Swedish Girl Names
Swedish girl names are simple on the surface and full of story underneath. Saga means “tale,” Linnea is Sweden’s national flower, and Astrid honors both a Viking-age queen and the author of Pippi Longstocking. They are short, elegant and usually easy for English speakers to spell.
Here are 100+ Swedish girl names with meanings and pronunciation, from the current top names in Sweden to Old Norse classics, royal names and grandmother names back in style. Start with our Swedish names hub, find a brother’s name in Swedish boy names, or explore Norwegian girl names and female Viking names.
Popular Swedish girl names
All of these rank high in recent Statistics Sweden (SCB) data for newborn girls.
| Name | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Alice | Noble | ah-LEES |
| Olivia | Olive tree | oh-LEE-vee-ah |
| Astrid | Divinely beautiful | AHS-trid |
| Maja | Swedish form of Maria | MY-ah |
| Vera | True, or faith | VEH-rah |
| Ebba | Strength | EB-bah |
| Selma | Possibly “godly helmet” | SEL-mah |
| Alma | Nourishing; soul | AHL-mah |
| Stella | Star | STEL-lah |
| Wilma | Resolute protector | VIL-mah |
| Saga | Story, tale | SAH-gah |
| Ella | Light, or “all” | EL-lah |
| Signe | New victory | SING-neh |
| Freja | Norse goddess of love | FRAY-ah |
| Elsa | God is my oath (from Elisabet) | EL-sah |
| Agnes | Pure, holy | AHNG-nes |
| Alva | Elf | AHL-vah |
| Ellen | Bright, shining (Helen) | EL-len |
| Nellie | Light (from Helen) | NEL-lee |
| Tilde | Mighty in battle (Matilda) | TIL-deh |
Old Norse and Viking girl names
Names from the sagas and runestones, loved in Sweden for their strength. See our goddess names for Freja’s divine company.
| Name | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Ingrid | Ing’s beauty | ING-rid |
| Sigrid | Beautiful victory | SEE-grid |
| Tove | Beautiful Thor | TOO-veh |
| Tuva | Swedish variant of Tove | TOO-vah |
| Ylva | She-wolf | IL-vah |
| Tyra | Belonging to Thor | TEE-rah |
| Idun | Goddess of youth | EE-dun |
| Embla | First woman in Norse myth | EM-blah |
| Solveig | Strong house, or sun strength | SOL-vay |
| Gudrun | God’s secret | GOOD-roon |
| Ragnhild | Battle counsel | RAHNG-hild |
| Liv | Life; also “shelter” | LEEV |
| Siri | Beautiful victory (from Sigrid) | SEE-ree |
| Runa | Secret lore, rune | ROO-nah |
| Dagny | New day | DAHG-nee |
| Estrid | Divine beauty | ES-trid |
| Frida | Peace | FREE-dah |
| Hilda | Battle | HIL-dah |
| Asta | Love, or divine beauty | AHS-tah |
| Gerd | Enclosure, protection; a Norse giantess | YAIRD |
Classic Swedish girl names
The names of Swedish mothers and aunts, from Anna and Karin to Malin and Annika.
| Name | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Anna | Grace | Long Sweden’s most common female name |
| Karin | Pure (Katarina) | Top name of the 1940s |
| Kerstin | Follower of Christ (Kristina) | Uniquely Swedish form |
| Birgitta | Exalted one | Saint Birgitta of Sweden |
| Margareta | Pearl | Nicknames Greta, Maggan |
| Kristina | Follower of Christ | Queen Kristina of Sweden |
| Eva | Life | Evergreen classic |
| Elisabet | God is my oath | Swedish spelling of Elizabeth |
| Agneta | Pure (Agnes) | Agnetha Fältskog of ABBA |
| Ulla | Will, determination | Popular 1940s–60s |
| Britt | Short for Birgitta | Swedish original of “Brit” |
| Lena | Short for Helena or Magdalena | 1960s favorite |
| Gunilla | Battle maiden | Mid-century Swedish |
| Malin | From Magdalena, “of Magdala” | 1980s favorite |
| Ulrika | Ruler of all, prosperity | Queen Ulrika Eleonora |
| Katarina | Pure | Nickname Kajsa |
| Maria | Beloved, or bitter | Most common name among Swedish women |
| Sofia | Wisdom | Popular since the 1990s |
| Emma | Whole, universal | A top name of the 2000s |
| Elin | Swedish form of Helen, “light” | Classic and simple |
Vintage Swedish girl names back in style
Swedes call these mormorsnamn, “grandma names.” A generation ago they sounded old; today they top birth lists. Like them? See also our grandma names.
