Random Norse Name Generator

Old Norse names were built from a small stock of meaningful elements, and most Viking Age names combine two of them: Þor- (the god Thor) with -steinn (stone) gives Þorsteinn, Ragn- (counsel, the gods) with -hildr (battle) gives Ragnhildr, Sig- (victory) with -urðr (guardian) gives Sigurðr. Common first elements include Ás- (god), Guð- (god), Ing- (the god Freyr), Arn- (eagle), Bjǫrn (bear), Úlfr (wolf) and Hrafn (raven); common second elements are -valdr (ruler), -mundr (protection), -geirr (spear), -leifr (heir), -ríðr (beautiful, beloved) and -dís (goddess). Short one-element names were equally normal: Helgi, Grímr, Ketill, Katla, Hildr, Unnr.

Vikings had no surnames. A person was named after their father with -son or -dóttir, so Leifr Eiríksson is Leif, son of Eiríkr, and Freydís Eiríksdóttir is his sister. Many people were better known by a byname describing their appearance, deeds or temper: Haraldr Hárfagri (Fair-hair), Eiríkr Blóðøx (Blood-axe), Ívarr inn Beinlausi (the Boneless), Auðr in Djúpúðga (the Deep-minded), Þorkell inn Hávi (the Tall). Icelanders still use this system today.

The names here are attested in the Icelandic sagas, Landnámabók, runestones and royal chronicles, spelled in normalised Old Norse with the letters þ (th as in thin), ð (th as in this) and ǫ (a rounded o). Anglicised versions are easy to derive: drop the -r ending and swap þ for Th, so Þorsteinn becomes Thorstein and Eiríkr becomes Erik.