Oline | Likely "ancestor's descendant" (from Old Norse Óláfr) | Scandinavian | Girl | 1,288 #45 | |
| Erla | Noblewoman | Icelandic, Norse, Scandinavian | Girl | 1,194 #46 | |
| Inger | Derived from the Norse god Ing (Yngvi); roughly 'belonging to Ing' or 'Ing's beauty/protection' | Scandinavian | Girl | 1,191 #47 | |
| Brita | Derived from Brigid: 'exalted one' or 'strength/power' | Scandinavian | Girl | 1,109 #48 | |
| Nanna | Associated with the moon (Sumerian deity); in Scandinavian use a pet form of Johanna/Anne - no single fixed etymological meaning in modern use. | Norse, Scandinavian, Sumerian | Girl | 1,075 #49 | |
| Janni | Derived from John/Johanna: "God is gracious." | Scandinavian | Girl | 1,041 #50 |
Scandinavian Girls name popularity over time
Aggregated births across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland for every Scandinavian-origin name in our dataset.
440
Names in this origin
157
With data in 2026
218,128
Births 2026
218,128
Peak year 2026