Icelandic Names for Boys

Today, we bring you a great and different idea, a selection of Icelandic names for boys so that you can choose one for your baby.

If you’re expecting a boy, you have an endless number of options to choose from when it comes to picking a name. To help you narrow down your options, here’s a list of Icelandic names for boys.

Iceland is a mysterious and unique country. It’s the land where Irish monks arrived in the 8th century to make their retreats and were amazed by its eternal nights and days.

Scandinavians and Celts later arrived on this very special island, bringing their customs and beliefs. There, they laid the foundations of the particular Icelandic culture, their language, and their way of life.

The names of Icelandic origin for boys come from that history, and each one has a particular meaning. Today, we invite you to discover them!

Where can we find Icelandic names?

In Iceland, there’s a Registry of approved names, and every year a commission reviews the list and approves or rejects the new names. To put together this selection, we’ve resorted to that source.

Just the same, it’s likely that in order to use them in English, you’ll have to change some of their letters, as the Icelandic language contains elements such as Æ, Ð, Ý, Å, Á, ð, and Ú, which don’t exist in the Latin alphabet.

Icelandic names listed in alphabetical order from A to F

• Aðalsteinn: a Norse translation of the Anglo-Saxon name Ethelstan which means “noble stone”.
• Agnar: means “strong”.
• Áki: an Old Norse diminutive name for anur, meaning “father” or “ancestor”.
• Alfreð: an Icelandic form of the British Alfred.
• Anders: of Swedish origin, a modern form of Andræs.
• Ari: means “eagle”.
• Arnþór: an Icelandic variant of Andor.
• Ásbjörn: formed by the element áss which means “God” and björn which means “bear”.
• Baldur: a name of the Norse god of happiness and love.
• Birtingr: refers to an “intelligent and competent man”.
• Benedikt: originates from the German Benedict, which comes from the Roman Benedictus, which means “blessed”.
• Björn: from Old Norse, it means “bear”.
• Einar: means “only warrior”, it’s formed by the element ein, which means “only one” and the suffix arr, which translates as “warrior”.
• Eiríkur: an Icelandic variant of Eirik, an old name of Germanic origin.
• Eðvarð: an Icelandic name that comes from the English Eduard, originally Eadweard. It’s made up of the words ead, which means “prosperity” and weard, which means “guard”. It translates as the “keeper of wealth”.
• Finnur: an Icelandic form of Finn, which is the name of a character from Irish mythology.
• Frederick: comes from the Germanic Friedrich which means a “calm king”.

Listed in alphabetical order from G to Z

• Gustav: originated from Old Norse Gautr. The Spanish form is Gustavo.
• Hákon: an Old Danish name derived from the word haki, which means “brave” or “rude”.
• Harald: comes from the Danish and Swedish Haraldr.
• Hjörtur: means “deer”.
• Jóhann: Icelandic and Faroese form of the English name John and the Spanish Juan. Its meaning is “God is good” and comes from the Latin Iohannes, the Greek Ioannes, and the Hebrew Iojanan.
• Jóhannes: another Icelandic variant of John.
• Kristján: comes from Cristian, a name that originated from the Latin word Christianus and which means “follower of Christ”.
• Lúðvík: Icelandic variant of Ludwig.
• Njáll: comes from the Old Norse Niall.
• Ólafur: comes from Olaf, a name of Scandinavian origin formed by the elements anu, which refers to an “ancestor” and leifr, which means “heir”.
• Óskar: comes from Oscar, who is of Irish origin. In Gaelic, Os means “deer” and cara, which means “friend”. In Irish mythology, it’s the name of a brave warrior, son of the poet Oisín.
• Sindri: from the word sindr, which means “spark”.
• Vilhjálmur: an Icelandic variant of William, a name of Germanic origin that means “protector”.

Icelandic names for boys and their Viking spirit

Viking stories have become all the rage in recent years, and many of the names on this list have to do with them. If you’re attracted to these legends, you’ll surely find what you were looking for!

But we have more alternatives to offer you so you can find the perfect name for your child. You can play as a family and explore the lists of unique names or also those related to other origins, such as Japanese or Arabic. The options are endless!