Swedish names and surnames, their historical roots. Scandinavian surnames (Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish) Female Swedish names

How often do we laugh at what is alien to us! This strange feature is inherent in, if not all, then many Russians: what is “ours” is correct, what is “not ours” is ridiculous and absurd. This applies primarily to foreign-language names, the sound of which Russians make fun of all the time. But after all, our Dima or Sveta may seem funny to foreigners, but meanwhile they have a lot of really interesting names and surnames, often with a unique history of origin. For example, in Sweden.

Sweden is one of the Scandinavian countries and, like any Scandinavian country, it has a lot of its funny and unusual traditions. This also applies to Swedish names and surnames. So, for example, the Swedes have about three hundred thousand names, but according to the law, children can only be given names from a certain list, in which there are no more than a thousand of them. However, circumvention of the rule is also allowed - but only with the permission of the court. Enough in Sweden and double and even triple names - perhaps this is due to a rather low birth rate. In this case, the first name will be the main one, and the subsequent ones may belong to one of the relatives.

But children from the royal family are generally called very long - they have at least four names. The Scandinavians do not give the children of the ruling dynasties Christian names, but, as a rule, choose names in honor of pagan ancestors. Also, often abbreviated Swedish names become independent - for example, Chris (from Christian).

If in Russia a child must be registered with the registry office immediately after birth, then the Swedes are more loyal in this regard - they give parents three months to decide how to name the baby. After this time, the child will still be recorded - at least under the last name, even if without a name.

The Swedes are very reverent in choosing a name. They believe that "whatever you call a boat, that's how it will float." Swedish names have only a positive meaning, they are often associated with power, courage, strength, freedom. Many names mean something from nature, religion, many symbolize this or that animal - as a rule, strong and fearless.

Male Swedish names: popularity and meaning

Interestingly, the different spellings of the name among the Swedes mean different names - such as Karl and Carl, Anna and Ana. It is Karl in the first spelling that breaks popularity records among male names in this country. It came from the ancient Germanic language, where at first it meant "free man", and then - "man". The second most common name for men is Eric - of Scandinavian origin. The name is considered "noble", it was worn by several kings both in Sweden and in other Scandinavian countries. Its meaning is "eternal ruler".

Further in the top ten, in the appropriate order, are Lars (Scandinavian, "laurel"), Anders (Scandinavian, "courageous, brave"), Per (Scandinavian, "stone, rock"), Mikael (Swedish, "like God"), Johan ( Germanic, “God’s grace”), Olof (Scandinavian, “observant”, the second version of the name is Olaf), Nils (Scandinavian form of the name Nikolai, “victor of nations”), Jan (Hebrew, form of the name Ivan, “God’s grace”).

Among Swedish male names there are those that are translated into our language in a more than strange way. These include, for example, Odd (“odd”), Even (“even”) or Axel (“shoulder”) - more than 50 thousand people have this name!

Female Swedish names: popularity and meaning

The first place in popularity in this country is occupied by the name Mary (of Hebrew origin, “serene, bitter, desirable.” The most popular name in the whole world). It is interesting that the Swedes have many female names that are consonant with ours, but if in Russia they end in “I”, then they end in “a”: Maria instead of Maria, Julia instead of Julia, and so on.

Also in the top ten most common female names are: Elisabeth (Scandinavian, "faithful to God"), Anna (Hebrew, "grace, merciful"), Christina (a variant of the name Christina, Christian, Greek, "Christian"), Margareta (Latin, " pearl"), Eve (Hebrew, "life-giver"), Brigid (Old Irish, "strength, power"), Karin (Latin, "sweet, dear, steer the ship"), Linnea (Swedish, "double flower"), Marie (American, "living by the ocean"). It is significant that Marie and Maria are two different names, obviously it's all about their spelling. It can be seen that among the popular Swedish female names there are many that are in Russia - in contrast to male ones.

Just like among male names, there are quite funny meanings among female ones. For example, the name Lillmore translates as "little mother", Saga means "fairy tale", and Ylva (that's the name of more than ten thousand women) - "wolf".

The most common surnames and their meaning

Like all Scandinavians, the Swedes did not have surnames until the 20th century - they simply did not need them. Instead of surnames, they used patronymics or mothers' names, for this purpose they used the prefixes "son" ("son") and "dottir" ("daughter"). Among the Scandinavian countries, the Danes were the first to “surname”, looking at them, the rest did the same. However, in Sweden, bearing a surname was still optional until 1901, when a law was passed stating that everyone should have a surname.

