Scandi baby names that work in the UK

Eira is also a Welsh name, and we live on the Welsh border so for us that isn't a problem. I think it can be pronounced "Eye-ruh" for both English and Welsh.
It's not an English name, and it isn't Eye-ruh. It's the Welsh word for snow and doesn't have an equivalent pronunciation in English.
The nearest I can think of is Ey-ra with the ey like in someone saying Hey! really quickly, and the ra is like the ra in rat or rap.
It sounds awful said as Ayruh (or Ava with an r unstead of a v).

In South Wales it tends to get said as Ira, but probably because Welsh is spoken by fewer people there.

Oh I think if it’s meant to be Asta you will be fine - unless it’s something to do with the accent where you are?

Aster (flower name) is said the same and is used a bit, also Astra and Astrid

Sigurd/Sigvard - just about if Sig day to day
Otto - yes it’s popular (though it reminds me of Nazis, sorry)
Nils - no, sounds like Nill / Nothing
August - yes it’s popular
Einar - you could, not sure I would
Edgar - yes
Ebbe - just about - but isn’t it a girls name?!
Ivar - yes but it’ll get misspelt as Ivor alot

How about
Nikolai
Stellen
Toren
Magus
Lucas
Alexander
Jens
Lars
Oliver

Sorry if some of these are only Danish (my only exp of Scandinavia is part Danish partner)

Girls:
Ilse - yes, though you might get mangled spellings / pronunciations
Asta - hard no if it’s pronounced Asda. pronounced "Asda" - so I am thinking no because of the shop, or would this matter?
Eira - yes
Estrid - yes but it will get spelt Astrid
Hilma - you could, it’s not v attractive though..
Elfrida - yes, especially if you call her Elfie or Frida day to day
Willa - yes it’s popular
Signe - no, people will mistake it for sign or signet

How about
Liv
Ida
Katrine
Emma
Sarah
Charlotte
Ida
Freya
Thora
Philippa

I’m a Finn and when I was expecting my second DC I wanted to call the baby Eira if it’s a girl. My DH is Welsh and Eira means snow in Welsh. I thought it would have been so fitting.

Boys names - how about Linus?

Lars, Leif and Klara are more beautiful scandi names

Yep, I love it.

Be very wary of any girl's name ending in -e. It just won't be pronounced by at least 80% of people.

Luckily my name sounds quite nice without the -e but my mum's really really doesn't.

It's fine in school where everyone makes the effort but in adult life it's not the same. I think Ilse which is a lovely name will just get pronounced as Ils.

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!

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?

I see we have another Vikings’ fan @caringcarer !

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.

Lagertha
Freyja

Good grief @northerngoldilocks - so it is!

I hereby remove my vote for Estrid.

(One of my school nicknames was the name of a famous brand of washing powder - I hated it then and still do now!)

Ragnar

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

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

Btw, if Asta is pronounced Asda, then inevitably it will a) frequently be spelled incorrectly and b), people will think your lovely baby is named after Asda - queue a lifetime of bullying if you are staying in the UK.

If you love it, maybe use it as a middle name.

Hi, I would also suggest thinking about how easy it is to both pronounce and spell the name for English speakers.

As the owner of an ‘unusual’ name myself apparently, (I don’t think so, particularly- but it’s not Dee🤣), I can confirm that misspellings, ghastly nicknames and mispronunciation have plagued me my entire life.

It’s also good to think about what likely abbreviations will be made once your child gets to school:

Edgar is very likely to become Eddie, Sigurd and even Signe, probably Siggy or Ziggy. I am afraid that Willa might well become Willie/Willy.

Otto works well, (although I wouldn’t rule out your child going through life as Otter!)

Ivar also works, (familiar to lots of people atm due to ‘Vikings’).

Ilse is a lovely name, but it may often be misspelled as Elsa and you will be asked if you are a big fan of Frozen.

I like Estrid, but suspect misspelling as Astrid is likely.

I like Ivar and Eira best. Otto and Estrid second.

Congratulations btw!