100 Viking Last Names With Meanings And History
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It is common for characters to be named after the qualities that they represent.
Vikings have long been known for their courage and strength. If your character represents these qualities, it makes sense to select a last name of Old Norse or Scandinavian origin for them.
Scandinavia is a region that encompasses Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. The people of this geographic location were called Vikings or Norsemen. Viking family names often have suffixes like sen, sson, dotter and fen. For example, the name Maren Pedesdatter would mean ‘Maren, daughter of Peder’.
In this post, we have for you a list of popular and interesting Scandinavian last names. You can combine these last names with some good Viking names like Arne, Bo, Erik, Gorm and Frodo for memorable character names.
For more name inspiration take a look at these Nordic girl names and these Norse boy names.
Viking Family Names That Are Still Popular Now
Below are some Viking family names that are still popular in this day and age.
1. Aland – A Viking surname referring to Aland Islands in the Bothnia gulf.
2. Axel – Derived from the Old Norse term ‘Asketill’, with ‘ass’ which means ‘god’. ‘Ketill’ which means ‘kettle’.
3. Backe – A variation of Bakke, the Dutch name, meaning ‘beaker.’
4. Bielke - A variant of ‘Bjelke,’ meaning a ‘beam’ in Norway.
5. Borg – Derived from ‘borg’, the Old Norse term meaning ‘fortification.’
6. Brand – With German origin, derived from ‘Brando’ which means ‘sword.’
7. Christensen – This name has its origin in Norway and means ‘the son of Christen.’ ‘Christen’ is from ‘Christian.’
8. Dolph - A variant of the German name ‘Adolf’ with ‘adal’ which means ‘noble’ and ‘wulf’ which means ‘wolf.’
9. Ellingboe - Meaning ‘the son of Earl’.
10. Erling – The Viking last name translates to ‘descendant of jarl.’
11. Eskildsen – A form of ‘Asketill’ which means ‘God’ and ‘sacrificial caldron.’
12. Frisk – This Viking last name has a Swedish origin and means ‘healthy.’
13. Frydenlund – Referring to Frydenlund in Norway, made up of ‘fryd’ which means‘delight’ and ‘lund’ which means ‘grove.’
14. Gulbrandsen - Meaning ‘the son of Gudbrandr.’
15. Hartvigsen – This name includes two elements, ‘hard’ meaning ‘strong’ and ‘wig’ meaning ‘battle.’
16. Helvig - Composed of Old German elements, ‘hel’ which means ‘luck’ and ‘wig’ which means ‘war.’
17. Junge – A derivation of the name ‘Odhinkar’, where ‘Odinn’ means ‘god’ and ‘karr’ means ‘strong.’
18. Krog – From Scandinavia, meaning ‘bend’ or ‘corner’, used for someone from Krog in Scandinavia.
19. Leif – Derived from the Old Norse term ‘Leifr’ meaning ‘descendant’.
20. Lorenzen - Meaning ‘the son of Lorens.’ where Lorens means ‘laurel.’
21. Ness – A derivation of the Old Norse term ‘Nes’ which means ‘promontory’ or ‘headland.’
22. Nord – With an origin in Sweden, this name means ‘north’, it was used by those who lived in the north or a village.
23. Nybo – A Swedish family name where ‘ny’ means ‘new’ and ‘bo’ means ‘house’ or ‘dwelling.’
24. Nyborg - Composed of ‘ny’ meaning ‘new’ and ‘borg’ meaning ‘castle’, this name was used for those living near a new castle.
