Norse Dog Names: Viking Names for Your Dog

Updated 08/01/2023 – Deciding on a name for your new puppy can be both exciting and frustrating all at the same time. You probably want a name that fits your pup, but one that is also unique. We felt the same way when we were looking for a name for our puppy. This is why we decided to gather all the Norse Dog names we could find into one post.

Hopefully this will make it easier for future new puppy owners to find the perfect Viking dog name for their dogs.

Why choose a Norse (aka Viking) dog name?

The richness of Norse mythology continues to capture people’s imagination of a time long ago.  

We simply cannot get enough of the Norse folklore that spins the tales of the great Old Norse Gods, Odin and his son, Thor. Or that of the mighty Vikings that once roamed the north seas. 

These tales bring to life the sense of adventure of an ancient culture. They show us their determination and will to thrive in a hostile environment. These tales also provide us with strong names. Some are perfect to use as a dog’s name. Especially, if you have a dog that loves the cold.

Here you will find a list of 200 Old Norse dog names to choose from.

Old Norse Names

When naming your dog an Old Norse name it is best to understand how names came about back then.

According to the National Museum of Denmark, many boys during the Viking Age were named after the god, Thor.  Although they might not have been named Thor, they were given names like Toke and Thorsten that honored the great warrior.

Animal names were also common. It was not unusual for Vikings to be named Orm (Serpent), Ulf (Wolf) or Bjørn (Bear).  These names celebrate the gods’ formidable enemies. This included the Midgard serpent and the wolf Fenrir. Both were beasts that the Norse gods had to defeat at Ragnarök.

The names could have a meaning too.  Some examples are Frida which means “peace” and Astrid which means “Beautiful and loved”.   In the lists below, we included the meaning of the names whereever we could.

Some Vikings had bynames. These were names that are added on to their given name. The bynames might have described them, their kinship or where they came from.   An example of this is Bjarke the Norwegian, who lived in Denmark and Erik the Red, who is believed to have red hair. Though, it’s not known if the bynames were actually used when they were alive. But think about how cool it would be to call your pup Olaf the Great.

Below you will find the lists divided between Norse God and Goddess, Animals, General Names by Gender and a list of Famous Vikings.

Remember when choosing a dog name to make sure it is easy to say. You will be repeating this name about 100 times a day while you train your pup.

Norse Gods and Goddess

	Norse God and Goddess	Gender
Odin	The greatest among the Norse gods	M
Frigg	Odin’s wife – known for beauty, and love	F
Balder	Son of Odin and Frigg	M
Loki	God of mischief	M
Thor	Protector of humanity. God of thunder	M
Mjöllnir	Name of Thor’s hammer	N
Freya	Goddesses	F
Freyr	God of fertility	M
Heimdall	Son of Odin who controlled the Bifrost	M
Hel	Goddess and ruler of the underworld	F
Saga	Goddess of stories	F
Skadi	Goddess of winter	F
Tyr	God of war	M
Vale	Son of Odin	M
Valhalla	The Norse idea of the afterlife	N

Old Norse Animal Names

Name	Meaning	Gender
Alsvin	Horse that pulls the Sun’s chariot	N
Alsvinder	Horse that pulls the Moon’s chariot	N
Ama	Eagle	F
Arne	Eagle	M
Asbjorn	God and bear	M
Asgeirr	Deer friend	M
Bjørn	Bear	M
Jorunnr	Horse and love	F
Orm	Snake	N
Revna	Raven	F
Tove	Dove	F
Ulf	Wolf	M
Yrsa	Wild or she bear	F

Norse Dog Names for Males

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Aaric	Rule with mercy	a(a)-ric
Aegir	A sea god	e-jir
Agmundr	Terror	.
Agnarr	Ruler with sword	aeGNAA-R
Ake	Ancestors	.
Alf	Elf	aeLF
Alv	Elf Friend	.
Alvis	All wise	ahi-vees
Arne	Eagle	.
Arvakr	Horse that pulls the Sun’s chariot	.
Asbjorn	God and bear	.
Asgeirr	Deer friend	.
Balder	Son of Odin	.
Berserker	Fierce Viking warriors.	.
Birger	Keeper	.
Bjørn	Bear	bee-yoorn
Bo	The resident	.
Bragi	Norse god of poetry	brah-yee
Brynjar	Armor and warrior	.

