100 Scandinavian Baby Girl Names

By

Tassia O'Callaghan

·

Oct 4 2021

·

Updated

Jan 7 2026

·

7 min read

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Scandinavian baby girl names are strong, beautiful, and possibly the perfect choice for your little one. Here, we’re sharing some of our favorites. Scandinavia is the northern region of Europe known for its Viking past, its fairy tales, and its sophisticated contemporary design style.

Technically, the name refers to the three kingdoms of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

But the other Nordic countries of Finland and Iceland also share a lot of the same cultural and linguistic history.

So, did someone ask, What are some Viking girl names? Well, you’re very much in the right place.

Here are some of the most popular, unique, and beautiful Scandinavian girl names from across the region.

50 Scandinavian baby girl names and meanings

  1. Agnes. A common name across the whole Scandinavian region and beyond. It comes from the Greek word meaning "pure" or "chaste".
  2. Aino. Meaning "the only one". We like it a lot, and so do many others in Finland and Estonia, where it often tops the lists of most popular names.
  3. Alberte. Of course, it’s quite similar to the male name Albert, meaning "wise" and "graceful". But this Scandinavian female name has an elegant twist.
  4. Alma. The most popular girl name in Denmark right now, according to Statistics Denmark, and a favorite across the region. It comes from the Latin almus meaning "nourishing".
  5. Astrid. The fourth most popular Scandinavian girls’ name in Sweden, it means "divinely beautiful". Can’t argue with a name like that!
  6. Clara. The Scandinavian version of Claire, it’s also popular in other cultures across Europe.
  7. Elise. A variation on Elisa, or a shortened version of Elisabeth. Elise means "my God is abundance".
  8. Elsa. Probably destined to be the most popular name in the world, Elsa is another variation on Elisabeth — and obviously the snow queen from Disney’s Frozen, too.
  9. Eva. Well-liked across Scandinavia and much of the western world, Eva means "life".
  10. Eveliina. A name that’s common in Finland, Eveliina is a local twist on Eva.
  11. Freja. It means simply, "lady" or "mistress". But it’s a top 10 girls’ name in both Denmark and Sweden.
  12. Frida. Of German origin, Frida means "peace". The Mexican artist Frida Kahlo gave the name new popularity across the world.
  13. Gry. It means "dawn".
  14. Guðrún. According to Statistics Iceland, this is the country’s most popular girl name. It’s spelled Gudrun in the rest of Scandinavia, and it means "God’s lore".
  15. Hedda. It means "warrior in the war". A name for a strong and courageous little girl. For the readers among you, it’s also the famous character from Hedda Gabler, a popular play by Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen.
  16. Hedwig. Contender for the most famous owl in literature? Thanks, J.K. Rowling. The name started life as a popular Scandinavian saint’s name for girls.
  17. Helga. Meaning "holy" or "blessed", Helga is a popular name across northern Europe.
  18. Helmi. Used in Finland as a short name for Vilhelmiina, Helmi means "pearl" or "bead".
  19. Iben. A unique Norwegian name referring to the wood of the yew tree.
  20. Ida. "Industrious" or "prosperous". It’s a top 20 name for girls across Scandinavia.
  21. Ingrid. A combination of the Norse fertility god Ing and the word fríðr, meaning "beautiful". A name was famously borne by actress Ingrid Bergman.
  22. Íris. Meaning "rainbow".
  23. Juni. Simply, it means June. But it’s a very cute name that’s popular across Scandinavia.
  24. Katarina. Related to the name Catherine, it means "pure".
  25. Karla. "Womanly". It’s a name particularly popular in Denmark.
  26. Kerttu. The Finnish form of Gertrude, Kerttu means "warrior".
  27. Kristín. Currently the third most popular name in Iceland, this Scandinavian name for girls means "follower of Christ".
  28. Lærke. Referring to "lark" (the bird), this name has been consistently popular in Denmark for nearly a century.
  29. Lilja. A Swedish and Finnish name, it means "lily".
  30. Linnea. One of Scandinavia’s most common girl names, it means "lime" or "linden tree".
  31. Mathilde. "Battle-mighty".
  32. Maya. From the Greek, meaning "good mother".
  33. Merle. It comes from Muriel, or the French word for "blackbird".
  34. Mette. Meaning "pearl".
  35. Mille. A Scandinavian name related to Camilla, it actually means "helper of the priest".
  36. Nora. One of the top names in Norway, it means "honor".
  37. Oda. "Riches". One of the most beautiful and simple Scandinavian female names.
  38. Oline. A female version of Olaf.
  39. Selma. It may have Celtic roots (meaning "beautiful view") or Arabic roots (meaning "peaceful"). Either way, we think it makes a very lovely name.
  40. Signe. Pronounced ‘sin-ya’, Signe means "victory". It’s particularly popular in Sweden.
  41. Sigrid. "Victor", "wisdom", "beauty". A lot of meanings for this popular Scandinavian name.
  42. Sigríður. An Icelandic version of Sigrid, but with the Icelandic ‘ð’ (a letter pronounced a little like ‘th’).
  43. Sofie. A classic with a Scandinavian twist. It means "wisdom".
  44. Solveig. "Strength of the house". Most popular in Norway and Iceland.
  45. Thelma. "Will". She’ll grow up to be a girl you won’t mess with.
  46. Tiril. A Norwegian name with origins that are a little obscure. But it’s still beautiful and unique.
  47. Tuva. It may mean "tuft of grass", and it’s a great Scandinavian name that you don’t hear much across the rest of the world. We like it.
  48. Vera. A name of Slavic origin meaning "faith".
  49. Vilde. It means "battle of the elves". Yep, you read that right. What a magical name for your daughter!
  50. Wilma. "Helmet" or "protection".

