Viking Names

A COLLATION OF VIKING NAMES

By Stephen Francis Wyley

This paper is an attempt to collate all the different proper names of Vikings from various sources such as the sagas, rune stones and extant Viking artifacts. In regards to memorials on rune stones and other rock carvings I have indicated the location of the memorials used as a source.

This paper is divided up into two main parts with separate lists of male and female names. Other smaller sections consist of sections on: names of unknown gender, nicknames and even dog names.

You will notice that there is a much higher number of male names as to female names in the lists. This could be put down to a number of factors; 1) it is supposed that most of the saga writers were male, and 2) that females played a less obvious role in the reported goings on.

Stephen Francis Wyley

Contributions from:

Catherine Romfort Ekvall.

Note; R.S. = Rune Stone.

MALE

A.

B.

C.

Name

Cnut, see Knut

Source

D.

Name

Dan

Diarf

Source

R.S., Runby, Uppland, Sweden

R.S., Husby-Lyhundra, Uppland, Sweden

E.

F.

G.

H.

I.

J.

K.

L.

M.

N.

O.

P.

Name

Paul

Source

King Harald's Saga

R.

S.

T.

U.

V.

W.

Name

Waltheof

Wary

Source

King Harald's Saga

King Hrolf and his Champions

Y.

Name

Yngvar

Source

Egil's Saga

FEMALE

A.

B.

D.

F.

Name

Fastvi

Freygerd

Source

R.S., Ed, Uppland, Sweden

The Vapnfjord Men

G.

H.

I.

J.

K.

Name

Kadlin

Source

Laxdale Saga

L.

Name

Ljufu

Source

Laxdale Saga

M.

N.

Name

Nidbiorg

Source

Laxdale Saga

O.

R.

S.

T.

U.

Name

Ulfeid

Unn

Source

Laxdale Saga

Laxdale Saga

V.

Name

Valgerd

Vigdis

Source

Laxdale Saga

Sturlubók & Hauksbók

W.

Name

White

Source

King Hrolf and his Champions

Y.

Name

Yngvild

Yrsa

Source

Laxdale Saga

King Hrolf and his Champions

Undetermined Gender

Nick Names and Other Add ins

Dog Names

Bibliography.

Carlsson, D. & Owen, Eds., Follow the Vikings, Uppsala, 1996.

Cleasby, R., An Icelandic/English Dictionary, Oxford, 1874.

Elliott, R., Runes an Introduction, USA, 1981.

Graham-Gampbell, J., The Viking World, Great Britain, 1980.

Jones, G. (trans.), Eirik the Red and Other Icelandic Saga's, Great Britian, 1980.

Magnusson, M. & Pálsson, H. (trans), Eyrbyggja Saga, Great Britain, 1989.

Magnusson, M. & Pálsson, H. (trans), King Harald’s Saga, Great Britain, 1971.

Magnusson, M. & Pálsson, H. (trans), Njal’s Saga, Great Britain, 1986.

Page, R.I, Chronicles of the Vikings, Great Britan, 1995.

Pálsson, H. & Edwards, P. (trans.), Egil's Saga, Great Britain, 1980.

Pálsson, H., (trans), Hrafnel’s Saga and Other Stories, Great Britain, 1970.

Pálsson, H., (trans.), The Confederates & Hen-Thorir, Edinburgh, 1975.

Press, M., (trans), Laxdale Saga, London, 1965.

Wooding, J., The Vikings, Sydney, 1977.

Zoéga, G.T., A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, London, 1952.

Further Reading.

Adigard des Gautries, J., Les Noms De Personnes Scandinaves En Normandie De 911 Á 1066, Lund, 1954.

Baecklund, A., Les Prénoms Scandinaves Dans La Tradition Médiévale De Velikij Novgorod, Revue des Ètudes Slaves 33, 1956.

Fellows-Jensen, G., Scandinavian Personal Names in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, Navnestuchier 7, Copenhagen, 1968.

Fellows-Jensen, G., Scandinavian Personal Names in Foreign Fields, Cahier Des Annales De Normandie 23, 1990.

Jansson, S.B.F., Runinskrifter I Sverige, Stockholm, 1963. English ed., Runes in Sweden, trans. P.Foote, 2 ed., Stockholm, 1987.

Sawyer, B., Property and inheritence in Viking Scandinavia, the Runic Evidence, Alingsås, 1988.

Williams, H., Runic Inscriptions as Sources of Personal Names, Runeninschriften als Quellen interdisziplinarer Forschung, 601 - 10, 1998.

Other articles on the Viking by the Author.

A Replica Viking Chest, based on the Mästermyr Find

How to make a replica of a Viking Table based on the Sala Hytta Find

How to make a replica of a Viking Toy Horse

The Gjermundbu Mail Shirt (The only extant Viking Mail Shirt)

The ‘Lund’ Viking Stool. A Method of Replication

Links.

Medieval Name Archive - Scandinavian Names

Runic Bibliography for 1998

Uppland rune stones

Viking Names found in the Landnámabók

by Aryanhwy merch Catmael (Sara L. Friedemann)