It was instructed to urgently invent it for yourself. And then people wrote down as a surname either the name of the father with the prefix "dream" (Andersson - the son of Anders), or their nicknames (as a rule, they had a natural meaning: Bjork - "birch", Sjoberg - "cliff" and so on), or, if the person was a military man - an army nickname (Sköld - "shield", Dolk - "dagger"). Basically, they went along the first path, which is why surnames with the prefix "sleep" are so popular in Sweden and it is not difficult to determine the origin of a person with a similar surname. It is noteworthy that they always have a doubled letter "c" - Andersson, Petersson, Johannesson and so on. The second "s" refers to the prefix "sleep", and the first denotes belonging to any person - the son of Anders, the son of Peter, the son of Johannes, and so on.

Interestingly, at the birth of a child, after the lapse of the three months mentioned, if the parents still do not know what to name the baby, he is recorded under the name of the mother, not the father. This rule has been in effect in Sweden since 1986. When marrying, the newlyweds can decide among themselves whether to take the surname of the husband or wife, but at the same time, if the man's surname is "common" and the woman's surname is "noble", they take her surname without discussion. Such “noble” ones include, for example, surnames with the prefix “von” or “af”, and in the case of the prefix “son”, the second “s” is not added to them.

In the top ten most popular Swedish surnames - all in "sleep": Andersson, Johansson, Karlsson, Nilsson, Ericsson, Larsson, Ulsson, Persson, Svensson, Gustafsson. Interestingly, the surname "Karlsson", which is in third place, is carried by more than three hundred thousand people - you can imagine how many Anderssons were in Sweden then!

What are newborns called in Sweden?

Of course, the above names are always in demand. However, every year something new appears, because any parent wants to excel, to give his child a unique name. So, in 2016, the ten most popular names for Swedish babies included Oscar, Lucas, William, Liam, Oliver for boys, and Alice, Lilly, May, Elsa, Ella for girls.

Perhaps all the peoples of the world should learn from the Swedes the talent to choose names for their children. The whole world is full of names with negative or "middle" meanings, which so often bring disappointment or failure to their owners. In this regard, the Swedes think far ahead, from birth, with the help of a correctly chosen name, laying in children the desire for victory, strength and courage.

Modern male and female Swedish names have a surprisingly wide variety. Their total number is about three hundred and forty thousand. However, not every one of these names can be used by contemporaries. Swedish law sets a number of restrictions in the field of naming. Parents are allowed to name a newborn child only officially. There are no more than one and a half thousand of them. If relatives want to give the newborn a female or male Swedish name that is not among the official ones, they need to obtain court permission for this.

Choosing a Swedish name for a boy and a girl

As already noted, the Swedish name book is very large. However, families in Sweden are quite small, and the birth rate is very low. In view of this, parents often give the child two or even three names. When naming a baby, they focus on several important factors at once. Firstly, the sound of the Swedish name chosen for the boy or girl is taken into account. It should be beautiful, melodic and non-trivial. No less close attention is paid to the interpretation of names. Parents wish their children the very best. In view of this, they try to select only those names for newborns that have a positive meaning. Realizing such a desire is not at all difficult.

The meaning of most beautiful Swedish names and surnames is positive. Very often it is associated with such categories as victory, strength, courage, power, etc. Names with a similar meaning are an echo of the distant Viking era, which consisted of incessant battles and battles.

Today, when naming children, such a factor as the child's horoscope is also taken into account. Swedish names for boys and girls by doing various astronomical and numerological calculations.

List of popular Swedish boy names

1. Andesh. From ancient Greek "man"
2. Bjorn. Swedish boy name meaning "bear"
3. Johanes. From the Hebrew "Yahweh is merciful"
4. Lars. Interpreted as "crowned with laurel" / "winner"
5. Magnus. Translated into Russian means "big"
6. Mats. Swedish boy name which means = "God's gift"
7. Rudolf. Literally translated means "glorious wolf"
8. Hugo. Interpreted as "brilliant soul"
9. Eric. Translated into Russian means "eternal ruler"
10. Emil. Swedish male name meaning "zealous"

List of the best modern Swedish names for girls

1. Brigitte. Translated into Russian means "strong"
2. Ingeborg. Interpreted as "protected Ingvio" (god of fertility)
3. Kerstin. Swedish girl name meaning "follower of Christ"
4. Linnaeus. Corresponds to the name of the flower, named after the botanist Carl Linnaeus
5. Margaretta. Translated into Russian means "pearl"
6. Otilia. Swedish female name which means = "rich"
7. Ulrika. Interpreted as "power"
8. Ursula. Translated into Russian, it means "bear"
9. Helge. Swedish girl name meaning "sacred"
10. Elsa. Swedish form of Elisabeth = "God is my oath"

The most popular male and female Swedish names

• To date, the most common female Swedish names such as Anna, Eva and Ursula are considered.
• In addition, girls are often called Ella, Ulrika, Ingeborg and Birgitt.
• As for the most popular male names in Sweden, they include Karl, Lars, Erik, Andesh, Per and Johan.

