Viking Male Names: Attested Norse Men's Names and Meanings

Viking men's names were compounds, and the parts mean something. Þórsteinn is Þórr plus steinn, the god's stone. Ásbjörn is áss plus björn, god-bear. Sigurðr is victory plus guardian. Once you can see the elements, the whole corpus opens up.

Generate a Norse man's name, or read on for the full lists.

The Elements Names Are Built From

Roughly a quarter of the settler names recorded in Landnámabók carry the Þór- element, which is why so many of the names below start the same way.

Attested Viking Men's Names

221 more attested names are in the name generator, each with its meaning and source.

Names Built on Battle and Weapons

For the martial end of the corpus specifically, with the Norse words for a fighting man, see Norse names that mean warrior.

The Byname Completes the Name

A given name on its own rarely identified anyone. What made a man findable was the byname, and those are covered in full in our guide to Viking bynames. For how the patronymic works, see Viking last names.

For the elements these names are built from, and the bynames that went with them, see the complete Viking naming guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What were the most common Viking men's names?

Names built on Þór- dominate: Þórsteinn, Þórgeirr, Þórbjörn, Þórkell. Óláfr, Björn, Ketill, Grímr, Einarr and Sigurðr are also very widely attested.

What does the Þór- element mean?

It is the god Þórr. Roughly a quarter of attested Icelandic settler names carry it, which makes it the single most productive element in the corpus.

What is the difference between a name and a byname?

The given name is what you were called at birth. The byname is the descriptive nickname others attached to you, such as hárfagri or blóðøx, and it did the work a surname does now.

Are Viking male names still used?

Yes. Erik, Olaf, Bjorn, Gunnar, Harald, Magnus and Sven are all in continuous use and descend directly from names in this list.