Scandi baby names that work in the UK

[Taggys]

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!

Hi OP. Congratulations on the little one.

From your list I'd got with Estrid or Willa for a girl. Def avoid anything pronounced Asda.

For a boy, Ivar, Otto and Edgar are the only names I think would work on your list. Otto would be my choice out of those.

Sigurd/Sigvard - not hugely keen on this but it could work.
Otto - pretty trendy in the UK
Nils - well enough known (mostly from Frasier!)
August - has become very fashionable in the UK
Einar - not sure about this one
Edgar - classic and trad name in the UK
Ebbe - The most unusual name on your boys' list
Ivar - Lots of people will assume it's spelt Ivor but that's no big deal. Good name.

Girls:
Ilse - Well enough known. Reminds me of a Nazi war criminal with that name. that might just be me though!
Asta - pronounced "Asda" - so I am thinking no because of the shop, or would this matter? - I love Asta's Book by Barbara Vine. The Asda thing isn't ideal though and does kind of ruin it for a UK baby I'm afraid.
Eira - is it pronounced air-a? People might think it's after Eire (the Irish word for Ireland)
Estrid - Astrid is quite popular and people will misspell Estrid as Astrid
Hilma - Not keen on this one, too close to Hilda for me
Elfrida - makes me picture a big strapping German woman of yore
Willa - pretty popular in the UK I would say
Signe - I'm unfamiliar with this one. Is the G silent? It looks gorgeous though.

Nils is not Niles.
Two different names.

I think Otto, August and Edgar work but also think Nils is fine.

I think in the girls list Ilse, Eira, Estrid and Willa all work, but I am making assumptions on Ilse and Eira's pronunciation (Ilse a bit like Elsa but with an ih sound at the beginning, and Eira either eye-ruh or era).

I wouldn’t go with Asta if it’s pronounced Asda. Waitrose maybe, but not Asda.

"Eira" was a Nordic goddess, but you are right about the "Eire" thing... in English I guess it would be pronounced as "Eye-ruh", in Swedish it's "Ei-ruh". "Signe" is pronounced as "Sing-ne", but I think people might say "Sig-ny"??

haha! yes, that's what I am thinking too... It SHOULD be pronounced "As-Ta", but I think it will be "As-Da" here in the UK unfortunately...

Hello, As someone living in an area of the UK where Scandinavian names are quite popular/traditional, and who also speaks some German, most of those choices would be fine for me, however some of them might create an issue for some folk. Thoughts added after each name.

Sigurd/Sigvard - good, first spelling might work better in UK
Otto - good
Nils - this might be confused with Niles and also pronounced Niils by some or Neels by others.
August - sounds feminine perhaps
Einar - ok
Edgar - ok, in use in the UK.
Ebbe - ok
Ivar - might be confused for Ivan

Girls:
Ilse - good
Asta - pronounced "Asda" - so I am thinking no because of the shop, or would this matter? - would avoid anything that sounds like a supermarket, sorry
Eira - sounds like Eire/Ireland maybe
Estrid - nice, I prefer Astrid but that's maybe more German
Hilma - unusual, ok
Elfrida - ok
Willa - um
Signe - good

Otto and Signe are my favourites.
Not sure if that's any help. 🫣

Thanks, this is really helpful!!

Thank you, that's very helpful! I think "Asta" is off the list for sure after what I can gather!

How is August pronounced? Like the month or differently?

I like Otto, Edgar and Einar best from your boys’ list.

Eira is lovely, but I think similar to a Welsh name that may be pronounced differently?

Other than that I like Ilse and Elfrida.

I don’t think people will pronounce it Asta as Asda. Especially if they see it written down. They would more likely pronounce it as Aster like the flower. I think it’s pretty!

Yeh, like the month. Thanks for your opinion! Yes, 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. <3 Thanks!

Oh, interesting thought!!! Thank you!!

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!

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.

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

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

Ragnar

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!)

Lagertha
Freyja

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.

I see we have another Vikings’ fan @caringcarer !

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?

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!