It’s also the name of a saint, Hilda of Whitby, who was the founder and abbesses of Whitby Abbey in the seventh century. Coming for the Old Norse word hildr, which means “battle”, it’s a name that the Vikings traditionally gave to girls to give them strength and protection in life. Meaning “the fighter”, “battle woman” or “ready for battle”, Hilda is certainly not a name for a shrinking violet. In Norse mythology, Hel (a diminutive of Helga) presided over the underworld, while in The Vikings, Helga is the wife of Floki.
Helga comes from the Old Norse word heilagr meaning “holy”, “blessed”, “sacred” or “divine woman”. The popularity of the name Gunnhild may be due to her appearance as one of shield maidens, or Valkyries, in the TV series The Vikings. It’s a variation on the name Hilda (see below). The name Gunhild (or Gunnhild) comes for the Old Norse name Gunnhildr, which means “fight” or “battle”. You don’t want to mess with a Gudrun! Gunhild A Viking warrior woman / Hans Splinter (CC)
She subsequently murdered Atil in revenge because he had killed her brothers. Originally the wife of the war hero Sigurd, she was then married to Atil, also known as Atila the Hun, after Sigurd’s death. In Norse mythology, Gudrun was a feisty heroine, whose life was anything but quiet! The popular Scandinavian name Gudrun derives from the Old Norse words guð meaning “god” and rūn meaning “rune” or “secret lore”. There were also two saints called Gertrude – Gertrude the Great, who was known for her kindness and gentleness as well as being the patron saint of travellers and gardeners, while Saint Gertude was the patron saint of cats. In Norse mythology, Gertrud was a goddess who turns into a bird and, of course, Shakespeare named Hamlet’s mother Gertrude. Popular throughout the Nordic countries, Gertrud (or Gertrude) is an Old Norse name which means “spear” or “strength”. Famous Fridas include Swedish singer Frida Lyngstad from Abba and the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Written Fríða in Scandinavian, the name Frida means “peace”. Some sources suggest that Odr was, in fact, Odin and Freya was his wife Frigg – though this a less appealing girls’ name for English speakers!Įither way, Freya was the goddess of fertility, beauty, love and war, and the name Freya means “lady”. In Norse mythology, Freya was one of most important of the Norse goddesses, and the wife of Odr. If you want your daughter to grow up a strong leader, why not name her Bodil? It’s a pretty Norse name which means “commander”, “battle” or “fighting woman”. Other famous Astrids include Norwegian singer Astrid S and the Swedish author of the much-loved Pippi Longstocking books, Astrid Lindgren. The name means “divinely beautiful”, though some sources suggest that it comes from the Old Norse for “godly strength”. The Viking name Astrid means “divinely beautiful” / GioeleFazzeri (CC) It’s a favourite name amongst Scandinavian royalty, which included Princess Astrid of Sweden, who went onto become Queen of Belgium, and Princess Astrid of Norway. AstridĪstrid was a popular name in Viking times and is still in widespread use today. The name Åse comes from the Old Norse meaning”god-like” or “goddess”. So, if you like the idea of a strong female Viking name for your newborn daughter and want to know what it means, here are our top twenty favourite Viking names for girls. We’ve picked out some of favourite female Viking names and looked into what they mean and where they come from. Popular Viking names for girls and their meanings So why not take inspiration from Norse goddess names such as Freyja, Idun, Frigg, Skadi, Sif, and Hel?Īnd, of course, the popular TV series The Vikings has provided inspiration for some girl Viking names, such as Porunn, Aslaug, Helga, Lagertha and Siggy.
Other old Viking names originate from female Viking goddess names. These powerful Viking female warriors names include Brynhildr, Gunnr, Herfjötur, Alruna and Gondul. In Old Norse mythology these were the brave and beautiful maidens who served Thor and chose which warriors would be killed on the battlefield and which would be saved. There are female Viking warrior names, which come from the Old Norse Valkyries, also known as “shield warriors”. Viking names for girls have many different origins. We’ve researched some cool female Viking names and their meanings, to give you a hand with choosing some good strong female Viking names for your newborn. Good female Viking names tend to suggest independence and strength as well as intelligence, and who wouldn’t those for their baby girl? Viking names for girls are pretty popular right now, and if you want to give your newborn daughter a strong feisty name, a female Viking name could be a great choice. Cool female Viking names and their meanings by Amanda Tomlin
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