60+ Viking Boy Names That Guarantee They'll One Day Have An Impressive Beard
When selecting a name for your soon-to-arrive baby boy, you’re probably taking all kinds of things into consideration, like family names, names you just like the sound of, names with a specific meaning or originating in a certain part of the world, names with a quality you’d like your child to eventually possess — like musical talent, warrior spirit, fiery personality, elegance, and charm. That kind of thing.
Which brings us to Viking boy names. On the one hand, most of them sound pretty cool and some are still kind of unique. Like Viking names for girls, Viking boy names convey strength, and courage, and the spirit of exploration. On the other hand, much of what we know about male Vikings (at least from pop culture) doesn’t leave them coming out smelling like roses, with all the pillaging and arson, and whatnot — not to mention their treatment of women. (Though, in fairness, that criticism could apply to any group of boy names from any time period, including this one.)
Are we saying that Vikings should be canceled? No, that would be ridiculous…although pirates would be right there with them. But according to Viking tradition, babies are given names based on their association with certain qualities and personality traits, and/or the Norse god or animal that represents that quality. Of course, there’s no reason you have to take Viking naming tradition into consideration for your own child. Maybe you just really love the name “Leif,” or want your little guy to play hockey, or one day be able to grow a lush beard. Another Viking tradition involves naming babies after a highly respected relative or a local hero, so you can always go that route too.
In case you missed that day of history class, Vikings were seafaring Norse people who had the run of much of Europe, Northern Africa, and the Arctic between 793–1066 A.C.E. They also made it to the Middle East and North American (specifically, parts of Canada). They lived in the southern parts of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Today, the term “Scandinavian” is typically used in place of “Norse,” unless specifically referring to something that happened a long time ago.
Anyway, without further ado, here are popular Viking boy names, including their meaning and origin.
- Aesir
Origin: Norse Mythology Meaning: A god
- Alf
Origin: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish Meaning: Elf
- Alvis
Origin: Norse Mythology Meaning: A dwarf who was to marry Thor’s daughter Thrud
- Aren
Origin: Danish Meaning: Eagle
- Bjarke
Origin: Danish Meaning: Bear
- Bjarne
Origin: Ancient Scandinavian, Faroese Meaning: Bear
- Bjoern
Origin: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish Meaning: Bear
- Ebbe
Origin: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian Meaning: Wild boar
- Erik
Origin: Scandinavian Meaning: Eternal ruler
- Fenrir
Origin: Norse Mythology Meaning: A giant, monstrous wolf
- Frey
Origin: Norse Mythology: Meaning: Fertility, sunlight, and rain
- Gandalf
Origin: Old Norse Meaning: Wand elf
- Gisli
Origin: Icelandic, Faroese, Ancient Scandinavian Meaning: Pledge
- Helge
Origin: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish Meaning: Holy, #blessed
- Herleif
Origin: Norwegian Meaning: Warrior descendant
- Hrafen
Origin: Ancient Scandinavian Meaning: Raven
- Ivar
Origin: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish Meaning: Bow warrior, archer
- Leif
Origin: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish Meaning: Descendant, heir
- Loki
Origin: Norse Mythology Meaning: Trickster
- Magnus
Origin: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish Meaning: Great, mighty
- Njord
Origin: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish Meaning: Strong, vigorous
- Odin
Origin: Norse Mythology Meaning: Art, war, wisdom and death
- Olaf
Origin: Norwegian, Danish Meaning: Ancestor’s descendant
- Thor
Origin: Norse Mythology Meaning: Strength, thunder, war and storms
- Tyr
Origin: Norse Mythology Meaning: War and justice
More Viking Boy Names
We won’t Leif you hangin’ — here are more Viking boy names:
- Åge
- Arne
- Aric
- Asbjorne
- Arkyn
- Audor
- Birger
- Björn
- Bo
- Bragi
- Erling
- Espen
- Freyre
- Frode
- Gorm
- Gunnar
- Harald
- Kåre
- Njal
- Ødger
- Ragnar
- Rune
- Sindri
- Skarde
- Sten
- Storm
- Sune
- Svend
- Toke
- Torsten
- Troels
- Trygve
- Ulf
- Ulrik
- Vidar
- Volund
Viking Gods
A great way to dive deeper into the Viking culture is to learn about their god. The story of their deities is filled with interesting events and history. So, if you’re in need of a name with an exciting story behind it, see below for a few options.
- Odin
Odin is considered one of the strongest gods and is the Allfather of the Aesir. He rules over Asgard and is constantly on a quest for wisdom. He is the god of war, poetry, and magic.
- Loki
Loki is a god of trickery and mischief. He can shapeshift and is responsible for killing Blader, Odin, and Frigg’s son.
- Vidar
Vidar is the son of a supreme god and a giantess named Frid. He is just as powerful as Thor.
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