The 167 Best Norse Dog Names

Norse history, mythology, and culture are an exciting source of motivation for people today. The power, courage, and ruggedness of Vikings support the lifestyle of adventurous pet owners who are always ready for a new challenge with their pup by their side.

While Thor, Odin, and Loki have become commonplace Norse dog names thanks to a certain superhero franchise, the best Norse dog names come from the complex, wild, and ancient history not shown in the movies.

You don’t need to adopt or buy a Nordic dog breed like a Norwegian Buhund or Swedish Vallhund to bring the spirit of Vikings into your home! Instead, consider naming your pup a Norse dog name, inspired by the strength of Vikings and Norse mythology.

Norse Mythology Dog Names

Norse dog names that come from mythology communicate essences of mysticism, energy, and protection. Here are 31 Norse dog names inspired by Norse and Scandinavian mythologies.

1. Balder (Baldr or Baldur), the god of light and a son of Odin.
2. Bestla, the mother of Odin.
3. Bragi, the wise god of poetry and music.
4. Edda, from The Poetic Edda, or a collection of old Norse poems.
5. Eir, a goddess with healing or medicinal skills.
6. Elli, a personification of the wisdom and strength of the elderly.
7. Embla, the first woman and mother of the human race.
8. Fenrir, a wolf monster begotten of Loki.
9. Forseti, the god of justice. 
10. Freya, a member of the Vanir and the goddess of fate, love, beauty, and fertility.
11. Freyr, the god of peace, fertility, and rain — a member of both the Vanir and Aesir.
12. Frigg, Odin’s wife and goddess of family, marriage, and motherhood.
13. Heimdall, the guardian of the Bifrost bridge (connecting Asgard, the gods’ home, to Midgard, the human realm).
14. Jotun (Jotunheim), the home of the giants.
15. Jörð, the goddess of earth.
16. Loki, the god of tricks and mischief as well as the father of monsters.
17. Magni, a son of Thor and the god of might.
18. Mimir, the wisest and most knowledgeable god of Aesir.
19. Nanna, the mother of Forseti whose name means “mother of the brave.”
20. Nott, the goddess of night.
21. Odin, the “all-father” of the gods in Norse mythology.
22. Ragnar (Ragnarok), the culmination of catastrophes and events that will lead to the end of the world.
23. Ran, goddess of the sea.
24. Sif, the goddess of grain, a giantess, and Thor’s second wife.
25. Thor, the son of Odin and the god of thunder.
26. Týr, the god of war.
27. Vali (Vale), a son of Odin, the god of vengeance, and a survivor of Ragnarok. 
28. Vanir, a council of gods responsible for wealth, fertility, and commerce.
29. Vidarr, a god of vengeance with his brother Vali, a survivor of Ragnarok, and a son of Odin.
30. Ygg (Yggdrasil), the “tree of life” equivalent of Norse mythology.
31. Ymir, the father of all giants.

Norse History Dog Names

Among all the Nordic people and settlements, several stand out in history as pivotal leaders and lands that shaped the future of the kingdoms. Here are 19 names inspired by Nordic history.

1. Åland, a group of islands used by the Vikings and other civilizations.
2. Astrid, after Astrid Olofsdotter, a generous and affable queen of Norway in the eleventh century.
3. Bjorn, who was a Norse Viking Chief and later a Swiss king.
4. Bryn (Brynhild), a valkyrie of myth that sacrificed her status as a god to become mortal after defying Odin.
5. Christian, after Christian I, the founder of the Oldenburg dynasty and a leader who held titles including the King of Denmark and King of Sweden during his life.
6. Erik, for Eric Bloodaxe, Erik the Red, and Leif Erikson. The first was a King of Norway, the second was a Norwegian Viking adventurer, and the third was Erik’s son who first visited North America.
7. Faroe, after the Faroe Islands.
8. Gorm, the son of Harthacnut, a legendary Danish king.
9. Hildr, a valkyrie mentioned in the Prose Edda who has reaping powers to decide who lives and dies — particularly in battle.
10. Kalmar, after the Kalmar Union formed between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden that created a Nordic Empire.
11. Leif, after Leif Erikson, who historians believe to have set foot on North America 500 years before Christopher Columbus.
12. Olaf, after the king of Sweden by the same name who forcibly thrust Christianity onto his people. 
13. Orkney, a settlement on the Shetland Islands ruled over by Norsemen for 600 uninterrupted years.
14. Ribe, an instrumental trading center in Denmark established in 705 CE.
15. Rollo, after a fierce Viking who raided France.
16. Sigrid, after Sigrid the Haughty, a queen consort to Erik the Victorious (though some debate she was actually married to Sweyn Forkbeard).
17. Stav (Stavanger), after an area of Norway that lent itself to Viking settlements in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries.
18. Sweyn, after Sweyn Forkbeard — a leader who held titles as the King of Denmark, the King of England, and the King of Norway.
19. Vin (Vinland), after the coastal area with wild grapes that Leif Erikson found around 1000 CE in his travels.

