Viking Name Generator
Old Norse names built from genuine name elements, with the meaning of each half and a working -son and -dottir patronymic.
3,080,448 combinations
Male, female and neutral viking names, each with a matching viking last name and the meaning of every element shown.
- Valgrim Veriksson
Val the slain + grim mask
Ve sacred + riksson ruler's son
- Jorthora Otbrandsdottir
Jor horse + thora thunder
Ot dread + brandsdottir sword's daughter
- Skalsida af Heidaby
Skal bald + sida side
af Heidaby heath farm
- Bodketill Sveinsteinsson
Bod battle + ketill helmet
Svein boy + steinsson stone's son
- Randbjort Gudmodsdottir
Rand shield rim + bjort bright
Gud god + modsdottir courage's daughter
- Hauktunga af Heidaby
Hauk hawk + tunga tongue
af Heidaby heath farm
- Geirkell Ormgestsson
Geir spear + kell helmet
Orm serpent + gestsson guest's son
- Jorvina Valmundsdottir
Jor horse + vina friend
Val the slain + mundsdottir protector's daughter
- Fagerull Silkiskegg
Fager fair + ull wool
Silkiskegg silk beard
- Hjalmsveinn Eybrandsson
Hjalm helm + sveinn boy
Ey island + brandsson sword's son
- Alfdisa Holmbrandsdottir
Alf elf + disa goddess
Holm islet + brandsdottir sword's daughter
- Haukbelti af Uppsolum
Hauk hawk + belti belt
af Uppsolum upper halls
- Ragnorm Ormriksson
Ragn the gods + orm serpent
Orm serpent + riksson ruler's son
- Huggerda Gudmodsdottir
Hug mind + gerda enclosure
Gud god + modsdottir courage's daughter
- Vilskinn Ormstunga
Vil wild + skinn hide
Ormstunga serpent tongue
- Baldmund Viggeirsson
Bald bold + mund protection
Vig battle + geirsson spear's son
- Hjorhilda Valgrimsdottir
Hjor sword + hilda battle
Val the slain + grimsdottir mask's daughter
- Eldbrok Lodbrok
Eld fire + brok breeches
Lodbrok shaggy breeches
- Skarpormr Fridvaldsson
Skarp sharp + ormr serpent
Frid peace + valdsson ruler's son
- Kolheida Arnkarlsdottir
Kol coal + heida honour
Arn eagle + karlsdottir freeman's daughter
- Hvalkjol Jarnsida
Hval whale + kjol keel
Jarnsida ironside
- Vestfastr Gunnsteinsson
Vest west + fastr firm
Gunn battle + steinsson stone's son
- Arnheidr Ascbrandsdottir
Arn eagle + heidr honour
Asc aesir god + brandsdottir sword's daughter
- Digrsjon Blodox
Digr stout + sjon sight
Blodox bloodaxe
Need a name that means something in particular? Build one from its meaning.
How Old Norse names are built
¶Old Norse personal names are dithematic: two fixed elements joined end to end, with no requirement that the pair make sense together. Thor thunder plus stein stone gives Thorstein. Arn eagle plus bjorn bear gives Arnbjorn, which is not an animal anybody expected to meet. The stock of elements is small and inherited — battle, wolf, bear, spear, stone, peace, victory, the gods — and families recombined the same roots to echo a grandfather, which is why two dozen elements cover most of the sagas.
The trailing r on Sigurdr, Steinn and Ulfr is the nominative case ending rather than part of the name, and modern Scandinavian forms simply drop it, so both spellings are correct depending on how old you want the name to look. Gender sits in the second element, not the first. Men take steinn, geirr, mundr, ulfr and valdr; women take dis goddess, gerdr enclosure, hildr battle, unnr wave, veig strength and run secret. First elements are shared, so siblings genuinely echo each other.
There were no inherited family names. You were your father's child: Erik's son is Eriksson, Erik's daughter is Eriksdottir, and the name resets every generation, which is why Icelandic directories still alphabetise by given name. Most people also carried a byname, an unofficial nickname fixed on them by neighbours — jarnsida ironside, grafeld greycloak, blodox bloodaxe, hvitskegg whitebeard. Given name, byname and patronymic together are how one Bjorn in a crowded hall was told from the next.
