Girl ‘Scandinavian’ names

[scotscorner]

Hi, advice appreciated! Nearly 27 weeks pregnant and DH and I struggling to compromise on girls’ names. (It could be a boy so we may escape the issue).

He has set his heart on baby girl’s name being: Gudrun. I understand this is not totally uncommon in Germany/Iceland/Scandi countries but we are in UK, have no connection to these countries and more importantly I just don’t like it! (He accepts I have vetoed Gudrun).

He is now pushing for other Scandi style names and I am struggling a bit. It wouldn’t be my preference although some of the names are quite nice. He also likes:
Signe
Sigrid
Astrid
Saga

I really want Nora which he says he likes but always does little sad faces as he doesn’t like it ‘as much as any of the Scandi style names’.

I like relatively uncommon names but I just think it’s a bit odd to choose a name from a specific culture/background when you have literally no connection to that place - what do others think?

and does anyone have any other Scandi-sounding names that we might both like??

thank you!

I love the name Ingrid. I know a Noora from Finland and that's lovely too.

Ingrid
Linnea
Liv
Runa

Ah i really like Astrid and Saga. I would also pull a sad face at Nora BUT I'm with you on using another countries names when you have no connection there. So yea sorry I'm ZERO help

Runa is gorgeous !

Heidi springs to mind, is that Scandinavian? It’s lovely.

Gudrun is not good in the UK for sure

I'm not a fan of Nora personally but it's very popular in Danmark at the moment 12th on the top 100

What about Solvej?

how about Pernille (pronounced Per-Nella I think)

One of my Mother’s friends when she was young was Freda (Frida? I can’t remember the spelling). She was older than my Mum so would have been born in the late 1920s or early 30s. She wasn’t Scandinavian, and I have heard of other women called Freda, as it can be a pet name for Wilfrida or Frederica .
My Swedish friend is called Petra, again this is also used in the UK , so not solely a Scandinavian name.

Clara
Tova
Kari
Juni
Tora
Nissa
Saffi
Emma
Eva
Ola
Freja / Freya

Vibeke

Astrid and Ingrid are both nice, and I don't think you would particularly need a Scandi connection to use.
Also like Gretchen, which sounds a bit like Gudrun, but nicer and more well known.

I like Saga, Gretchen, Ingrid & Astrid. How do they fit with the surname? Don’t forget to think about the initials too!

I’ve encountered a family with scandi names who aren’t actually Scandinavian and their names were lovely. I think the girls were called Inke (in-ka) and Astrid? Ingrid is also gorgeous. Inga/Inge is also cute.

It’s a bit odd that he’s so set on scandi names but at least he’s not determined to name her Keighleigh-mai or something 🤷🏻‍♀️

Have you any link to Orkney or Shetland? Scandinavian names are common there. Of your DH's choices I think Astrid works well in the UK and Sigrid is known because of the popstar.

Anyway a few more options. Some work better in the UK (I'm guessing you are English) than others:

Ingrid, Inga, Solveig, Britt, Birgitta, Freja/Freya (very popular right now though), Frida, Fritha, Ola, Elsa, Anna, Erika, Annika, Helga, Hilda, Kirsten, Tove, Gunni, Marta.

Love the name Astrid!

Also:
Annaliese
Freja
Liv
Annika
Malin

Don't go for a name with an 'e' at the end. English speakers don't know what to do with that and end up pronouncing it as a strong 'ee', when it is meant to be a weak schwa, more like an 'uh'. Example: "Anne" in English ignores the 'e', but in Scandi it would be 'Annuh'. The closest in English is an 'a', so you would have to ask people to call you Anna, if you were an original Scandi Anne, as it's closer than the English 'Ann', which is how it would be pronounced by a English speaker, but sounds nothing like a Scandi 'Anne'. Difficult to explain in writing, but as a Scandi person with a name ending in 'e' I promise you I have spent my life telling English people how to say my name. Don't land a child with that. If any suggestions here are followed by (I think it's pronounced...) then don't go for that. Whatever you choose, make sure it's clear by the spelling, to an English speaker, how it's pronounced. For the love of God.

Anya?

Erika
Kaia
Karina
Asti
Kirsten
Dahlia
Karin
Sula
Karmen
Maia
Freya
Rayna
Aina
Mea

I don’t like Gudrun at all, but Astrid has been somewhat anglicised and is much nicer. How about Anna, Freja, Ingrid, Sonja, Elsa, Anneli, Kajsa, Eva or Karin?

Inge?
I had a cousin called Inge-lise, with an a ending. Always thought it was a beautiful name.

Not Scandinavian but inspired by your lists:

Stella
Nerissa
Persephone
Sage
Sabrina
Sasha
Sylvia
Saira
Imogen
Iseult
Tamsin
Elise
Aurora
Honora
Cora
Dora

Well you have to find something you are both happy with.

It depends where in Scandinavia, but a lot the names are the same anyways. Emma is practically no. 1 in some places. Nora as actually got quite popular as a short of Eleanora or just own it’s own I think. Of his names Astrid is great, Saga nearly as bad as Gudrun.

As a PP says, you don’t want to give her a name when the standard UK spelling is different - Hanne, Klara, Filippa, Freja - because it will be a PITA for her - so he just has to suck that up.

Maybe one of these - spellings adapted to UK (Yolanda not Jolanda etc)

Petronella
Anneli
Freya
Anya
Elsa
Katya
Katrina
Ulla
Ursula
Kirsten
Lotta
Safina
Thora
Ragna
Thordis
Lena
Clara
Liv
Linnea
Yolanda
Eleanora
Lovisa
Selma
Ada
Anika
Erica
Agnes
Sofia
Philippa

Gudrun is such an ugly name, just makes me think of a witch for some reason. Scandi names are generally really harsh sounding I find but I love Anya which isn't.

We discussed Heidi and do like it but we’ve got a close one in the family which in the circumstances would make it inappropriate! It’s a great suggestion though!

Thank you to all of you who’ve posted lists, that’s super helpful - some names I hadn’t thought of in there 😀