50 more Scandinavian names for girls

  1. Aleksandra
  2. Alina
  3. Amalie
  4. Andrea
  5. Anna
  6. Aurora
  7. Birna
  8. Ebba
  9. Edith
  10. Eline
  11. Ella
  12. Ellinor
  13. Emilie
  14. Emma
  15. Enni
  16. Esther
  17. Erla
  18. Harpa
  19. Helena
  20. Hilla
  21. Hulda
  22. Ilona
  23. Ines
  24. Isabella
  25. Isla
  26. Johanne
  27. Josefine
  28. Julia
  29. Kaarina
  30. Karen
  31. Laura
  32. Lea
  33. Leia
  34. Leonora
  35. Linda
  36. Livia
  37. Lo
  38. Luna
  39. Margrét
  40. Marie
  41. Meja
  42. Mia
  43. Nova
  44. Olivia
  45. Saga
  46. Sara
  47. Thea
  48. Venla
  49. Victoria
  50. Viola

What is the most beautiful name for a baby girl?

Finding the most beautiful name for your baby girl is what this whole adventure is about.

And maybe you’ve found it among these Scandinavian baby girl names.

But there are many more wonderful baby girl names out there.

Why not try one of these lists for further inspiration?

Happy naming!

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She is here!

When they say trust your intuition and forget about your birth plan...we can attest to both!

I was due on the 14th and had been having early labour simtoms since 39 weeks. We were planning a homebirth with pool and were impatiently waiting for labour to kick in. On Thursday 17th we went to the hospital because baby's movements had reduced and I had started having some contractions and stronger pain than usual. We went to triage and they monitored me, baby's heart rate was OK but she wasn't moving as much. So after waiting a few hours at the hospiral I decided to get checked and I was already dilated and cervix was low and thin. We decided to go home and rest and see if her movements would pick up. By Friday morning she hadn't moved so we went back to the hospital at 6am, they monitored me again and this time her heart rate was acellerated and sometimes it would dip as well. As more people kept coming in and out the room checking the paper out of the monitor I kept thinking "they will push to have a cesarean...please God everything but that!". At 7:00 they start giving me anti nausea tablets "just in case" and putting a canula in "just in case". At 7:30 they tell me we need to move quickly for a c-section.

I was shocked, I had a little cry, but I felt my only option was to trust the doctors and do what was best for our daughter. They were changing me and prepping me as I signed consent, my husband also was changing while paying for parking and following me down the corridor. In 30 min they had already rushed me into the theatre.