25. Nygaard – A name from Sweden where ‘ny’ means ‘new’ and ‘gard’ means ‘courtyard.’
26. Nyhus – With a Scandinavian origin, this name is made up of ‘ny’ meaning ‘new and ‘hus’ meaning ‘house.’
27. Oscar – An Old Norse name derived from the word ‘Asger’ which means ‘god’s spear.’
28. Riis – A Scandinavian family name that is taken from ‘ris’ which means ‘scrub.’
29. Sigmond – A name of German origin made up of ‘sigu’ which means ‘victory’ and ‘mund’ that means ‘protection.’
30. Thor – An Old Norse word that means ‘thunder.’
31. Thorp – An Old Norse name that means a ‘farm.’
32. Thostenson – Derived from ‘Thor’, the God of Thunder’ and ‘steinn’ which means ‘stone.’
33. Toft – This Old Norse name means ‘homestead’ or ‘curtilage.’
34. Tranum - Scandinavian name made up of ‘trane’ which means ‘crane’ and ‘um’ meaning ‘home.’
35. Truelson – This name is derived from ‘Thor’ who is the God of Thunder.
36. Trygg – An Old Norse last name that means ‘trustworthy’ or ‘faithful.’
Occupation Based Last Names Of Vikings
Take a look at some Old Norse surnames that are derived from various occupations.
37. Bell – This last name has a German and English origin. It is an occupational name for bell makers.
38. Bonde – From the Old Norse term ‘bondi’ which means a ‘farmer.’
39. Breiner - From the Middle High German word ‘brie’, this Viking last name means ‘porridge.’
40. Hall – This last name was given to a person who worked in a hall, the house of the medieval noble.
41. Hjorth – Derived from ‘Hjort’ which is the Swedish word for ‘deer.’ Most likely an occupational name.
42. Horn – An occupational name given to those who play the horn, or carve objects from horns.
43. Kron – From the German word ‘Krone’ meaning ‘crown’, this was used as a byname by those working at a royal household.
44. Pihl – This name comes from the Scandinavian word ‘pil’ which means ‘arrow.’ This is an occupational name used for archers.
45. Ring – From the German word ‘Rinc’ which means circle. Used as an occupational name for those who make rings.
Viking Last Names Ending With SON
Here are some interesting patronymic names ending with -SON. Most Vikings had patrynomic surnames like this, they work by taking the father's name and adding -son onto the end.
46. Alfson - Meaning ‘the son of Alf’, this name is from the Old Norse term ‘alfr’ or ‘elf’.
47. Bengtsson - Meaning ‘the son of Bengt.’ Bengt being the Swedish version of ‘Benedict’.
48. Bunderson – The patronymic form of ‘Bonde,’ which means farmer.
49. Carlson - Meaning, ‘son of Carl.’ where Carl is derived from the German word Karl meaning a ‘man.’
50. Emanuelson - Meaning ‘the son of Emanuel.’ Emanuel means ‘God is with us.’
51. Ericson - Meaning ‘the son of Eric.’ The Old Norse name ‘Eric’ in made of ‘ei’ meaning ‘always’ and ‘rikr’ meaning ‘power.’
52. Estenson – This is the patronymic form of ‘Eysteinn’ where ‘ey’ means ‘happiness,’ and ‘steinn’ means ‘stone.’
53. Fredrickson - Meaning ‘the son of Fredrick.’ where ‘Fredrick’ means ‘peaceful rules.’
54. Gustafsson – Meaning ‘the son of Gustav’ meaning ‘staff of Geats’. ‘Geats’ is an ancient tribe.
55. Halvorson - Meaning ‘the son of Halvor’ where ‘Halvor’ means ‘firm’ and ‘prudent’.
56. Haraldson - Meaning ‘the son of Harald’ which means ‘commander.’
57. Knudtson - Meaning ‘the son of Knud’ where Knud means ‘knot.’
58. Mathieson - Meaning ‘the son of Matthew’ where Matthew means ‘gift from God.’
59. Ohlson – Meaning ‘the son of Olaf.’ Where Olaf is from ‘Aleifr,’ meaning ‘ancestor’s heir.’
60. Peerson - Meaning ‘the son of Par’ which means ‘rock.’
61. Salverson - Meaning ‘the son of Salve’ where ‘salr’ means ‘hall’ and ‘ve’ means ‘giant.’
62. Thomason - Meaning ‘the son of Thomas’ where Thomas means ‘twin.’
Viking Last Names That Take Inspiration From Nature
These Viking names draw their inspiration from various elements in nature.