| Name | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Majken | Swedish pet form of Maria | MY-ken |
| Ester | Star | ES-ter |
| Greta | Pearl (Margareta) | GREH-tah |
| Svea | Personification of Sweden | SVEH-ah |
| Elvira | Possibly “all true” | el-VEE-rah |
| Tekla | God’s glory | TEK-lah |
| Hedvig | Battle | HED-vig |
| Edith | Rich battle | EH-dit |
| Märta | Lady (Martha) | MAIR-tah |
| Viola | Violet | vee-OH-lah |
| Stina | Short for Kristina | STEE-nah |
| Dagmar | Day maiden, or famous day | DAHG-mar |
| Ingeborg | Ing’s protection | ING-eh-bor |
| Elsie | Diminutive of Elsa | EL-see |
| Lovisa | Famous warrior (Louise) | loo-VEE-sah |
| Ida | Work, labor | EE-dah |
Swedish nature names for girls
Flowers, seasons and wild things: nature names are a big Swedish trend. For more, see our flower names for girls.
| Name | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Linnea | Twinflower | Sweden’s national flower, named for Carl Linnaeus |
| Sol | Sun | Short and bright |
| Juni | June | Summery and modern |
| Lo | Lynx | The shortest Swedish name |
| Lilja | Lily | Nordic form of Lily |
| Dahlia | Dahlia flower | Named after Swedish botanist Anders Dahl |
| Iris | Iris flower; rainbow | Greek origin |
| Nova | New; bright new star | Top-50 in Sweden |
| Malva | Mallow flower | Soft and trendy |
| Vilda | Wild | Free-spirited |
| Mira | Wonderful, or peace | Short and international |
| Tindra | To twinkle, sparkle | Modern Swedish word name |
Swedish royal girl names
The Bernadotte royal family’s names often trickle down to Swedish nurseries. For more regal picks, see our princess names.
| Name | Meaning | Royal bearer |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria | Victory | Crown Princess Victoria |
| Madeleine | Woman from Magdala | Princess Madeleine |
| Estelle | Star | Princess Estelle |
| Leonore | Possibly “light” | Princess Leonore |
| Adrienne | From Hadria | Princess Adrienne |
| Silvia | Of the forest | Queen Silvia |
| Désirée | Desired | Princess Désirée |
Girl names from Astrid Lindgren’s books
Astrid Lindgren’s heroines gave Swedish parents some of their favorite names.
| Name | Character | Book |
|---|---|---|
| Ronja | Ronia, the robber’s daughter | Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter |
| Annika | Pippi’s best friend | Pippi Longstocking |
| Pippi | Pippi Longstocking herself | Pippi Longstocking |
| Madicken | Margareta “Madicken” Engström | Mardie |
| Lotta | The feisty little sister | Lotta on Troublemaker Street |
| Tjorven | The girl with the Saint Bernard | Seacrow Island |
How to choose a Swedish girl name
- Say it the Swedish way first: Maja is “MY-ah,” Tove is “TOO-veh.” If you plan to use the English pronunciation instead, pick a name where the difference is small, like Elsa, Astrid or Ella.
- Spell with care: letters like å, ä and ö (Märta, Åsa) are often dropped on US forms, so names without them are easier abroad.
- Use the name day: look up your daughter’s namnsdag on the Swedish calendar for a second celebration each year.
- Balance short and long: Swedish middle names are common, and a single-syllable first name such as Liv, Lo or Sol pairs beautifully with a longer middle name. See our middle names for girls.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular Swedish girl name?
Alice, Olivia, Astrid and Maja have held the top spots in recent SCB data. Among all Swedish women, Anna, Maria and Eva are the most common.
What are traditional Swedish girl names?
Karin, Kerstin, Birgitta, Ingrid, Margareta, Ulla and Anna are the most traditional, along with Old Norse names such as Sigrid and Solveig.
What does Saga mean?
Saga means “story” or “tale” in Swedish, and Sága is also a goddess in Norse mythology.
What Swedish girl name means wolf?
Ylva means “she-wolf” in Old Norse. It is a strong, distinctive choice still used in Sweden.
Is Elsa a Swedish name?
Yes. Elsa is a Scandinavian short form of Elisabet and has long been popular in Sweden, well before Disney’s Frozen.