Danish boys? / Scandinavian-ish

emmalinewre · 2024-12-26T02:44:17+00:00

Hi! Our DS is due soon and we'd love to honour his dad's heritage by using a Danish/Swedish/somewhat Scandinavian (or nod to, at least) name. Would love some ideas! Sadly Rasmus, Henrik, Soren, Jesper are all taken! 😔

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Emanwenym · 28/12/2024 16:01

Sorry yes, as is the one in Bjorn. - sort of like yearn with a B in front.
(they were BU, BA,S-GA,HCA and a few were the names of people I've worked with)

One said Gothenberg was Yeu-teh-boh-ree
(He was really cute, and said Ick-ay-ah was for people setting up their first home and was slightly bemused by the appeal of it)

icecreamscoops · 28/12/2024 15:53

Elias
Lukas
Bengt
Åker
Edvin
Viktor
Joachim
Jonas

WomanIsTaken · 28/12/2024 15:46

@Emanwenym I did think the list was more than a coincidence, but couldn't place Bror . Your pronunciation guide is impressive! The 'ör' in Göran is like 'ur' in fur though, but since S-GE achieved some kind of adopted national treasure status, I don't think it's correctable.

Emanwenym · 28/12/2024 15:21

@emmalinewre ,Magnus suits your brief IMO.
Latin-origin, works in different cultures, not weird etc. It does sound different in English and Danish but not a big issue IMO.

Emanwenym · 28/12/2024 15:17

@WomanIsTaken , I don't think many names from other languages work in English.
I cut and pasted from the full names of about 3 very famous Swedes all born about 75 yrs ago.
I'd struggle to transcribe them but here's my attempt
Bror - Broo with a R on the end, one syllable
Fred - Free-ud (long one syllable)
Per - like Père in french but with scottish R
Hans - (Swedish) Hanz, (Danish) Hence
Mats - Mattz
Sven - Sven
Göran -YourRan

(I'm not Swedish, Danish or English)

WomanIsTaken · 28/12/2024 14:46

@Emanwenym Bror is lovely. As is Fred. But both are weird in terms of pronunciation in English. The closest might be

Bror: Br-OO-r OO as in c-OO-l
Fred: Fr-EI-d EI as in w-EIR-d (a long vowel as opposed to the clipped 'e' in Fred in English)

I'm wracking my brain for phonhemes which might make the right vowel sound, but there aren't any 😬

Becc91 · 26/12/2024 16:55

I'm 1/8 Danish and my grandpa was called Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff. Try Hooby for short? xx good luck babe

Emanwenym · 26/12/2024 16:21

Per Hans Mats Sven Göran Bror Benny Björn Kristian

GingerPanda · 26/12/2024 13:46

Not Cnut.

RealHousewivesOfTaunton · 26/12/2024 13:41

My favourites:

Magnus
Lars
Marcus
Aksel
Joachim
Johan
Leif
Erik

Lndnmummy · 26/12/2024 13:11

WomanIsTaken · 26/12/2024 09:42

Danish names in particular can be tricky because the pronunciation will likely be very distinctive. Even in Swedish, both consonant and vowel sounds can be counterintuitive. I'd run each name you like the look of on paper through some kind of pronunciation app if your DH's heritage is too distant for him to speak either language. Few Scandi names roll off an English tongue the way they're spoken 'at home'. Lndnmummy's list is pretty good in this respect.

Take care with online lists of baby names ‐most seem to contain names which weirdly have scant real life connection to the actual naming culture in X country. There might be mythological links, like the name of some obscure norse demigod or weapon or fertility rite, but nobody actually ever names their DC that, or would necessarily know what it refers to or how to pronounce it.

On such lists you can also find names which may be used in X country but which definitely are not of X origin. Searching -in X scandinavian language just now, so not an English search- for common X country boys' names, 6 out of the top 10 names were 'geo-neutral' Euronames with an English ring to them: William, George, Noah, Liam, Oliver and Hugo. And even in X country, that's how these names are thought of: as names that will travel well in an anglophone world and not stick awkwardly in someone's throat or mark the child out as being from anywhere in particular ‐nobody thinks: "Now that's a solid, traditional X name."