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Dagr	Day	.
Egil	Icelandic warrior	Ah-gil
Einar	Alone and warrior	.
Enar	Fighter	.
Erik	Absolute Ruler	.
Erling	Heir	.
Fenrir	Odin’s wolf	fayn-reer
Frode	Wise and clever	.
Gandalf	Wand wolf	ɡændɑlf
Garth	Garden	.
Gorm	He who worships god	.
Gudbrand	Sword of the divine	GOOD-brant
Gudmund	God is protecting	GOOD-moonD
Gunnar	Battle	.
Gunther	Army	gʊntər
Halfdan	The half Danish	.
Halvaror	Rock guardian	.
Harald	Lord and ruler	.
Havardr	High guardian	.
Heimdall	Son of Odin – controlled the Bifrost	.
Herleifr	Army, son	.
Hjalmar	Helmeted warrior	.

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Ingimarr	Derived from the god Ing	.
Ivar	Bow Warrior	.
Iver	Warrior	.
Kåre	With curly hair	.
Ketill	Kettle, cauldron	.
Kjartan	Sea warrior	.
Knud	Knot	.
Leif	Heir	leif
Loki	God of mischief	.
Lykke	Danish Happiness	Lik-eh
Magnus	Great	.
Mjöllnir	Name of Thor’s hammer	.
Njal	Giant	.
Ødger	Wealth and spear	.
Odin	Old Norse God	.
Olaf	Patron saint of Norway	oʊl.əf
Orvar	Arrow	.
Quimby	Woman’s house	KWIHMBiy
Ragnar	Counsel	.
Randulfr	Wolf shield	RAN-dulfr
Roar	Fame and spear	.

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Sigurd	Legendary hero	ˈsi-gu̇rd
Skarde	With cleft chin	.
snjó	Snow	.
Sten	Stone	.
Sune	Son	.
Surt	Viking God of fire/Black	.
Svend	Freeman who is in the service of another	.
Sweyn	A king	sweɪn
Thor	God of thunder	.
Toke	Thor and helmet	.
Torsten	Thor and stone	.
Troels	Thor’s arrow	.
Trygve:	Trustworthy	.
Tyr	God of war	.
Ulf	Wolf	uhlf
Vale	Son of Odin	.
Vikingr	Viking	.

Norse Dog Names for Females

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Aage	Man that ploughs	AAEYJH
Ågot	Good	aw-got
Ama	Eagle	.
Andrine	Masculine	awn-dreen-ah
Annbjorg	Eagle rescue	awn-bYORG
Anniken	Grace	awn-ee-ken
Åse	Goddess	.
Åshild	God battle	aws-hi
Asta	Love	.
Astrid	God and Beautiful	AS-trid
Audhild	Fortune and battle	owd-il
Aurora	Dawn	OW-ro-rah
Baldur	Prince	Bal-door
Bergljot/Bergliot	Protection and light	bahr-glee-ot

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Bodil	Penance and fight	.
Brit	Exalted one	.
Brynhildr	Valkyrie and wife of Gunnar	brin-hild
Dagmar	Maiden of the Day	.
Dagrun	Day secret lore	d-eye-roon
Dahlia	From the valley	.
Edda	Great grandmother	.
Eir	Mercy	.
Elin	Bright one	ee l ih n
Emma	Whole/universal	EHM-mah
Estrid	God and beautiful	.
Freya	Goddesses	.
Freyja	Ruler of love, fertility, battle, and death	.
Freyr	Goddess of fertility- sister of Freyja	.
Frida	Peace	.

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Frigg	Goddess of earth, air and fertility	.
Gale	Frantic	ɡeɪl
Gerda	Protection and light	.
Gertrud	Spear	.
Gisli	Ray of light	.
Gro	To grow	.
Gudrun	God and rune	.
Gunhild	Fight	.
Gunnvor	Cautious in war	.
Guro	God’s secret lore	groo
Halle	Rock	.
Hel	Goddess and ruler of the underworld	.
Helga	Sacred	.
Hilda	The fighter	.
Hjordis	Sword goddess	.

