Page 2 | Scandi baby names that work in the UK

Taggys · 2023-10-04T14:08:39+00:00

Hello! I am Swedish living in the UK, and we are discussing baby names that work in both languages. What are your opinion on the following names? Do they work well in English? (they are all well-known Swedish names) Boys: *Sigurd/Sigvard* *Otto* *Nils* *August* *Einar* *Edgar* *Ebbe* *Ivar* Girls: *Ilse* *Asta* - pronounced "Asda" - so I am thinking no because of the shop, or would this matter? *Eira* *Estrid* *Hilma* *Elfrida* *Willa* *Signe* Many thanks!

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Original poster

Taggys · 12/10/2023 10:48

marmaladeandpeanutbutter · 10/10/2023 22:03

Oskar

Oskar is nice!!! Thanks <3

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Original poster

Taggys · 12/10/2023 10:33

Twiglets1 · 10/10/2023 09:23

What about Saga for a girl or Martin for a boy?

From The Bridge of course - those 2 characters are legends

We have two Saga's in the family in Sweden, otherwise it's a lovely name!! Martin isn't from the same era, but a nice name that works well in English for sure! Thanks for the suggestions... I am also a big Bridge fan, I used to commute over it every day to go to work in CPH! :D

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marmaladeandpeanutbutter · 10/10/2023 22:03

Oskar

LulooLemon · 10/10/2023 20:04

Sigurd/Sigvard - no
Otto - great name, love it
Nils - maybe
August - yes
Einar - ok
Edgar - ok
Ebbe - yes
Ivar - yes

Ilse - love this name
Asta - I like it and I don't hear Asda
Eira - maybe
Estrid - nice. I prefer Astrid though.
Hilma - yes
Elfrida - yes
Willa - yes
Signe - maybe

Geneticsbunny · 10/10/2023 09:50

How about Aster instead of Asta? It is the name of a flower and a name, although unusual in the UK.

Twiglets1 · 10/10/2023 09:25

Henrik was a legend too - can you tell I’m a massive fan of The Bridge?

Ivebeentogeorgia · 10/10/2023 09:25

eira is lovely. It is also welsh for snow and a popular name in wales. Don’t do Asta

Twiglets1 · 10/10/2023 09:23

What about Saga for a girl or Martin for a boy?

From The Bridge of course - those 2 characters are legends

KirstenBlest · 10/10/2023 09:20

Beata is Bey-ah-ta not Bee-ta.
The y isn't really there, but I don't know how to write the e sound. It's not eh or ee.

Original poster

Taggys · 10/10/2023 09:14

theduchessofspork · 05/10/2023 15:50

Don’t think I’d use Beata just because it sounds like beat as in beaten up

Maybe Beatrice/Beatrix nn Beata and she can use Beatrice or Bea if she doesn’t like it ?

Iris is lovely but mega popular if that bothers you. Ines might be an alternative.

Yes haha!! :D My partner isn't too sure about "Beata" either for that reason. I quite like Beatrice, nn Beata or Bea!! I have heard a few Irises in the playground...Ines is a beautiful alternative!

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Original poster

Taggys · 10/10/2023 09:10

thislittlebird · 05/10/2023 14:20

Hi OP, lots of these would work fine, I particularly like Edgar, Otto, Iris, Elfrida. We're considering Ivor (the British version) and it would be worth noting people might not pronounce Ivar as EE-var, assuming that's how you hear it, as Brits would usually say EYE-ver (roughly). You might already know or not care, but I know the pronunciations differ so thought it worth mentioning.

Edited

Thank you so much for your thoughts! Ivor is also very nice!! <3 Yes, "Ivar" would be "EE-var", your'e absolutely right - and that might be mistaken probably until people learn how it's pronounced.

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Original poster

Taggys · 10/10/2023 09:06

orchardsquare · 05/10/2023 15:55

Out of your boys names, Nils, August, Edgar and Ivar would all work. Otto is also used but it is seen as a posh name, so not sure whether you would want to go for that aesthetic or not.

All your girls names are nice, but I'd avoid Asta if pronounced Asda as you will be forever asked to spell it.

Thank you!! <3 I had no idea Otto is seen as a posh name 😝Not sure if that's the vibe we're going for... thank you so much for pointing that out!

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orchardsquare · 05/10/2023 15:55

Out of your boys names, Nils, August, Edgar and Ivar would all work. Otto is also used but it is seen as a posh name, so not sure whether you would want to go for that aesthetic or not.

All your girls names are nice, but I'd avoid Asta if pronounced Asda as you will be forever asked to spell it.

theduchessofspork · 05/10/2023 15:51

I like the rest !

theduchessofspork · 05/10/2023 15:50

Don’t think I’d use Beata just because it sounds like beat as in beaten up

Maybe Beatrice/Beatrix nn Beata and she can use Beatrice or Bea if she doesn’t like it ?

Iris is lovely but mega popular if that bothers you. Ines might be an alternative.

thislittlebird · 05/10/2023 14:20

Hi OP, lots of these would work fine, I particularly like Edgar, Otto, Iris, Elfrida. We're considering Ivor (the British version) and it would be worth noting people might not pronounce Ivar as EE-var, assuming that's how you hear it, as Brits would usually say EYE-ver (roughly). You might already know or not care, but I know the pronunciations differ so thought it worth mentioning.

Original poster

Taggys · 05/10/2023 12:38

Vallmo47 · 05/10/2023 10:53

Jag skulle personligen undvika namn som får folk att behöva upprepa sig, man kan hitta någonting relativt unikt utan att få jobbiga diskussioner. Jag ville döpa min dotter till Linnea tills en jobbig person utbrast “Va?!!! Linear??? Like a ruler?!” och då gick det bort direkt. Skulle därför undvika Asta, här skulle barn garanterat koppla till affären och du vet Hur taskiga barn Kan vara.
Lycka till!

