Mother and Baby

27 stylish Scandinavian baby names for boys and girls

Section: Baby names

Thanks to gripping television dramas, beautiful interior design and minimal fashion trends, it's no wonder that Scandi-inspired baby names are becoming increasingly popular.

If you've spent too much time scrolling through naming trends and feel like you've exhausted all the baby moniker lists going; everything from the top baby girl and boys names for 2019, cute as a button girly names, wintery names, Victorian names or empowering names - you're in luck. The names on this list are unusual and have a pinch of that all-important Scandinavian style and mystique!

Interestingly, Scandinavian countries have got some pretty strict naming laws. In Denmark, you can choose from a list of only 7,000 pre-approved names, in Iceland, there is a Naming Committee which decides whether a name is acceptable or not and in Norway you can't choose a name that is traditionally a last name! But trust us, all that legislation doesn't prevent them from having some really beautiful names...

Scandinavian baby names:

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1) Annika

Annika is a beautiful Swedish girls name. It is a diminutive of Anna and has several lovely meanings: 'grace', 'gracious', 'graceful' and 'favoured'.
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2) Arvid

Arvid is a Scandinavian boys name of Old Norse origin, meaning 'forest of eagles'. It can also refer to a 'king' or 'legend'.
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3) Ida

Ida is a popular girls name in both Scandinavia and Germany. It means 'labour' or 'work' and is also the name of the Old Norse goddess 'Iðunn'.
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4) Axel

Axel is a boys name that pops up all over Europe in Scandinavia, France, Germany and Holland. It means 'father of peace'. In Norway, it is often spelt 'Aksel' and in Finland 'Akseli'. There is also a feminine version of the name - Axelle.
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5) Janica

Janica is a Scandinavian girls name which can also be spelt 'Jannike'. It means 'God is gracious'. It is also popular in Eastern Europe and relates to Roman mythology - Jan was the wife of Janus, the god of beginnings, transitions and time.
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6) Ebbe

Ebbe is a Scandinavian boys name which is also occasionally used in Germany. It is a diminutive of 'Ebsen' and means 'wild boar' or 'strong as a boar'. The feminine version of the name is Ebba.
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7) Kajsa

Kajsa is a Scandinavian girls name, most common in Sweden, meaning 'pure'. It is often used as a diminutive of Katarina or Karin.
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8) Frans

Frans is a popular boys name in Scandinavia and Germany. In Swedish or Danish it means 'free'.
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9) Laila

Laila is a Scandinavian girls name meaning 'nightfall'. It is derived from the Arabic Leila meaning 'night' 'dark' or 'beauty' and the Persian meaning 'dark-haired'. It has several alternative spellings - Laijla, Laíla and Lailah.
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10) Loke

Loke is a Scandinavian boys name which is a modern spelling of the Old Norse God (and Marvel baddie played by Tom Hiddleston) Loki. It means 'He who breaks or destroys' so it is the perfect name for a boisterous little boy.
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11) Linnea

Linnea or Linnéa is a Scandinavian girls name meaning 'lime tree' or 'twinflower'. There are two masculine versions: Linnaeus and Linné.
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12) Matteo

Matteo or Matteus is a boys name which is popular in Scandinavia and Italy. It simply means 'Gift from God'.
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13) Lykke

Lykke is a Scandinavian girls name from the Danish meaning 'happiness' or 'good fortune'. It is pronounced louk-keh although the Swedish indie singer Lykke Li is often pronounced lik-keh lee.
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14) Mikael

Mikael is a Scandinavian boys name which can also be spelt as Michiel, Mikel or Mikkel. It is a Scandinavian version of the English name Michael and means 'who is like God' or 'gift from God'.
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15) Maja

Maja is an intriguing Scandinavian, Geman and Arabic girls name meaning 'splendid'. It can be pronounced like my-a, ma-zha or ma-ha.
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16) Neo

Neo is a boys name that is popular in Scandinavia, meaning 'new'. 
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17) Mina

Mina is a Scandinavian and Gemeran girls name meaning 'love'. It is a perfect fit for the trend of short girls names ending in 'a'. 
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18) Nils

Nils is a Scandinavian boys name. It means 'victory of the people': a compound name composed of the elements nikē (Goddess of victory) and laos (the people). 
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19) Saga

Saga is a Scandinavian girls name meaning 'seeing one'. It is also the name of Saga Norén, the lead character from the hit Swedish TV crime series The Bridge.
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20) Olle

Olle is the Scandinavian version of the boys name 'Ollie'. It is a wise name, coming from the Old Norse name Óláfr or bin, meaning 'ancestor's descendant'. In Swedish it is a diminutive of the name Olaf. It can also be spelt Ole.
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21) Sanna

Sanna is a Scandinavian girls name meaning 'truth'. It can be a shortening of Susanna and may also mean 'Lily' or 'lotus flower',
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22) Sigge

Sigge is a Scandinavian boys name meaning 'victory or 'victory bear'.
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23) Sigrid

Sigrid is a Scandinavian girls name which could be the feminine form of 'Sigge'. It means 'beautiful victory'.
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24) Viggo

Viggo is a Scandinavian boys name, mostly used in Denmark and Norway. It can also be spelt Wiggo. It either comes from the Old Norse meaning 'battle' or 'fight' but it may also come from the Iceland name Vöggur meaning 'one who lies in a cradle' - which makes it a cute baby name.
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25) Synnove

Synnove is a Scandinavian girls name meaning 'gift of the sun'. It can also be spelt Sunniva.
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26) Wilmer

Wilmer is a Scandinavian or Geman boys name meaning 'resolute' or 'famous'. 
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27) Ulla

Ulla is a Scandinavian girls name meaning 'determined'. Ulla may also be an abbreviation of Ursula or Ulrika.

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Catriona originally joined the team as an Editorial Assistant to work on the 2019 M&B Awards. As a Digital Writer, she has written and updated hundreds of articles on the site from medical explainers to celebs news and shopping galleries.

Catch her running along the Thames or eating her way around London's restaurants.

 

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