Norse Dog Names for Female Dogs

If you’ve adopted a female dog you hope will grow up to become your strong sidekick, consider naming her one of the following 24 Norse dog names inspired by famous Nordic females.

1. Arneis, and its many variations, mean eagle.
2. Ase, meaning god.
3. Asta, meaning divine strength.
4. Brenna has many meanings, including small raven, to burn, and sword.
5. Cordelia, which means daughter of the sea in Celtic tradition.
6. Dagmar, meaning day maiden.
7. Dagny, meaning new day.
8. Erika, meaning sole ruler.
9. Gerd, which might mean yard or protector depending on Norse translation.
10. Gudrid, meaning divinely-inspired wisdom.
11. Helga, which directly translates to blessed, holy, or sacred.
12. Hella, a variation of Helga, also meaning blessed or holy. 
13. Hild, a female variation of Hildr, which means battle.
14. Ida, which conveys a sense of industriousness.
15. Kari, meaning either wind, pure, or curly hair.
16. Lotta, a shortened version of Charlotta, which comes from the feminine version of Charles, which was derived from the Germanic Karl — which means free man.
17. Lydia, meaning from Lydia, an ancient Greek kingdom.
18. Olga, meaning successful or blessed.
19. Runa, meaning secrete lore, rune, or moon. 
20. Sigfrid, which can mean either victory or beauty.
21. Thora is the female version of Thor and means thunder.
22. Tove, a name meaning peaceful.
23. Tulla, which means little girl.
24. Ylva, meaning she wolf.

Norse Dog Names for Male Dogs

Taken from gods, Vikings, and masculine words, these 23 male Norse dog names inspire feats of strength, power, protection, and athleticism.

1. Ake, along with other spellings, means ancestor.
2. Asger, which means something along the lines of gods’ spear. 
3. Askeladd, which is the Danish or Dano-Norwegian form of Oske-ladd which loosely means covered in ashes. Gray or speckled black and white dogs may fit this name well.
4. Axel, meaning my father is peace. This is a great name for a single male who owns their pup.
5. Bard, meaning beard.
6. Brant is a strong name having multiple meanings along the lines of sword, fire, torch, and firebrand.
7. Calder, meaning rough and cold water. If you live in a northern region, this might be a great name for your pup.
8. Cnut (Canute), which means knot.
9. Colby, which might mean settlement or coal town depending on the translation.
10. Egil, which means inspiring fright and/or terror.
11. Elof, which means sole heir. This is a cute name for families who only want one dog.
12. Fiske, meaning fish.
13. Floki, which means heroic Viking. Historians believe a Viking named Floki discovered and named Iceland.
14. Frey, meaning lord.
15. Frode, meaning clever or wise.
16. Gunnar, which means fighter or soldier. This is a meaningful name if your pup had to battle an illness early in their life or underwent abuse before you adopted them.
17. Halvar, meaning something along the lines of protector of the rock or rock guardian. 
18. Ivar, which means archer.
19. Lars, which means man covered in laurel.
20. Sven, meaning boy or youth.
21. Thorfinn, which translates to thunder finn, or the strength of the Finnish people.
22. Thors, a variation of the god of thunder’s name.
23. Ulf, which means wolf.