63. Aaberg - Taken from Scandinavian elements, ‘aa’ means ‘river’ and ‘berg’ means ‘mountain or hill.’
64. Beck - From the Swedish word ‘back’ which means a stream.
65. Berg - Meaning ‘mountain’, used for someone who lives near or a hill.
66. Bjerke – This last name comes from the Old Norse term ‘birki’ which means ‘birch.’
67. Blom - This name from Scandinavia means ‘bloom’ or ‘flower.’
68. Dahl – Derived from the Old Norse term ‘dalr’ meaning ‘valley’, this name is given to a person who lives in a valley.
69. Edman – A name with its origin in Sweden, made up of ‘ed’ meaning ‘isthmus’ and ‘man’ meaning ‘man’.
70. Engberg – Derived from the Swedish word ‘ang’ meaning ‘meadow’ and ‘berg’ meaning ‘mountain.’
71. Engman – A name with Swedish origin made up of ‘ang’ meaning ‘meadow’ and ‘man’ for ‘man.’
72. Fagerberg – This name from Scandinavia is made up of ‘fager’ which means ‘beautiful’ and ‘berg’ which means ‘hill.’
73. Falk – An ornamental name meaning a ‘bird of prey' or ‘falcon’.
74. Falkenberg – A toponymic name with two elements, ‘falk’ meaning ‘falcon’ and ‘berg’ meaning ‘hill’ or ‘mountain.’
75. Friberg – Derived from the elements ‘fri’ meaning ‘free’ and ‘berg’ meaning ‘mountain’ or ‘hill.’
76. Holmen – A variation of ‘Holm’ meaning island.
77. Kolbeck – This Old Norse name is made up of ‘kaldr’ which means ‘cold’ and ‘bekkr’ which means ‘stream.’
78. Lind - A toponymic name for someone who lived by a linden tree.
79. Lindquist - Composed of two Swedish words, ‘lind’ which means ‘linden tree’ and ‘quist’ which means ‘branch’.
80. Lund – From the Old Norse term for ‘grove’, ‘lundr’. Used by someone living by a grove.
81. Nyberg - A name from Sweden where ‘ny’ means ‘new’ and berg’ means ‘mountain.’
82. Nyland - Composed of ‘ny’ that means ‘new’, ‘land’ that means ‘farmstead.’
83. Nylund - A combination of ‘ny’ which means ‘new’ as well as ‘lund’ which means ‘grove’, this is a toponymic name for a person from ‘new grove.’
84. Olander - A toponymic name for a person living on the Oland island.
85. Oman – Made up of the words ‘O’ which means ‘island’ and ‘man’ which means ‘man.’
86. Risberg – An Old Norse name made up of ‘hris’ which means ‘brushwood’, ‘berg’ which means ‘mountain.’
87. Rosenberg – A name from Sweden meaning ‘rose mountain.’
88. Sandberg – This is a Swedish name meaning ‘sand mountain.’
89. Skau – This is an Old Norse name derived from ‘skogr’ which means ‘forest.’
90. Soelberg – This last name from Scandinavia is made up of two elements, ‘sol’ that means ‘sun’, ‘berg’ that means ‘mountain'.
91. Steenberg – This is a German name made up of ‘sten’ which means ‘stone’, ‘berg’ which means ‘mountain.’
92. Steensen - Meaning ‘son of Steen’ where Steen means ‘stone.’
93. Stendahl -This is a name from Sweden made up of ‘sten’ which means ‘stone’, ‘dahl’ which means ‘valley.’
94. Strand – From the Old Norse term ‘strond’ which means ‘seashore.’
95. Vagle – This Old Norse name is from the word ‘vagl’ which means a ‘perch.’
96. Vang – This family name has origins in the word ‘vangr’ which means ‘grassy land.’
97. Westberg – A name is made up of ‘vast’ which means ‘west’. The second element is ‘berg’ which means ‘hill.’
98. Westergaard – This name includes the elements ‘wester’ which means ‘western’. ‘Gard’ means ‘farm.’
99. Winter – Derived from the German term ‘wintar’.
100. Wuopio – The family name of Swedish origin is used to refer to someone who stays in a bay.
Kidadl has lots of great names articles to inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for Viking surnames then why not take a look at these Danish names, or for something different take a look at these heroic names.
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art
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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