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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Please help us with Scandi girl names!

121 replies

Taggys · 12/03/2024 15:02

Hello,

We are expecting a little one late summer :) We already have a boy name sorted, but need some help with girl names... We are a half Swedish, half English family, living in the UK. We already have two children - a boy and a girl, and they have names that are very common in Scandinavia. Now, we need help with a girl name, that works in both regions.

We want the name to "sound" Scandinavian to fit with our other children's names, but work in the UK.

Our top 3 is (all of them "old lady" names that are well-known in Sweden):
Eira - derives from Norse godess "Eir", godess of health who could heal the sick. also Welsh name, meaning "snow".
Ilse - German/Scandi name meaning "oath of God".
Iris - Greek name meaning "rainbow".

But we also like:
Elfrida (nicknames could be Frida, Ida, Effie/Elfie)
Ida
Astrid (nice but a bit too common in Swe, was No.1 given name to girls 2022)
Hilma
Signe
Selma
Saga
Asta
Thora
Helga
Freja (nice but a bit too common in both Swe and UK)

Please help! Which ones "sound" Scandi? Which ones are pretty? Which ones work in the UK??

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DuchessOfSausage · 13/03/2024 20:21

Thora Hird (note the spelling) was wonderful. Old lady names are currently popular.

Pocketfullofdogtreats · 13/03/2024 20:16

theduchessofspork · 13/03/2024 01:16

i love Thora and cannot understand why it hasn’t been revived along with Edith and Stella etc so I’d go for that

Asta and Frieda are both nice and Scandi sounding

Ida nice but not especially Sandi reading and it’s Eye-Duh here not Ee-duh

Ilse is quite nice

Carina? Ebbe? Sanna, Agnes, Alma, Ingrid, Agnete, Erica

Signe will be a PITA for pronunciation, Saga is v weird in English

I think in the UK Thora is an old-lady name like Bertha or Beryl. There was an actress called Thora Hurd and it will be associated with her for a long time.

TheOriginalEmu · 13/03/2024 12:27

I really like your top 3. All lovely. Of the rest my favourite is Asta. I think that’s very scandi sounding and also would be easy for British people to say. Astrid is also lovely.

Fraaahnces · 13/03/2024 10:33

Signe means “Swan”. (Very pretty but aggressive af)
Linnea and Astrid very common, as are Anneke, Astrid and Elsa. (“Do ya wanna build a Snowmaaaaaan?”
Carina and Eleanor, Ariane/Ariana and Frida are very common and also very international. Iris has had a surge in popularity (I am now in a different Commonwealth country.)
Elke is the same as “Alice”.
Moa is the name of an extinct flightless bird from New Zealand. They were much bigger than emus, cassowaries and ostriches.
I love Saga, Lina/Lena and Greta as well, also Iris and Asta.

DuchessOfSausage · 13/03/2024 10:17

Astrid isn't common in the UK but it is on a steeply rising curve
Babies called Astrid in England & Wales since 1996 (darkgreener.com)
The data only goes up to 2021 but you'll get the idea

user1492757084 · 13/03/2024 08:21

Scandi ...
Sigrid
Astrid
Aster
Bianca
Anneke
Josefine
Estelle
Isotta
Louise
Gretel

ShoesoftheWorld · 13/03/2024 07:54

Lovisa is lovely, and I think most people in the UK would be able to make a decent stab at the pronunciation. I know of a little Lovis (boy). The only thing might be people misrecognising it as Louisa when it's written down.

theduchessofspork · 13/03/2024 01:16

i love Thora and cannot understand why it hasn’t been revived along with Edith and Stella etc so I’d go for that

Asta and Frieda are both nice and Scandi sounding

Ida nice but not especially Sandi reading and it’s Eye-Duh here not Ee-duh

Ilse is quite nice

Carina? Ebbe? Sanna, Agnes, Alma, Ingrid, Agnete, Erica

Signe will be a PITA for pronunciation, Saga is v weird in English

Cabincrew1 · 13/03/2024 00:38

Bo

bestofall · 12/03/2024 23:36

Moa is a nice Scandinavian name

wineosaurus4 · 12/03/2024 22:55

I have a Nina Iris - would that work? Smile

Dreamingofthishouse · 12/03/2024 22:29

Carolina or Kira?

imeanwhy · 12/03/2024 22:21

Pernille
Iben
Ida

MadamVastra · 12/03/2024 22:07

Nina is an Icelandic name I think that's nice as well

Original poster
Taggys · 12/03/2024 21:59

m00ngirl · 12/03/2024 21:56

Iris and Elfie are lovely!! I think Elfrida sounds more scandi than Iris (obv) but Iris is better suited for adulthood than Elfie but it's a very cute name. Saying that, as someone with relevant personal experience of this, my advice is go with what you like and don't try to fit around what other people might say. No one is a better judge on names for your child than you ☺️ x

Thank you! <3 This is very true!

OP posts:
GimmeGin · 12/03/2024 21:59

Can’t believe nobody has said
Ulrika (kaka)
Agnetha
AnniFrid

sorry, I’ll get me coat… 😜

m00ngirl · 12/03/2024 21:56

Iris and Elfie are lovely!! I think Elfrida sounds more scandi than Iris (obv) but Iris is better suited for adulthood than Elfie but it's a very cute name. Saying that, as someone with relevant personal experience of this, my advice is go with what you like and don't try to fit around what other people might say. No one is a better judge on names for your child than you ☺️ x

BathTangle · 12/03/2024 21:55

The Swedish/English dual national girls and women I know are Eola, Agnetha, Louise, Elsa, Elisabeth. All work fine in both languages as fat as I know.

Pocketfullofdogtreats · 12/03/2024 21:53

I like Astrid.

Thora sounds awfully old-fashioned.

ZippyGoose · 12/03/2024 21:53

I always loved Lotte. Family are Danish and every Lotte I’ve ever met is beautiful and nice.

Though see from other posts you are more after Swedish and I think (?) Lotte is more Danish

Original poster
Taggys · 12/03/2024 21:50

TwigletsAndRadishes · 12/03/2024 21:46

Astrid (nice but a bit too common in Swe, was No.1 given name to girls 2022)

But you aren't in Sweden so why does it matter, if you like it? It's not at all common here.

I know it's really silly...I just quite like the name not to be overused in any of the countries, as we do spend a lot of time in Sweden...but I am thinking that Astrid is a strong contender and you are right - it's not common in the UK

OP posts:
ItsReallyOnlyMe · 12/03/2024 21:49

I like Johanna which I think is used in Scandinavia.

WarningOfGails · 12/03/2024 21:48

Greta?

I was a big Astrid Lindgren fan and would like to suggest Mardie, Lisbet or Lotta.

Mumofgirls2017 · 12/03/2024 21:47

Iris is my favourite ❤️

also like Ida and thora

Original poster
Taggys · 12/03/2024 21:47

IdaPrentice · 12/03/2024 21:32

What about Elvira (Swedish friend's DD's name)? I love it.

Elvira is nice, thank you!

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