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Iduna	.	iy-DUW-Naa
Inga	Of the god Inge	.
Ingibjorg	Derived from the god Ing	.
Ingrid	Ing (the god) is beautiful	Ing-rid or Ing-ri
Ingvild	God Ing battle	ing-vil
Jorunnr	Horse and love	.
Kára	A mortal, Was a Valkyries	.
Kari	Gust of wind	kahr-ee
Kelda	Fountain	.
Ketilrior	Kettle, beautiful	.
Kine	A Christian	keen-uh
Liv	Of life	.
Maja	Diminutive of Maria or Maia	mah-yah
Margrete	Pearl	mar-greh-teh
Marte	The lady	mar-teh

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Mathea	Gift of Yahweh	mah-tay-ah
Nora	Honor	noh-rah
Olivia	Olive	Oh-lee-vee-ah
Rana	Nobility	.
Randi	Shield or shrine	.
Reidun	Billowing nest	ree-ah-dun
Revna	Raven	.
Rinda	Giant	.
Rona	Mighty strength	.
Saga	Goddess of stories	.
Sara	Lady/noblewoman	SAH-rah
Sif	Wife and bride	.
Sigfrid	.	siːɡfriːd
Signe	The one who is victorious	.
Sigrid	Victorious horsewoman

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Sissel	Blind	sees-eh
Skadi	Goddess of winter	.
Solfrid	Beautiful sun	sohl-freed
Solveig	Strong house	.
Solvi	Sun strength	SOOL-vie
Sophie	Wisdom	SO-fee-ah
Sunniva	Sun gift	soo-neh-veh
Thurid	Thor and beautiful	.
Thyra	Helpful	.
Tiril	.	tee-rihl
Tora	Of the god Thor	.
Tove	Dove	.
Trude	Strength	troo-duh
Ulfhild	Wolf or battle	.
Unni	New love	oo-nee
Veslemoy	Little girl	vess-leh-mehy
Yrsa	Wild or she bear	.

Unisex Norse Names for Dogs

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Akkeri	Anchor	.
Ale	To defend	AH-leh
Alex	To defend	a-lekhs
Alsvin	Name of horse that pulls the Sun’s chariot	.
Alsvinder	Horse that pulls the Moon’s chariot	.
Aska	Ashes	.
Bein	Bone, Ivory	.
Fýrr	Fire	.
Hakan	Of the chosen	.
Hanne	Yahweh is gracious	HAN-neh
Inge	Ancestor; from Germanic god Ing	ING-eh
Kelby	A farm near a spring	.
Keld	Spring	kehld
Keldan	From the spring	.
Kirkja	Church	kee-air-j-kah

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Kris	A Christian	Kriz or Kriss
Manu	God is with us	MAH-noo
Mille	Rival	meel
Orm	Snake	.
Ormr	Dragon	.
Orn	Resembling an eagle	AORN
Robin	Bright fame	RAWB-in
Rune	Secret	roon
Selby	The Village with Willows	sehl-bee
Sjór	Sea	.
Vanja	Yahweh is gracious	von-yah
Vieno	Gentle	VEE-eh-no
Vivian	Alive	vi-vee-ahn
Whitby	White Farm	whit-bee

Famous Vikings

Erik the Red

Leif Erikson

Freydís Eiríksdóttir

Ragnar Lothbrok

Bjorn Ironside

Gunnar Hamundarson

Ivar the Boneless

Eric Bloodaxe

Egil Skallagrimsson

Harald Hardrada

Not what you are looking for?

Check out our other posts on dog names here:

• Black Dog Names: 450+ Names for Black Dogs
• Unique Dog Names: Plus Tips on How to Pick One
• Scottish Dog Names: 500 Names to Choose From
• Flower Names For Dogs: Plus Nature Inspired Dog Names
• Australian Dog Names: 200 Dog Names to Choose From
• French Dog Names For Your Doodle
• 550 British Dog Names: You Will Want to Use
• Big Dog Names: 300+ From the Classic to the Unique
• White Dog Names: 375+ Names for White Dogs

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