Tack Vallmo! Jag tror också att man ska göra det så enkelt för sina barn som möjligt...Linnea kanske skulle kunna kopplas till "linear" som du säger och jag tror heller inte att Asta funkar tyvärr... dock vill jag så gärna hedra vår svenska sida med att använda svenska namn, men det är jättesvårt!

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Original poster

Taggys · 05/10/2023 11:05

Thank you all so much for your kind suggestions. It has been very helpful to get an English perspective on these names :D

We have narrowed it down to:

Girls:
Ilse
Elfrida (nn Elfie / Frida)
Eira (maybe including this, but worried it will be pronounced in many different ways which will just be a pain)
Iris (new!)
Beata (new, not sure though...?)

Boys:
Otto
Nils (I know a lot of people didn't like this name, but we want to honour our both grandfathers, whose names were Neil and Nils)
Edgar
August
Ivar

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Original poster

Taggys · 05/10/2023 10:58

FlossTea · 04/10/2023 16:44

My son went to nursery with an Asta, I never even thought of it as like the shop! I assumed it was Aster (like the flower) until I saw it written down. I like it!

Oh, lovely! Thanks for this - "Aster" isn't a bad association at all! <3

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Original poster

Taggys · 05/10/2023 10:57

BarbieKew · 04/10/2023 16:43

I like Otto and Nils from your boy list, but I absolutely love Sven - is that discounted? Or Linus? Ebbe sounds like Emma with a cold, though I do like it.

For girls I like Eira and Willa. I live up north though where Willow might be pronounced Willa. Hilma reminds me of Himmler (which in turn…) Estrid is nice but you’d have an easier time with Astrid. Other Swedishy names I like are Elin, and I once met a Swedish Alice. I also know a Welsh Alys, could that work?

Thank you <3 Sven is also very nice, yes! Linus I don't like as much for some reason. But yes, Alice is very popular in Sweden and also from the same era!

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Original poster

Taggys · 05/10/2023 10:55

SM4713 · 04/10/2023 16:38

Congrats! There are some names on the list I'm not familiar with, so would be guessing how to pronounce them. Equally, if said to me, might struggle to spell them correctly.

No matter how 'simple and easy' a name might seem though, some people will always have problems. My name is only 4 letters, and not widely unusual. Think Jane, Anna, Mary for example. Easy names right? But Jane might be spelt Jayne or pronounced Janee/Janae!

Here are my honest, 1st thoughts:

Boys:
Sigurd/Sigvard- are these both pronounced the name? If its pronounced Sig-Vard, I'd spell it like that
Otto- love
Nils- Reminds me of Nil by mouth. Not keen.
August- Quite like. Is the full name Augustus, as in Augustus Gloop from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? Is it pronounced like the month?
Einar- How is it pronounced? I-nar, EE-nar?
Edgar- Easy to pronounce and spell. I think of a much older man, but it might be due a comeback
Ebbe- I read this as EE-Bee, Like Evie with a B, and assumed it was a female name. How should it be pronounced?
Ivar- I know Ivor, and Ivo, but not Ivar. Is it pronounced like its written?

Girls:
Ilse- Like it, but might get pronounced Il-sa rather than EL-sa.
Asta - pronounced "Asda" - so I am thinking no because of the shop, or would this matter? Yes it matters and would be a no.

Eira- I agree with the above comment about it being Irish
Estrid- Also agree, I prefer Astrid
Hilma- Also reminds me of Hilda, but prefer Hilma
Elfrida- Quite like
Willa- Like it, but somehow feels like a nickname/unfinished. I prefer Willow.
Signe- Never seen it before. Before reading your pronunciation, assumed it was 'Sig-na'

My Swedish friend has a Vilgot and Gustaf and her husband is Thomas.

No, it's just "August" and pronounced like the month yes :D Famous Swede August Strindberg was a writer..

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Vallmo47 · 05/10/2023 10:53

Jag skulle personligen undvika namn som får folk att behöva upprepa sig, man kan hitta någonting relativt unikt utan att få jobbiga diskussioner. Jag ville döpa min dotter till Linnea tills en jobbig person utbrast “Va?!!! Linear??? Like a ruler?!” och då gick det bort direkt. Skulle därför undvika Asta, här skulle barn garanterat koppla till affären och du vet Hur taskiga barn Kan vara.
Lycka till!

Original poster

Taggys · 05/10/2023 10:52

caringcarer · 04/10/2023 16:32

Ragnar

Why not! :D It sounds quite harsh in Swedish, but it is definitely well-known due to Vikings

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Original poster

Taggys · 05/10/2023 10:51

northerngoldilocks · 04/10/2023 16:19

Estrid is a women's razor brand in the U.K.

Oh dear haha, thank you for pointing this out - I don't think we will use Estrid now :D

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Original poster

Taggys · 05/10/2023 10:46

Wonkydriver · 04/10/2023 16:15

Sigurd/Sigvard-no
Otto-absolutely love this
Nils-works but not keen
August-would assume august birthday but quite nice
Einar-think people would struggle with pronunciation
Edgar-bit old fashioned but ok
Ebbe-i like this but sounds more like a nickname
Ivar-good

Girls:
Ilse-yes like this
Asta - pronounced "Asda" - so I am thinking no because of the shop, or would this matter? No-the shop maters!
Eira-ok
Estrid-too similar to astrid (which I prefer)
Hilma-like
Elfrida-no
Willa-love this but would worry about ‘willy’
Signe-no

Thank you! <3

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