My personal 🇸🇪 favourites in no particular order are:
Vidar
Arvid
Edvin
Albin
Stig
Sven
Bertil
Emil
Valter

Awkward pronunciation but lovely:
Lars
Rune
Jon
Tor
Tryggve
Tage
Bo

Yes! Emil! I love love love Emil

Emanwenym · 26/12/2024 12:40

Popular Names in Denmark 2023 - Behind the Name
The top 5 in 2023 were Carl, William, Oscar, Alfred, Noah.

Top 100 Most Popular Swedish Girls & Boys Names For Your Baby - Hej Sweden
Top 5: Noah, Hugo, William, Liam, Nils

twentysevendresses · 26/12/2024 10:45

I love the name Thorsten and would have used it if I'd had a boy (had two girls 🤷‍♀️).

Also love Leif which means 'heir' and 'loved'.

WomanIsTaken · 26/12/2024 09:42

Danish names in particular can be tricky because the pronunciation will likely be very distinctive. Even in Swedish, both consonant and vowel sounds can be counterintuitive. I'd run each name you like the look of on paper through some kind of pronunciation app if your DH's heritage is too distant for him to speak either language. Few Scandi names roll off an English tongue the way they're spoken 'at home'. Lndnmummy's list is pretty good in this respect.

Take care with online lists of baby names ‐most seem to contain names which weirdly have scant real life connection to the actual naming culture in X country. There might be mythological links, like the name of some obscure norse demigod or weapon or fertility rite, but nobody actually ever names their DC that, or would necessarily know what it refers to or how to pronounce it.

On such lists you can also find names which may be used in X country but which definitely are not of X origin. Searching -in X scandinavian language just now, so not an English search- for common X country boys' names, 6 out of the top 10 names were 'geo-neutral' Euronames with an English ring to them: William, George, Noah, Liam, Oliver and Hugo. And even in X country, that's how these names are thought of: as names that will travel well in an anglophone world and not stick awkwardly in someone's throat or mark the child out as being from anywhere in particular ‐nobody thinks: "Now that's a solid, traditional X name."

My personal 🇸🇪 favourites in no particular order are:
Vidar
Arvid
Edvin
Albin
Stig
Sven
Bertil
Emil
Valter

Awkward pronunciation but lovely:
Lars
Rune
Jon
Tor
Tryggve
Tage
Bo

Holdonforsummer · 26/12/2024 08:20

Matthias

user1492757084 · 26/12/2024 08:07

Look through Dad's family tree, including second names.
There is sure to be a name that jumps out.
What were your DH's grandfathers' names?

Lndnmummy · 26/12/2024 07:32

👋 - 🇸🇪 here:

Fabian
Nils
Alfred
Niklas (Swedish version of Nicolas)
Filip
Joakim
Johannes
Pontus
Isak
Petter
Folke
Evald
Einar
Per

MumChp · 26/12/2024 07:28

Whatamieventhinking · 26/12/2024 06:22

Esben
Frederick
Lief
Ruben

Danes would spell it Frederik. Like the King.
Never seen a Dane called Lief. Ruben is a very rare name in Denmark.

Whatamieventhinking · 26/12/2024 06:22

Esben
Frederick
Lief
Ruben

OddBallNumber5 · 26/12/2024 05:57

Olaf!

Triselly · 26/12/2024 05:52

Seconding Lars!

EasternEcho · 26/12/2024 03:58

Jannik (pronounced Yannik)
Arvid
Christian
Morten
Jens
Mikkel
Niels

MumChp · 26/12/2024 03:57

emmalinewre · 26/12/2024 02:59

Thanks, can I ask what does pita mean?
Ah yes, we know some Danes with very standard names found in English. Love Nikolai but sounds super Russian to me?

Show quote history

Its from the Greek 'Nicolaus'.
Danish King Frederik's younger brother Joachim called his firstborn Nikolai.

MumChp · 26/12/2024 03:52

Aksel
Anton
Ask
August
Bo
Ditlev
Eskild
Erik
Eik
Frode
Gorm
Helmer
Holger
Hugo
Karl
Ketil
Magnus
Niels
Lauge
Ole
Pelle
Roar
Rolf
Rune
Sune
Thor
Troels
Toke
Ulf
Viggo

BrenFurlong · 26/12/2024 03:34

Stellan