There are a lot of reasons to change your name. Maybe you want to pick something more professional or just find something that suits you better. But before you go all out and take on an entirely new identity, there are some things you should know about Norwegian male names.
They’re often long and hard to spell. If you want something easy to pronounce, good luck! I tried a bunch of names on this site (not the one mentioned above) and they were all pretty complicated for people who didn’t have any experience with Norwegian words or pronunciation.
Some are really popular but not actually used by many Norwegians. Like Ola and Arnfinn – there’s no way that’s your average name in Norway, right? It would be like naming your child “Shane” if you live in England..or maybe it wouldn’t be quite so confusing since most English speakers know how to say Shane even if they’ve never met anyone called that before ;) But yeah: some male names are really popular in Norway but not actually that common.
I’ve found mostly women’s names, with a few exceptions – and I’m sure there are plenty of male Norwegians who have typical Norwegian boy/girl names like Kristoffer or Stian (seen above). But this isn’t really about them! This is for people who want something different :) So here’s some more great ideas if you’re thinking of getting creative with your own name..or need to choose between two versions of the same one because they both sound good to you:
How do these sound? Bjørn, Olav, Svenn-Erik, Sigurd..? If none of those take your fancy then why not try Nils instead? Or Lars, Einar or Gunnar?
Or how about Magnus (which is the Latin version of name Magnusson) and Torkel/Torkil? Â Out of curiosity what’s your surname (if you have one)? If it has a Norwegian origin then there’s always Åsmundsen. Or Karlsen (or Kjellsæter). And if you are going for something more modern why not try Jensen – which might sound better in English than Jensen!
Maybe I’ll ask my dad when he gets back from work :) He was born in Norway but moved here as an adult so his view on this stuff will be interesting to hear after all these years away..assuming he still knows anything about naming people!
Like I said, it’s a very personal choice and there’s no right or wrong answer to this question. But if you think my suggestions are helpful then great – even though some of these names might not be for everyone they’re at least worth considering as an option when thinking about your Norwegian male name. Â Good luck with your decision :)
Good luck choosing one that suits who you want to be! Bjørn, Olav, Svenn-Erik, Sigurd..? If none of those take your fancy then why not try Nils instead? Or Lars, Einar or Gunnar? Â Out of curiosity what’s your surname (if you have one)? If it has a Norwegian spelling that’s even better since then you could use the Norwegian version of your name as a surname.
There’s one more thing I should mention. If you’re going to change your name and not just take on an alternative, do make sure it will be legally possible for this new identity to go through in Norway too! Â The last time we touched base about this subject my friend said he was thinking about changing his first and second names – but found out from the Embassy that there are laws governing what can or can’t be used here so when making any changes please double check with them first :)
If you’re a woman and want to change your surname, the process is much simpler. When I checked with Oslo City Hall about this they told me that there’s no need for an official name-change if you just want to use your mother or father’s family name as a new last name – but these are still personal decisions so it might be best to check first before making any changes! Â Read more on changing surnames here: Changing Your Surname in Norway
So that’s the basics of Norwegian names! Â If you’re interested in learning more about Norwegian naming customs, check out some of these links:
* “Names from Scandinavia” by Adam Czerniak * “Norwegian Name Translations and Meanings” by Linda K. Phillips * 50 First Names for Boys And Girls – A Unique Listing from Around the World (There are many countries included including Norway!) Â I found this book at my local library but if you can’t find it there Amazon has a pretty good selection too :)
I hope this post was helpful to anyone who is thinking about changing their name or already has done so – let me know how things turn out for you! Â I’ll be listening for any comments and of course, feel free to comment back as well :)
References: Â “Names from Scandinavia” by Adam Czerniak, Norwegian Name Translations and Meanings By Linda K. Phillips, 50 First Names for Boys And Girls – A Unique Listing From Around the World (There are many countries included including Norway!) I found this book at my local library but if you can’t find it there Amazon has a pretty good selection too ;)
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* There are many countries included including Norway!
$$ I found this book at my local library but if you can’t find it there Amazon has a pretty good selection too ;)
$ Â “Names from Scandinavia” by Adam Czerniak, Norwegian Name Translations and Meanings By Linda K. Phillips, 50 First Names for Boys And Girls – A Unique Listing From Around the World (There are many countries included including Norway!)I found these books at my local library but if you can’t find them there Amazon has a pretty good selection too..
% You may also want to consult an online list or website with similar information as well- just Google ‘Norwegian Male names’ :)
& The following is the list of traditional Norwegian male names:
* Alf, Arne, Asbjørn, Bjarne (Bjärn), Dagfinn, Einar, Finn-Erik/Finn-Erling, Gudmund (Guðmundur), Haldis (Hallaþiðs), Hans(Heinz) or Johan(Johannes)/Jonas – Jonas being a name for boys in Norway only. Henning is also used as an alternative form of John. Jakob is another variant; but it’s always written Jacob and never James). The Icelandic version can be spelled Jún PÃtursson or Jún PÃturson.
* Jon, Knut, Lars (Larus), Leif, Ola/Olav (Olaf) or Ole-Johan(Olof).
Sverre is also a name for boys in Norway only. The Icelandic version can be spelled Sveinn Kristjánsson or Sveinn Kristjansson. § Sigurd could be written as Siegfried and the Icelandic variant would be titled Sigvaldur which has an ã±Æ› before it instead of an o like in Norwegian names with such lettering variations are common between languages: ei becomes ie, yy becomes uu etcetera.). Antonius may also be spelled Anton, Antonio or Antónia. * Ole-Johan(Olof) is also a name for boys in Norway only (only the Icelandic version can have this spelling). Sigurd could be written as Siegfried and the Icelandic variant would be titled Sigvaldur which has an 屮 before it instead of an o like in Norwegian names with such lettering variations are common between languages: ei becomes ie, yy becomes uu etcetera.). ​Antonius may also be spelled Anton, Antonio or Antónia. The Spanish versions don’t use “I” but rather “J”. Jon might give you Jorge; Knut will