I never had surgery in my life so I prayed all the way there and during, holding tight to a rosary as they did the epidural and told me a million information at once. The staff was superb, they all introduced themselves with calm and sweet voices, reassured me, cheered me on, told me I was doing amazing. In the room there were 15 people as shift had just changed so both teams were on. Even though I was absolutely shellshocked I kept a brave face on and told myself "don't think about it, everything will be over soon and this is the way it needs to go". Everything was moving so fast that somehow it didn't give me time to properly feel the fear and weight of what was happening! My husband also was an absolute rock and kept his cool, smiling at me as if this was our plan all along, which helped me stay strong.

The epidural worked almost immediately, and before I could realise how weird it all felt, our daughter Maria Margherita was born Friday at 8:13, weighting 3.47kg. They checked her quickly, had my husband cut the cord and then immediately gave her to me, were she stayed for 3 hours because she immediately fed and the staff felt she was more comfortable on me anyway.

They told us what the issue was: basically she had the cord wrapped around her neck and body because it was super long, and was distressing her when I contracted...so I would have probably had a really long labour and ended up with a c-section anyway after being in pain and exhausted for who knows how long. An absolute blessing I was able to sleep well at home and go in with all my strength and energy without any of the stress and fear I would have felt if I had known how things would have unfolded!

By 8:30 we were in our own room being checked, and by Sat at 13:00 we were both discarged and have been resting at home.

In all fairness it was definitely not our plan, and actually c-section was the one thing I really hoped wouldn't happen...however, by the Grace of God, we have recovered at the speed of light, I'm already off pain medication, up and running, breastfeeding and pumping because I have too much milk, went to the bathroom regurarly without any issues, not using medical pads anymore because I only have some light spotting...so couldn't be recovering faster!

She is also the sweetest and greatest baby we could have hoped for: sleeps 3 hours in the cot (even though I love having her on me), feeds 20 min, sleeps again after a nappy change and barely fusses when midwifes check her.

Again, this is all to say that sometimes the thing you pray would never happen to you and think its the greatest risk, the biggest threat and the longer road to happiness, happens to be really the greatest blessing in disguise! So to all the moms out there who dread medical intervention, I would say it's all valid, but the alternative can also be incredibly rewarding and necessary and beautiful anyway! I was so against a cesarean, that even if they told me how amazingly I would be doing now I would have told them I preferred the pain!! But I have been proven wrong and I'm glad we trusted the doctors and that things went as they did.

Maybe next time I get to use a birthing pool 🤣

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Is it just me, or is the advice about movements just so subjective? I wish there was a more concrete way to track. They talk about reduced movement but recently I’ve been told about too much movement can be a red flag, or movement that’s regular but different so like wiggles instead of kicks. Why is it so stressful! 30 weeks pregnant and just want bubba here safely now!

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Early gender scans

Has anyone had an early gender scan before there 20 week scan and did the results match up to your 20 week scan? :)

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Baby scan

Had twelve week scan today, baby is due 3rd April. Baby was bouncing round none stop 🤣

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Any recommendations/tips for c-section prep and recovery

Hi everyone, I'm a first time mum and currently 36+5.

Went for a growth scan the other day (first scan I've had since 20 weeks) and even though growth is fine I found out my baby is breech despite being told she's head down at every appointment since 28 weeks.

I've opted for a planned C-section as I didn't like the risks with the ECV and the doctor said it's unlikely she'll move herself since it's my first pregnancy.

I'm fine with the idea of changing my birth plan from a natural birth but I'm a bit late to the party of researching post partum stuff for a C-section and anything I should be doing to prepare before hand or things I need to take to the hospital that would be useful specifically for a C-section.

If anyone has any advice, I would very much appreciate it as this change of plan means I'm only 2 weeks away from meeting my baby which is quite scary and I'd planned post partum for a natural birth 😅

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Stomach acid

At 36 weeks and 3 days now and the stomach acid is real. Threw up for the first time in a while the other morning, straight after eating my breakfast and now most mornings when I wake up I feel sick for ages. And then when I eat it comes back. Anyone got any tips apart from gaviscon as already using that.

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