Hello again! Today we will talk about beautiful Swedish female names. In contrast to the selection, where we mainly cited statistical data for 2011 and 2012 and did not talk about their significance.

In this collection, we will talk about female names of Scandinavian origin and their meanings!

Begin!

1. AGATA: Italian and Spanish form of the name, derived from the Latin Agatha, which means "good, kind."
2. ADELA: Latin form of Germanic Adala means "noble". Used by Danes and Swedes.
3. AGDA: Swedish form from Latin Agatha means "good, kind".
4. AGNETA: Danish and Swedish form from Greek Hagne, means "chaste, holy."
5. AGNETTA: Variation from Swedish Agneta, also meaning "chaste, holy."
6. ALVA: Swedish feminine form of the old Norse name Alf, meaning "Elf".
7. ANIKA: Variation of the Swedish name Annika, meaning "sweet, graceful".
8. ANNALISA: Danish and Swedish variation of the name from the Scandinavian Annelise, meaning: "graceful, gracious" and "God is my oath"
9. ANNBORG: Norwegian and Swedish form of Old Norse Arnbjorg meaning "protected by an eagle".
10. ANNEKA: A variant of the Swedish Annika meaning "sweet, graceful".
11. ANNIKA: The Swedish version is from the German Anniken, meaning "sweet, graceful".
12. ARNBORG: Swedish form of old Norwegian Arnbjorg, meaning "protected by an eagle".
13. ARNBORG: Old form from Swedish Arnborg, meaning "protected by an eagle".
14. OSA: Swedish form of Icelandic Ása, meaning "God".
15. ÅSLÖG: Swedish form of Old Norse Áslaug, meaning "God betrothed woman".
16. ASRID: The Swedish version is from the Scandinavian Astrid, meaning "Divine Beauty".
17. AUDA: The Swedish version is from Old Norse Auðr, meaning "Very fertile, rich".
18. BAREBRA: An old Swedish form of the name from the Greek Barbara, meaning "foreign, unfamiliar".
19. BATILDA: Swedish form of Old Germanic Bathilda, meaning "to fight".
20. BENEDIKTA: Swedish feminine form of Scandinavian name Benedikt, meaning "Holy".
21. BENGTA: Feminine form of the Swedish name Bengt, meaning "Blessed".
22. BOTHILD: Swedish form of Scandinavian Bodil, meaning "Rematch".
23. CAJSA: A variant derived from the Swedish Kajsa, meaning "Pure".
24. CHARLOTTA: Swedish form of French Charlotte, meaning "Man".
25. DAHLIA: An English name derived from the name of a flower, from the surname of the Swedish botanist Anders Dahl, meaning "valley", hence "Dal's Flower" or "Valley Flower".
26. EMELIE: Swedish form of the English name Emily, meaning "Competing".
27. FREDRIKA: Feminine form of Norwegian/Swedish Fredrik, meaning "peaceful ruler".
28. FREJA: Danish and Swedish form of Old Norse Freyja, meaning "lady, mistress".
29. FROJA: Old Swedish form of Old Norse Freyja, meaning "lady, mistress".
30. GARD: Swedish form of the Old Norse name Gerðr, meaning "enclosing, citadel".
31. GERDI: Danish and Swedish form of Old Norse Gerðr, meaning "enclosing, citadel".
32. GERDY: Norwegian and Swedish form of Old Norse Gerðr, meaning "enclosing, citadel".
33. GITTAN: Swedish pet name from Scandinavian Birgitta, meaning "exalted".
34. GRETA: Short form of Danish/Swedish Margareta meaning "pearl".
35. GULLA
36. GULLAN: Diminutive name from the Danish-Swedish Gunilla, meaning "Battle".
37. GUNILLA: Danish and Swedish variant of the Scandinavian Gunhild, meaning "Battle".
38. HELGI: Swedish pet name from Icelandic Helga, meaning “saint; dedicated to the gods”, like the male Helgi.
39. HILLEVI: Finnish and Swedish form from German Heilwig.
40. IDE: Danish and Swedish form of Icelandic Iða, meaning "industrious".
41. JANNIKE: Feminine form of Swedish Jannik meaning "God is merciful".
42. KAI: A variant of the Swedish Kaj meaning "pure".
43. KAIA: A variant of the Swedish/Danish name Kaja meaning "pure".
44. KAJ: Short form of Swedish Katerina meaning "pure".
45. KAJA: Danish and Swedish pet name of the Scandinavian name Katharina, meaning "pure".
46. KAJSA: A diminutive form of the Swedish Kaj, meaning "pure".
47. KARIN: Short form of Swedish Katerin, meaning "pure".
