Swedish Names
Swedish names have a clean, understated charm. Think Astrid, Elsa, Nils and Viggo: short, sturdy names with roots in Old Norse, the Christian saints’ calendar and the Swedish landscape. Sweden also has a unique tradition, the namnsdag (name day), when each name on the calendar gets its own day of celebration.
Below you’ll find 75+ Swedish names with meanings, from today’s top baby names to Viking-era classics and the famous surnames ending in -son. Go deeper with our Swedish girl names, Swedish boy names and Swedish last names, or compare with our Norwegian names.
Swedish Names: browse all lists
Popular Swedish girl names
These names appear near the top of recent lists from Statistics Sweden (SCB). Many are old names revived by modern parents.
| Name | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Alice | Noble, of noble kind | ah-LEES |
| Astrid | Divinely beautiful (Old Norse) | AHS-trid |
| Maja | Swedish form of Maria, or from Maia | MY-ah |
| Vera | Faith, or true | VEH-rah |
| Selma | Possibly “godly helmet” | SEL-mah |
| Alma | Nourishing, soul | AHL-mah |
| Ebba | Strength (Germanic) | EB-bah |
| Saga | Story; also the Norse goddess Sága | SAH-gah |
| Freja | The Norse goddess of love | FRAY-ah |
| Signe | New victory (Old Norse) | SING-neh |
| Elsa | Short for Elisabet, “God is my oath” | EL-sah |
| Alva | Elf (Old Norse) | AHL-vah |
| Wilma | Resolute protector | VIL-mah |
| Linnea | The twinflower, named after botanist Carl Linnaeus | lin-NAY-ah |
| Ester | Star | ES-ter |
Popular Swedish boy names
Swedish boys’ names mix international choices (Noah, Lucas) with homegrown favorites such as Viggo and Sixten.
| Name | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Noah | Rest, comfort | NOH-ah |
| William | Resolute protector | VIL-yam |
| Hugo | Mind, spirit | HOO-goh |
| Elias | My God is Yahweh | eh-LEE-as |
| Oliver | Olive tree | OH-li-ver |
| Viggo | Battle, war (Old Norse) | VIG-goh |
| Nils | Swedish form of Nicholas, “victory of the people” | NILS |
| Axel | Scandinavian form of Absalom, “father of peace” | AHK-sel |
| Ludvig | Famous warrior | LOOD-vig |
| Sixten | Victory stone (Old Norse) | SIX-ten |
| Olle | Diminutive of Olof, “ancestor’s descendant” | OOL-leh |
| Frans | Frenchman, free | FRAHNS |
| Vincent | Conquering | VIN-sent |
| Loke | The Norse god Loki | LOO-keh |
| Alvar | Elf warrior | AHL-var |
Swedish names from Old Norse
Sweden kept many Viking-age names alive. For even more, see our Viking names and Norse god names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Björn | Bear | Boy |
| Gunnar | Bold warrior | Boy |
| Torsten | Thor’s stone | Boy |
| Sigurd | Victory guardian | Boy |
| Ragnar | Warrior of the gods’ counsel | Boy |
| Ingrid | Ing’s beauty | Girl |
| Sigrid | Beautiful victory | Girl |
| Tove | Beautiful Thor | Girl |
| Ylva | She-wolf | Girl |
| Tyra | Belonging to Thor | Girl |
| Idun | Goddess of youth and apples | Girl |
| Leif | Heir, descendant | Boy |
| Ivar | Bow warrior | Boy |
Classic Swedish names
Names of grandparents, royalty and literature: Gustav and Karl for kings, Greta and Ingmar for film legends.
| Name | Meaning | Famous bearer |
|---|---|---|
| Gustav | Staff of the Geats (possibly) | Six Swedish kings |
| Karl | Free man | Karl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden |
| Oskar | Divine spear, or deer lover | King Oscar I and II |
| Erik | Eternal ruler | Saint Erik, patron of Sweden |
| Olof | Ancestor’s descendant | Olof Palme |
| Ingmar | Ing’s fame | Ingmar Bergman |
| Greta | Pearl (from Margareta) | Greta Garbo, Greta Thunberg |
| Birgitta | Exalted one | Saint Birgitta (Bridget) of Sweden |
| Kerstin | Swedish form of Christina | Traditional classic |
| Agneta | Pure, holy (Agnes) | Agnetha Fältskog of ABBA |
| Lars | Swedish form of Laurence, “laurel” | Lars Ulrich |
| Karin | Swedish form of Katarina, “pure” | Very common 20th-century name |
| Märta | Swedish form of Martha, “lady” | Princess Märtha of Sweden |
Swedish nature and unisex names
Many Swedes love names tied to the land and seasons. These work well for any gender or as distinctive middle names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Sol | Sun | Girl or unisex |
| Juni | June | Girl |
| Storm | Storm | Unisex |
| Lo | Lynx (Swedish <em>lo</em>) | Girl |
| Ask | Ash tree; the first man in Norse myth | Boy |
| Embla | The first woman in Norse myth | Girl |
| Kim | Short for Joakim, “God will establish” | Unisex |
| Linn | Short for Linnea; linked to <em>lind</em>, “linden” | Girl |
Common Swedish last names
Most Swedish surnames end in -son (patronymics) or are two-part “nature names.” See all of them on our Swedish last names page.
| Surname | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Andersson | Son of Anders (Andrew) | Patronymic |
| Johansson | Son of Johan (John) | Patronymic |
| Karlsson | Son of Karl | Patronymic |
| Nilsson | Son of Nils | Patronymic |
| Eriksson | Son of Erik | Patronymic |
| Larsson | Son of Lars | Patronymic |
| Lindqvist | Linden twig | Nature name |
| Bergström | Mountain stream | Nature name |
| Lindberg | Linden mountain | Nature name |
| Sjöberg | Lake mountain | Nature name |
| Holm | Islet | Nature name |
| Ek | Oak | Nature name |
Tips for choosing a Swedish name
- Watch the special letters: å, ä and ö are separate letters in Swedish. Björn and Åsa may lose them on US forms, so decide on a spelling early.
- Check the English sound: Swedish j is a “y” sound (Maja = MY-ah) and sj sounds close to “wh.” Names like Elsa, Astrid and Axel sound nearly the same in both languages.
- Look up the name day: every name on the Swedish calendar has a namnsdag, a nice extra day to celebrate.
- Mix and match: Swedes often use two or three given names. A trendy first name with a family name in the middle is very Swedish.
- For more Nordic options, see Finnish names and Viking names.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular name in Sweden?
Recent SCB data puts names like Alice, Olivia, Astrid and Maja at the top for girls and Noah, William, Hugo and Lucas for boys.
What are typical Swedish names?
Classic Swedish names include Lars, Nils, Erik, Karl, Gustav and Olof for boys, and Karin, Ingrid, Kerstin, Birgitta, Elsa and Astrid for girls.
Why do so many Swedish last names end in -son?
Swedes once used patronymics: Anders’ son became Andersson. In the late 1800s these became fixed family names.
What is a Swedish name day?
A namnsdag is a day on the Swedish calendar assigned to a particular name. People with that name are congratulated on their day.
Are Swedish and Norwegian names the same?
They overlap a lot thanks to shared Old Norse roots, but spellings differ, such as Swedish Björn vs. Norwegian Bjørn, and each country has its own favorites.