Viking names were built to mean something. Most are made from one or two Old Norse words for the things the Norse admired or feared, such as gods, weapons, wild animals and victory in battle. The thirty names below were all in use during the Viking age, and many of them are still given to boys in Scandinavia today.
Thirty male Viking names
Spellings are given in their familiar modern forms. The Old Norse originals often ended in r, so Harald was Haraldr and Ulf was Ulfr.
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Arne | Eagle |
| Bjorn | Bear |
| Egil | Uncertain, perhaps the edge of a blade |
| Einar | One who fights alone |
| Erik | Sole ruler, or ever powerful |
| Frode | Wise, learned |
| Grim | Masked one |
| Gunnar | Fighter, from words for war and warrior |
| Hakon | High born son |
| Halfdan | Half Dane |
| Harald | Ruler of the army |
| Hrafn | Raven |
| Ivar | Bow warrior, from words for yew and warrior |
| Ketil | Cauldron, or helmet |
| Knut | Knot |
| Leif | Heir, descendant |
| Magnus | Great, borrowed from Latin |
| Olaf | Heir of the ancestors |
| Orm | Serpent |
| Ragnar | Warrior of the gods, or of good counsel |
| Rollo | Famous wolf, a Latin form of Hrolf |
| Sigurd | Guardian of victory |
| Snorri | Onslaught |
| Sten | Stone |
| Sven | Young man |
| Thorstein | Thor's stone |
| Torvald | Thor's power |
| Trygve | Trustworthy |
| Ulf | Wolf |
| Vidar | Uncertain, perhaps wide ruler |
How Viking names were put together
A large share of Norse names are compounds of two parts that could be mixed and matched. Thor was by far the most popular first part, giving Thorstein, Torvald, Thorkel, Thorfinn and dozens more. Other common building blocks include sig for victory, gunn for war, ulf for wolf, bjorn for bear and as for a god.
Children were often named after a relative who had recently died, in the belief that some of that person's luck would pass on with the name. Families also liked names that shared a sound, so a father called Thorstein might name his sons Thorkel and Thorgils.
Sons, fathers and second names
There were no family surnames. A man added his father's name with son on the end, so Leif, the son of Erik the Red, was Leif Eriksson. A daughter did the same with dottir. Iceland still uses this system, which is why Icelandic phone directories are sorted by first name.
Nicknames, the best part
With so many men called Thorstein and Olaf, nicknames did a lot of work, and the Norse were not gentle about them. Some were flattering, like Harald Fairhair or Erik the Red, who was probably named for his hair and beard. Others described a feature or a habit, as with Sweyn Forkbeard, Ketil Flatnose and Thorfinn Skull Splitter, an earl of Orkney. Harald Bluetooth, the Danish king who gave his name to the wireless technology, is thought to have had a conspicuous dead tooth.
Not every nickname was heroic. The old histories of the Norwegian kings record an Eystein Fart without further comment, and a Viking named in the sagas as Ragnar Hairy Breeches is the same legendary Ragnar Lothbrok known from television.
Famous Vikings behind the names
- Rollo was granted land in northern France in 911 and became the first ruler of Normandy. William the Conqueror was his descendant.
- Erik the Red founded the Norse settlement in Greenland, and his son Leif Eriksson reached North America around the year 1000.
- Knut, known in England as Cnut or Canute, was king of England from 1016 to 1035 and ruled Denmark and Norway as well.
- Ivar the Boneless was one of the leaders of the Great Heathen Army that invaded England in 865.
- Harald Hardrada, whose nickname means hard ruler, was killed at Stamford Bridge in 1066.
More names
For the other half of the family, see our list of female Viking names. If the name is for a four legged warrior, we have a separate list of Viking names for dogs.
Common questions
What is the most famous Viking name?
Ragnar, Bjorn, Erik, Leif and Harald are probably the best known. Erik the Red and his son Leif Erikson reached Greenland and North America, and Harald Hardrada died at Stamford Bridge in 1066 in the battle usually taken as the end of the Viking age.
Did Vikings have surnames?
Not in the modern sense. A man was known by his own name plus his father's, so Leif the son of Erik was Leif Eriksson. Many people also carried a nickname, such as Forkbeard or the Red, to tell them apart from others with the same name.
What Viking name means wolf?
Ulf means wolf. It also forms part of many longer names, such as Hrolf, which means famous wolf and is the name behind Rollo, the Viking who founded Normandy.
What Viking name means bear?
Bjorn means bear, and Bjarni is a shorter form of the same word. Both were common in the Viking age and Bjorn is still widely used in Scandinavia today.
Last reviewed 12 November 2026