Are you enamored by Blue Lagoon, Northern lights, and Reynisfjara shore? Then how about picking an Icelandic name to showcase the love for the country?
Iceland is very strict about baby naming laws. Parents have to meet certain rules of gender, grammar, and meaning to save the child from embarrassment in future. Also, the name should contain letters that occur in the Icelandic alphabet. There is also a list of 1853 approved names for girls and 1712 approved names for boys. So parents have to select names for this list or seek permission from the special committee if their chosen name is not on the list. The authorities will see if the name is compatible with the Icelandic tradition or not.
Even the surnames in Iceland follow an interesting tradition. The surnames are not family names, but are patronymic or matronymic. The father’s first name becomes the child’s last name along with the suffix, -son or -dottir. For example, if the father’s name is Erik, the son’s last name will be Erikson and the daughter’s last name will be Erikdottir. There are a few families who have true family names, but these families are originally from other countries. The law also allows the use of both the parents’ name as the last name.
Below is MomJunction's exhaustive collection of Icelandic baby names with meanings. Keep scrolling.
NAMES | MEANING | GENDER | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Groa | To grow | Girl | |||
Grou | To grow. A variant of Groa. | Girl | |||
Gudlaug | One who is a good wife. | Girl | |||
Gudný | The new god. | Girl | |||
Gunndís | Battle maiden, or battle goddess | Girl | |||
Guðjón | Icelandic word for God. | Boy | |||
Guðrún | Fight or secret. | Girl | |||
Hafoca | Icelandic word meaning Havoc (originally used in the phrase cry havoc) | Boy | |||
Hallbjorn | Rock and hair | Boy | |||
Halldór | The thunder god. | Boy | |||
Halldora | Thunder, or thunder goddess | Girl | |||
Haraldur | Leader of an army. | Boy | |||
Harpa | Icelandic word for harp. | Girl | |||
Haukr | Hawk in the Icelandic language. | Boy | |||
Hávarr | High warrior. | Boy | |||
Helgi | One who is blessed. | Boy | |||
Hinrik | A form of Henry. It means estate ruler. | Boy | |||
Hjordís | The sword maiden | Girl | |||
Hjörtr | A male deer. | Boy | |||
Hjortur | Deer in Icelandic language. A variant of Hjörtr. | Boy | |||
Hodd | A woman whose hair is beautiful. | Girl | |||
Holti | He who comes from the small forest | Boy | |||
Hrafn | Raven | Boy | |||
Hrafnhildur | Raven or battle | Girl | |||
Hrafntinna | Raven or flint | Girl | |||
Hrefna | Icelandic word for Raven | Girl | |||
Hreinn | A reindeer in Icelandic language. | Boy | |||
Huld | Icelandic term for secret. | Girl | |||
Idunn | To renew nature or active in love. | Girl | |||
Ingibjörg | Protection or castle. | Girl | |||
Isabella | God is perfection, or God is my oath | Girl | |||
Ísak | Icelandic variant of Isaac, meaning he laughs. | Boy | |||
Játgeirr | The fortunate spear. | Boy | |||
Jöðurr | A guardian | Boy | |||
Kalfr | Young cow in Icelandic language. | Boy | |||
Katrín | Icelandic version of Catherine, meaning pure. | Girl | |||
Kleppr | A large stone. | Boy | |||
Klœngr | Claw in Icelandic language. | Boy | |||
Knjúkr | The top of a high, steep, round mountain. | Boy | |||
Kolbrun | Coal or eyebrow. | Girl | |||
Kolli | One who is bald. | Boy | |||
Kolskeggr | One who has a black beard. | Boy | |||
Kristjana | Icelandic form of Kristina, meaning follower of Christ. | Girl | |||
Kvígr | A young bull. | Boy | |||
Leifr | A variant of Leifur, meaning heir. | Boy | |||
Leifur | Heir or successor. | Boy | |||
Leiðolfr | Chief wolf. | Boy | |||
Lilija | Icelandic form of Lily, meaning pure. | Girl | |||
Lilja | Lilja is a variant of Lilija and means lily flower. | Girl | |||
Ljot | Light, one who fills lives of everyone with light. | Girl | |||