48. CATARINA: Swedish form of Greek Aikaterine, meaning "pure". This name is also used in Germany, Hungary, and many Slavic countries.
49. KATERIN: An old Swedish name, derived from the Greek Aikaterine, meaning "pure".
50. KATERINA: The Swedish form is from Scandinavian Katharina, meaning "pure".
51. KATINA: Short form of Swedish Katarina, meaning pure.
52. KERSTIN: Swedish form of the Latin name Christina, meaning "believer" or "Christ's follower".
53. KIA: A diminutive name from the Swedish Kerstin, meaning "Believer" or "Christ's Investigator".
54. KJERSTIN: Norwegian or Swedish form of the Latin name Christina, meaning "Believer" or "Christ's Investigator".
55. krista: Swedish diminutive of the Latin Kristina, meaning "believer" or "Christ follower".
56. LINN: Short name from Swedish Linnéa, meaning "twin flower".
57. LINNEA: Swedish form of Latin Linnaea, meaning "twin flower".
58. LOTTA: Short form of Swedish Charlotta.
59. LOVISA: Feminine version of the Swedish name Love, meaning "famous warrior".
60. MALIN: Swedish name derived from the Latin Magdalena.
61. MARGARETA: Danish and Swedish variant of the Scandinavian name Margaretha, meaning "Pearl".
62. MARIT: Norwegian and Swedish form of the name from the Greek Margarites, meaning "Pearl".
63. MARNA: Swedish form of the Roman Marina, meaning "From the sea".
64. MÄRTA: Swedish form of the English name Margaret, meaning "Pearl".
65. MIA: Danish and Swedish pet name from the Latin Maria, meaning "stubbornness" or "their rebellion."
66. MIKAELA: feminine form of the name Mikael, meaning "Who is like God?"
67. MY: Swedish pet name from Latin Maria, meaning "stubbornness" or "their rebellion."
68. NEA: Short form from Swedish Linnéa.
69. NILSINE: Feminine form of the Swedish name Nils, which means "Winner"
70. ÖDA: Swedish form of the Old Norse name Auðr, meaning "deeply rich".
71. OTTALIE: Swedish form of German Ottilia meaning "Abounding".
72. OTTILIE: A variant of the Swedish name Ottalie, meaning "Abounding".
73. PERNILLA: Swedish form of Roman-Latin Petronilla meaning "little rock/stone"
74. RAGNILD: Swedish variant of the Scandinavian name Ragnhild, meaning "combat adviser".
75. REBECKA: Swedish form of Greek Rhebekka.
76. SASSA: A diminutive form of the Swedish name Asrid, meaning "Beautiful God"
77. SOFIA: Variation from the Greek name Sophia, meaning "wisdom, common sense." This form of the name is widely used throughout Europe by Finns, Italians, Germans, Norwegians, Portuguese and Swedes.
78. SOLVIG: Swedish form of the Old Norse name Solveig, meaning "strong house, dwelling".
79. SUSANN: Swedish form of Scandinavian name Susanna, meaning "Lily".
80. SVANHILDA: Swedish variant of the Scandinavian name Svanhild.
81. SVEA: Swedish name derived from Svea rike ("Empire of the Swedes").
82. TERESIA: Germanic and Swedish form of the Spanish Teresa.
83. THORBJÖRG: Swedish variation of the Icelandic Torbjörg, meaning "Protection of Thor".
84. THORBORG: Danish and Swedish variation of the Icelandic Torbjörg, meaning "Protection of Thor".
85. THORFRIDH
86. THORRIDH: Old Swedish form of the Old Norse name Torríðr, meaning "Thor's Beauty".
87. TORBJORG: Old Swedish form of the Old Norse name Torbjörg, meaning "Protection of Thor".
88. TORHILDA: Swedish and Norwegian variation of the Scandinavian name Torhild, meaning "Fight of Thor."
89. TOVA: Swedish variation of the Scandinavian name Tove, meaning "Thor" or "Thunder."
90. TYRI: Swedish variant of Old Norse Tyri, meaning "Host of Thor".
91. ULVA: Swedish form of Icelandic Úlfa, meaning she-wolf.
92. VALDIS: Swedish and Norwegian form of the Old Norse name Valdís, meaning "Goddess of the Fallen in Battle".
93. VALLBORG: Swedish version of the Scandinavian name Valborg, meaning "Saving the fallen in battle."
94. VENDELA: Feminine form from Norwegian/Swedish Vendel, meaning "moving, wandering", referring to the migrating Slavs in the 6th century.
95. VIVA: Norwegian and Swedish short name from Scandinavian Vivianne, meaning “alive; lively".
96. VIVEKA: Swedish form of the Germanic name Wibeke, meaning "War".

