Viking Name Generator
Old Norse names built from genuine name elements, with the meaning of each half and a working -son and -dottir patronymic.
2,228,928 combinations in this form
- Valgeirr Vegrimsson
Val the slain + geirr spear
the slain spear
Ve sacred + grimsson mask's son
sacred mask's son
- Jorrun Otbjornsson
Jor horse + run secret
horse secret
Ot dread + bjornsson bear's son
dread bear's son
- Skalsida Styrsteinsdottir
Skal bald + sida side
bald side
Styr tumult + steinsdottir stone's daughter
tumult stone's daughter
- Gunntryggr Audriksdottir
Gunn battle + tryggr trusty
battle trusty
Aud wealth + riksdottir ruler's daughter
wealth ruler's daughter
- Astgerd Rafnmundsdottir
Ast love + gerd enclosure
love enclosure
Rafn raven + mundsdottir protector's daughter
raven protector's daughter
- Vindskinn Halulfsdottir
Vind wind + skinn hide
wind hide
Hal rock + ulfsdottir wolf's daughter
rock wolf's daughter
- Odvald Odmodsdottir
Od spear point + vald ruler
spear point ruler
Od spear point + modsdottir courage's daughter
spear point courage's daughter
- Thordisa Brynmodsdottir
Thor thunder + disa goddess
thunder goddess
Bryn mail coat + modsdottir courage's daughter
mail coat courage's daughter
- Jarnhufa Sigvaldsson
Jarn iron + hufa cap
iron cap
Sig victory + valdsson ruler's son
victory ruler's son
- Gunnar Eybjornsson
Gunn battle + ar warrior
battle warrior
Ey island + bjornsson bear's son
island bear's son
- Halgerda Brynmodsson
Hal rock + gerda enclosure
rock enclosure
Bryn mail coat + modsson courage's son
mail coat courage's son
- Silfknif Ormgrimsson
Silf silver + knif knife
silver knife
Orm serpent + grimsson mask's son
serpent mask's son
- Inggeirr Gudbrandsdottir
Ing fertility god + geirr spear
fertility god spear
Gud god + brandsdottir sword's daughter
god sword's daughter
- Valthora Rafnsteinsson
Val the slain + thora thunder
the slain thunder
Rafn raven + steinsson stone's son
raven stone's son
- Laxtunga Ascgrimsson
Lax salmon + tunga tongue
salmon tongue
Asc aesir god + grimsson mask's son
aesir god mask's son
- Hugvaldr Harsteinsson
Hug mind + valdr ruler
mind ruler
Har army + steinsson stone's son
army stone's son
- Brynheida Styrbrandsson
Bryn mail coat + heida honour
mail coat honour
Styr tumult + brandsson sword's son
tumult sword's son
- Grimbelti Otbjornsdottir
Grim mask + belti belt
mask belt
Ot dread + bjornsdottir bear's daughter
dread bear's daughter
- Alfsvein Hargrimsson
Alf elf + svein boy
elf boy
Har army + grimsson mask's son
army mask's son
- Astvina Eymundsson
Ast love + vina friend
love friend
Ey island + mundsson protector's son
island protector's son
- Digrkinn Hrodgeirsdottir
Digr stout + kinn cheek
stout cheek
Hrod fame + geirsdottir spear's daughter
fame spear's daughter
- Gunnbrand Ascvaldsdottir
Gunn battle + brand sword
battle sword
Asc aesir god + valdsdottir ruler's daughter
aesir god ruler's daughter
- Thorunn Ingbjornsson
Thor thunder + unn wave
thunder wave
Ing fertility god + bjornsson bear's son
fertility god bear's son
- Ungsko Sveinsteinsdottir
Ung young + sko shoe
young shoe
Svein boy + steinsdottir stone's daughter
boy stone's daughter
How Old Norse names are built
¶Old Norse personal names are dithematic: two fixed elements joined end to end, with no requirement that the pair make sense together. Thor thunder plus stein stone gives Thorstein. Arn eagle plus bjorn bear gives Arnbjorn, which is not an animal anybody expected to meet. The stock of elements is small and inherited — battle, wolf, bear, spear, stone, peace, victory, the gods — and families recombined the same roots to echo a grandfather, which is why two dozen elements cover most of the sagas.
The trailing r on Sigurdr, Steinn and Ulfr is the nominative case ending rather than part of the name, and modern Scandinavian forms simply drop it, so both spellings are correct depending on how old you want the name to look. Gender sits in the second element, not the first. Men take steinn, geirr, mundr, ulfr and valdr; women take dis goddess, gerdr enclosure, hildr battle, unnr wave, veig strength and run secret. First elements are shared, so siblings genuinely echo each other.
There were no inherited family names. You were your father's child: Erik's son is Eriksson, Erik's daughter is Eriksdottir, and the name resets every generation, which is why Icelandic directories still alphabetise by given name. Most people also carried a byname, an unofficial nickname fixed on them by neighbours — jarnsida ironside, grafeld greycloak, blodox bloodaxe, hvitskegg whitebeard. Given name, byname and patronymic together are how one Bjorn in a crowded hall was told from the next.
Questions
Are these real Viking names?
The elements are genuine Old Norse name elements with their standard meanings, and the generator recombines them the way Norse families actually did. Many results are attested names such as Thorstein, Arnbjorn, Sigrid and Gudrun. Others are new but legal combinations built from the same stock, which is exactly how new names entered the tradition.
What do the endings -son and -dottir mean?
They mean son of and daughter of, attached to the father's name in the genitive. A man fathered by Thorstein is Thorsteinsson; his sister is Thorsteinsdottir. Swap the ending to match your character rather than inheriting it, because the patronymic changes every generation and is not a surname in the modern sense.
What were Viking women's names?
They use the same first elements as men's names but a different set of second elements: dis goddess, gerd enclosure, hild battle, unn wave, veig strength, run secret, frid peace, borg fortress. That gives Gudrun, Ragnhild, Astrid, Solveig, Thorunn and Sigrid. A woman's name signalled the family as clearly as a man's did, and often more clearly.
How do I write Old Norse letters like the thorn?
Thorn and eth are romanised here as th and d, which is the normal convention in English-language editions and keeps the names typeable. So Thorsteinn stands for the manuscript form with a thorn, and Sigurd for the form ending in eth. If you want the older look, substitute the letters back once you have chosen a name.
What is a Viking byname?
A byname is a descriptive nickname that stuck: ironside, greycloak, bloodaxe, the stout, whitebeard. They were given by other people rather than chosen, and they usually recorded a body, a habit, a garment or a single famous deed. The neutral tab on this page generates bynames, which sit between the given name and the patronymic.