More viking names
Male viking names
- Hargrim Arnthegnsson army mask
- Norvardr Ormhjalmsson north guardian
- Brandfast Rafngrimsson sword firm
- Bjorngest Ormvaldsson bear guest
- Einrik Vemundsson one mighty
- Alfbrand Valmundsson elf sword
- Vestmundr Randgrimsson west protection
- Bodvardr Hildketilsson battle guardian
- Veleif Sveinskjoldsson sacred heir
- Hjalmgeirr Hargrimsson helm spear
- Bjornsveinn Valgeirsson bear boy
- Norkell Valgestsson north helmet
- Olkell Ragnulfsson ancestor helmet
- Grimvaldr Valvardsson mask ruler
- Harvin Audsteinsson army friend
- Skarpar Hildgestsson sharp warrior
- Odleif Gudleifsson spear point heir
- Ascrik Ormvaldsson aesir god mighty
Female viking names
- Alfruna Trygulfsdottir elf secret
- Thorrida Audgrimsdottir thunder rider
- Otunn Gudsteinsdottir dread wave
- Arnunna Trygriksdottir eagle wave
- Gudruna Kolriksdottir god secret
- Bodleifa Styrskjoldsdottir battle heir
- Thjodborga Harkarlsdottir people fortress
- Ottruda Vigvardsdottir dread strength
- Gudtrud Gudvaldsdottir god strength
- Ketilfridr Hjorvardsdottir helmet peace
- Thorunn Ormradsdottir thunder wave
- Thjodborga Otgestsdottir people fortress
- Gerdbjorga Randleifsdottir enclosure help
- Holmgunnr Bryngrimsdottir islet battle
- Bjorgheid Thorsteinsdottir help honour
- Rafnrid Tryghugsdottir raven rider
- Asthilde Kolhjalmsdottir love battle
- Randunn Trygbjornsdottir shield rim wave
Neutral viking names
- Mjukskjold Trefot soft shield
- Skalmal Silkiskegg bald speech
- Thungsverd Hvitskegg heavy sword
- Isor af Jorvik ice arrow
- Fjalhals af Uppsolum mountain neck
- Rikfjodr Lodbrok rich feather
- Stormskip Lodbrok tempest ship
- Blodlund Trefot blood temper
- Mjukhamar af Uppsolum soft hammer
- Rikskjold af Heidaby rich shield
- Bjartkylfa Trefot bright club
- Kaldkinn af Uppsolum cold cheek
- Myrkgang Lodbrok dark gait
- Rikknif af Uppsolum rich knife
- Grakylfa Blatonn grey club
- Svartnef Ormstunga black nose
- Stormhug Hvitskegg tempest mind
- Kolboga af Uppsolum coal bow
Questions
Are these real Viking names?
The elements are genuine Old Norse name elements with their standard meanings, and the generator recombines them the way Norse families actually did. Many results are attested names such as Thorstein, Arnbjorn, Sigrid and Gudrun. Others are new but legal combinations built from the same stock, which is exactly how new names entered the tradition.
What do the endings -son and -dottir mean?
They mean son of and daughter of, attached to the father's name in the genitive. A man fathered by Thorstein is Thorsteinsson; his sister is Thorsteinsdottir. Swap the ending to match your character rather than inheriting it, because the patronymic changes every generation and is not a surname in the modern sense. A Norse last name is therefore not a Nordic surname in the modern sense; Iceland still works this way.
What were Viking women's names?
They use the same first elements as men's names but a different set of second elements: dis goddess, gerd enclosure, hild battle, unn wave, veig strength, run secret, frid peace, borg fortress. That gives Gudrun, Ragnhild, Astrid, Solveig, Thorunn and Sigrid. A woman's name signalled the family as clearly as a man's did, and often more clearly.
How do I write Old Norse letters like the thorn?
Thorn and eth are romanised here as th and d, which is the normal convention in English-language editions and keeps the names typeable. So Thorsteinn stands for the manuscript form with a thorn, and Sigurd for the form ending in eth. If you want the older look, substitute the letters back once you have chosen a name.
What is a Viking byname?
A byname is a descriptive nickname that stuck: ironside, greycloak, bloodaxe, the stout, whitebeard. They were given by other people rather than chosen, and they usually recorded a body, a habit, a garment or a single famous deed. The neutral tab on this page generates bynames, which sit between the given name and the patronymic.