To be continued…

The translation was done by Arkady Karlkvist. When copying, please put a link to this page. If you have your own collections, then send links to them, we will post them on this page.

If you spot any inaccuracies, please report them in the comments below.

Also share your opinions - what names do you like?

Swedish names sound especially melodious and harmonious. They are unusual for the Slavic ear, but this does not make them less attractive. Few people know, but the inhabitants of Sweden cannot name children, guided by their desire. According to the legislation of this country, its citizens have the right to name newborns only by officially registered names. There are about one thousand of them in the state. The list is quite large, so there is plenty to choose from. But if parents wish to name their child by some exotic name that is not included in the list of registered ones, then they need to obtain permission to do so through the courts.

Swedish names for the king's family

Traditionally, children in Sweden are given double or triple names. But this is not the limit. Almost all representatives of the Swedish royal family have long names, consisting of four parts. For example, the monarch of this state was named Folke Hubertus at birth. The full names of his children sound no less unusual. The Swedish princesses are named Victoria Ingrid Alice Desiree and Madeleine Therese Amelie Josephine, and the prince is Carl Philipp Edmund Bertil.

Features of Swedish names

The main thing among the Swedes is the first name. He is chosen with special trepidation. Second and subsequent names are often given in honor of maternal or paternal relatives. This shows the reverence of the Scandinavians for their ancestors.

All Swedish names are chosen very carefully. They should not only sound beautiful, but also have a good interpretation. Many names in Sweden are associated with power, strength, courage, victory. They arose during the time of the warlike Vikings, who spent almost their entire lives in endless battles. In addition, some of the names are associated with religion and nature.

What are Swedish children called today?

Like in any other country, Sweden has its own list of common names. In recent years, boys have been choosing names such as: Karl (meaning - a free man, man), Eric (eternal ruler), Lars (awarded with a laurel), Anders (courageous), Johannes (Yahweh is merciful), Olaf (ancestor), Niels (winner of nations). It is no less fashionable if the child's name is Magnus (big), Ulrik (powerful, rich), Rudolf (glorious wolf), Emil (rival), Mikael (resembling God), Per (stone). The most popular double Swedish names for men are as follows: Jan-Erik, Lars-Erik, Per-Olaf, Karl-Erik, Jan-Olaf and Sven-Erik.

The best today are Alice (noble family), Brigitte (strong), Anna (gracious), Emma (huge), Mary (desired), Linnea (derived from the name of the flower), Christina (supporter of Christ). Do not give up their positions Helga (sacred), Ingeborg (protected by the god of fertility Ingvio), Margaretta (pearl), Ulrika (powerful), Julia (curly), Katarina (pure), Elisabeth (worshiping God), Eva (breathing, alive ). Fashionable double Swedish female names are Britt-Maria. Such combinations are considered among the Scandinavians the most favorable.

Swedish parents take great responsibility in choosing a name for their child. They are sure: if the baby is named correctly, his fate will turn out well. For this reason, the Swedes never have a negative interpretation.

In this publication, we will again turn to official sources, in which you can always find the most recent and accurate information. We offer you a list of Swedish surnames, which contains not only the surnames of Swedes, but also a whole rating with the number of carriers of this surname.

Today we will find out how many “Ivanovs” are in the Swedish environment?!

Most Swedish surnames end in ‘-sson’, which means son of such and such. For example, Johansson (can be considered Russian Ivanov) - Son of Johan and so on.

Surnames with the endings -berg, -ström, -stedt are also common.

We will highlight the first 10 positions - the most popular surnames that can be found in Sweden, along with (Johan Johansson, Anders Larsson, etc.).

Large list of Swedish surnames

A small explanation for the surnames in the table: the letter Ö is pronounced like “Ё”. For example, the surname Högberg should be pronounced Högbery, but not Hogberg. Everything has its own rules!