Gender Neutral Norse Dog Names

The following 20 gender-neutral Norse dog names provide inspiration for boy and girl dogs.

1. Agir, which means ocean or sea giant.
2. Alva, which means elf.
3. Ari, a gender-neutral version of Arneis, also means eagle.
4. Bo, meaning dwelling or to live.
5. Dag, which means day.
6. Darby, meaning free from envy or from the deer estate.
7. Ebbe, meaning brave and sometimes brave like a boar.
8. Inge, which refers to the god Ing and grants protection.
9. Ker, meaning from the marsh or from the swampy place.
10. Lambert, which means light of the land or bright land. 
11. Manu has many meanings. It could mean of the moon, mankind, or ruler of earth.
12. Nels, which means victory of the people and sometimes chief.
13. Njal can mean champion or cloud.
14. Randi has dozens of meanings in Norse including wise judge, fair, God-loving, and wolf shield.
15. Soren is another name that means thunder.
16. Storm, sourced from the Norse word stormr and old Norse name styrmir, means to storm or blow hard.
17. Sune simply means son. 
18. Tore, meaning thunder priest or Thor’s warrior.
19. Viggo, which means a battle or fight. 
20. Willi, a form of William or Wilhelm that means will.

Dog Names from Norse Words

Old Norse remains a somewhat cryptic and interesting dead language. All the translations below are subject to interpretation by different linguists.

1. Afli, meaning aid or power.
2. Akarn, meaning acorn.
3. Bani, which may mean bane or death.
4. Bikkja is the old Norse word for a female dog.
5. Fara means many things in old Norse, including attack, travel, have fortune, and receive.
6. Fen means a bog or a fen.
7. Forn, meaning ancient or old.
8. Hundr, the old Norse word for dog or more specifically, hound.
9. Hæl, the old Norse word for death.
10. Inna, which means to accomplish.
11. Kelda, meaning a fountain or a spring. 
12. Lína, which is sometimes used in old Norse to describe a bridal veil or linen headdress. You could name your new puppy Lína if you’re getting it for your spouse as a wedding present.
13. Rekkr, the old Norse word for warrior.
14. Rune, the writing system of Vikings.
15. Sigra, a verb meaning to overcome or to win.
16. Taka, meaning to accept or to receive.
17. Ugga, which means fear.
18. Vald, which is the old Norse word for control and power.
19. Varnan, the old Norse word for warning and a unique name for any guard dog.
20. Ytri, an old Norse adjective meaning outer.

The Most Popular Dog Names in Nordic Countries

The Nordic countries of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Faroe Islands, Finland, and Iceland share similarities in history, culture, and weather. If you’d like to name your new puppy after one of the most popular names currently on the Nordic countries’ top lists, consider some of the options below.

According to Statista data from 2022, the following are the most popular dog names in Sweden:

1. Molly
2. Bella
3. Charlie
4. Doris
5. Sally
6. Sigge
7. Ludde
8. Bosse
9. Elsa
10. Stella

While other Nordic countries haven’t published recent data about popular dog names, they do provide statistics about popular baby names — which can double as dog names. Denmark and the Faroe Island’s top baby names in 2022 included:

1. William
2. Karl
3. Emil
4. Ella
5. Freja

Norway’s top baby names in 2022 included:

1. Nora
2. Jakob
3. Emma
4. Emil
5. Ella

Finland’s top baby names in 2022 included:

1. Emil
2. Aino
3. Liam
4. Aada
5. Wiliam

Iceland’s top baby names in 2022 included:

1. Aron
2. Margret
3. Alexander
4. Anna
5. Emma

Nordic Names for your New Hound

Choosing a Norse dog name for your new pup is a great way to honor your heritage, inspire a lifestyle of adventure, or just pay homage to a culture you find fascinating. Whether you choose to name your pup Odin or Thor after the mighty Norse gods, or a name inspired by old Norse words, your new pup’s bound to have the spirit of the Vikings coursing through their blood with such a strong name and loving parent.