50+ Modern Scandinavian Boy Names With Meanings

Georgia Stone
Feb 16, 2024 By Georgia Stone
Originally Published on Nov 18, 2020
Newborn baby boy holding orange pastel tulip bouquet.



Scandinavia, as a part of northern Europe, includes the countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Did you know Scandinavia used to be called Scandia? The earliest known source for this name is Pliny the Elder's Natural History. The name Scandinavia then meant "dangerous island", which is thought to refer to the treacherous sand dunes around Scania.

The term Scandinavia comes from the southern part of Sweden, called Skane, or Scania. The German stem can be restructured as skaoan which means "dangerous" or "damaged". Second part of the word is reconstructed as awjo, meaning "island" or "land on the water".

Known worldwide for its breathtaking scenery and social democracy, Scandinavia is a beautiful region of northern Europe. The name Scandinavia sometimes includes Finland and Iceland.

It also includes the Faroe Islands, which technically are part of Denmark, but self ruling. The terms Nordic and Norden, both meaning “North,” is used to collectively refer to the five Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, and the Faroe Islands).

Scandinavian forefathers used patronymic surnames, like many other cultures. The word patronymics indicates the tradition/practice of using the father’s forename as the surname while affixing –sen or –datter at the end.

In Scandinavia, there are approximately ten given Scandi names for boys and around a similar amount for girls. These names are used in several combinations for generations.

Children, at all times, were named after a family member, so these names were passed on from generation to generation. Scandinavian baby names are some of the most interesting baby names for your boys.

We hope this helps in your search for a name but if you want more inspiration why not look at ancient baby names or, for something different, Icelandic girls names, right here on Kidadl.

Boy Names From Denmark

If you are planning to give a different name to your baby boy, then here is a list of some danish baby boy names to choose from.

1. Aksel (Scandinavian origin), meaning “one who defends men”.

2. Albin (Scandinavian origin), meaning “bright” or “light”.

3. Alfred (English origin), which means "wise counselor".

4. Dolf (German origin), meaning “noble”.

5. Elliot (English origin), popular baby name meaning “Jehovah is God”.

6. Emanuel (Hebrew origin), that means “God is with us”.

7. Haakon (Danish origin), unique name meaning “of high kin”.

8. Jayden (English origin), often used boy name meaning "thankful".

9. Julian (English origin), meaning “dedicated to Jupiter” and “of the Julius family”.

10.Kian (Irish origin), derived from Cian meaning “enduring” and “ancient”.

11.Levi (Danish origin), popular baby boy name meaning “knight”.

12.Lucas (Danish origin), baby name meaning “one who brings light”.

13.Marcus (Roman origin), meaning “manly” is a fairly popular name.

14.Milan (Slavic origin), charming name for baby boy meaning “gracious”.

15.Milo (German origin), boy name meaning “gracious”.

16.Oliver (English origin), baby boy name meaning “ancestor’s descendant”.

17.Steen (Scandinavian origin), Scandinavian baby name that literally means “stone”.

18.Tyke (Scandinavian origin), meaning “raging” is a name for baby boys.

19.Valdemar (German origin), baby boy name meaning “famous ruler”.

20.Vincent (Latin origin), popular baby boy name meaning “conqueror”.

Boy Names From Norway

Would you like some more suggestions for baby names from the Scandinavian country of Norway? Here is a list of some modern baby names with their origin and meanings.

21.Aage (Scandinavian origin), meaning “ancestors” for a baby boy.

22.Andor (Scandinavian origin), Old Norse mythology name meaning “brave, manly”.

23.Bendik (Norwegian origin), form of Benedict meaning “blessed”.

24.Casper (Persian origin), popular boy name  meaning “king of the treasure”.

25.Cedrick (Norwegian origin), name for baby boy meaning “war leader”.

26.Dag (Scandinavian origin), meaning “day” is an Old Norse boy name.

27.Damien (Greek origin), name for baby boy meaning “one who tames”.

28.Dante (Italian origin), popular name for a boy meaning “enduring”.

29.Darius (Persian origin), cool boy name meaning “rich and kingly”.

30.Eirik (Norwegian origin), Old Norse boy name meaning “eternal ruler”.

31.Espen (Scandinavian origin), baby boy name meaning “God of bears”.

32.Gabriel (Hebrew origin), popular boy name meaning “God is my strength”.

33.Mathias (German origin), boy name which means “gift of God”.

34.Neil (Scandinavian origin), baby boy name meaning “champion”.

35.Nikolai (Russian origin), name for a boy meaning “victory of the people”.

36.Noah (Hebrew origin), popular name for boys meaning “repose or rest”.

37.Svein (Scandinavian origin), popular Scandinavian baby boy name meaning "young warrior".

38.Viggo (Scandinavian origin), meaning “battle, war-like”.

39.Zachary (Hebrew origin), cool baby boy name meaning "God remembers".

40.Zakai (Hebrew origin), baby boy name that means “pure or clear”.

Boy Names From Sweden

Given below is a list of some popular Swedish names with their meaning to help you name your boy with some good baby names.

41.Acke (Swedish origin), popular pick meaning “man of peace”.

42.Alexander (Greek origin), meaning “defender of men”.

43.Basilius (Greek origin), baby boy name that means “king”.

44.Carl (German origin), popular for baby boys meaning “a free man”.

45.Eddy (English origin), diminutive form of Edward meaning “a wealthy guardian”.

46.Edvin (Scandinavian origin), name for baby boy meaning “a wealthy friend”.

47.Filip (Scandinavian origin), boy name meaning “one who loves horses”.

48.Folke (Scandinavian origin), boy name which refers to “people’s guardian”.

49.Haldo (Swedish origin), meaning “highest in the race”.

50.Hugo (German origin), name given to boys meaning “heart/spirit”.

51.Isak (Scandinavian origin), baby boy name meaning “laughs”.

52.Kevin (English origin), meaning “kind” is a great name for baby boys.

53.Leon (Greek origin), good name for boys which means “lion”.

54.Ludvig (Scandinavian origin), baby boy name meaning “famous warrior”.

55.Matteo (Italian origin), popular among Swedish boys meaning "gift of God".

56.Maximillian (German origin), meaning “the greatest”, a good name for boys.

57.Melvin (English origin), popular baby boy name that means “leader”.

58.Tobbe (Hebrew origin), Swedish form for Tobias meaning “God is good”.

59.Viktor (Russian origin), meaning “conqueror” is given to boys in Sweden.

60.Walter (German origin), popular boy name meaning “strong fighter”.

Kidadl has lots of great baby names articles to inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for Scandinavian boy names then why not take a look at Norwegian boy names and Norse surnames, or for something different take a look at Finnish last names.

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Written by Georgia Stone

Bachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art

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Georgia StoneBachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art

Georgia is an experienced Content Manager with a degree in French and Film Studies from King's College London and Bachelors degree from Université Paris-Sorbonne. Her passion for exploring the world and experiencing different cultures was sparked during her childhood in Switzerland and her year abroad in Paris. In her spare time, Georgia enjoys using London's excellent travel connections to explore further afield.

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