Swedish Boy Names: A comprehensive guide
It is becoming increasingly common for Swedes to give their children foreign or unusual names, but there are still many distinctly Scandinavian names that are popular among all generations. Below you will find a list of the most common Swedish boy names and their origins.
Common Swedish Boy Names
1 AlexAlex, being a short form of the name Alexander, has the same meaning as the longer version of the name – the meaning is derived from the ancient Greek name Aléxandros, meaning “protector”.
2 AntonAnton, one of the most common boy names in Sweden, is derived from Latin Antonius. The name's popularity in Sweden is high both among older and younger generations.
3 EskilThis name is derived from the Old Norse name Áskell or Ásketill. The meaning of this Old Norse name is roughly “divine cauldron”, with Ás meaning “divine” or “God” and ketill meaning “cauldron” or “helmet”.
4 JanJan was originally used mostly in hyphenated names, ex. Jan-Erik or Jan-Olof, as a contraction of Johan. However, today it is commonly used as a standalone name in Sweden.
5 KarlThe direct meaning of Karl is “man” – the word karl is still used in the Swedish language today with the same meaning as the name. A common nickname for boys bearing this name is Kalle.
6 KristianKristian is the Swedish version of the male name Christian, although both spellings are very common in Sweden. The name is derived from the Latin word Christianus meaning “follower of Christ”.
7 LarsLars is derived from Latin Laurentius. Boys with the name Lars often get nicknamed Lasse, which is also a standalone name in Sweden.
8 MagnusThis is a common male name in Swedish that originates from Latin Magnus. The name translates to “great”.
9 MattiasMattias is a biblical name that is very common in Sweden – other versions, like Mathias and Matias, are also found here.
10 NilsThis name is a shortened form of the Latin Nicolaus. Other names derived from Nicolaus that are common in Sweden include Niklas, Klas, and Clas. In Sweden, a nickname commonly given to those with the name Nils is Nisse.
11 OlleAlthough Olle is commonly used as a nickname for someone with the name Olof, in Sweden it is more popular as a given name than the original name Olof.
12 PelleJust like Olle, Pelle is also commonly used as a nickname for a few other names – like Per, Pär, and Peter – but it is also popular as a name on its own.
13 PerPer, also sometimes spelled Pär, is a shortened version of Petros, a common Greek name.
14 RasmusRasmus is derived from the Latin name Erasmus which comes from an Ancient Greek word meaning “beloved”. This name also has high popularity in neighboring countries like Denmark and Norway.
15 SvanteSvante is a modern version of the name Svantepolk, which was a popular name in Sweden during the Medieval times.
16 TobiasTobias is a somewhat more common variant of the more traditional name Torbjörn. A common nickname used for males named Tobias is Tobbe.
17 LarsAs of 2022, Lars is the most common first name for men in Sweden. This popular name is derived from Lares. The meaning is thought to derive from Etruscan Lar translating to “Lord”, but it is also speculated to originate from Proto-Indo-European las meaning “Eager”.
Swedish Boy Names Rising In Popularity
18 AlbinThe popular baby name Albin originates from Latin Albīnus, with the word Albus meaning “white” and a suffix.
19 ArvidThis given name has its origin in Old Norse Arnviðr has a meaning related to nature – the first part of the Old Norse word, arn means “eagle” while the second part, viðr, means “wood”.
20 EliasThe name Elias was in Sweden’s top 10 names of newborn baby boys in 2021. This name is the Swedish version of the biblical name Elijah, a Hebrew prophet in the New Testament.
21 FransFrans, derived from Latin Franciscus, has only lately started gaining popularity in Sweden. The meaning of the name is from Latin and, as one could guess, roughly means “the french one”.
22 HampusHampus started as a nickname for those with the name Johannes but is now a common name in Sweden on its own. It is more commonly found among younger generations in Sweden.
23 HugoThe name Hugo originates from Frankish Hugi, meaning mind or spirit. The name Hugo is an upcoming name popularity-wise in Sweden; the average age of people with the name Hugo is just under 15 at the time of writing.
24 LudvigThis Swedish equivalent of Lous or Ludwig. In Sweden, the name Ludvig has been rising in popularity over the last 10 years or so, and is today more popular than the alternative, German spelling Ludwig.
25 MattisMattis, a medieval contraction of Mathias, is a biblical name that is quite popular in Sweden. It is not just a boy's name, but can also be used for a girl – then considered a contraction of the female name Matilda.
26 OttoOtto is a German name that is not just commonly found in Sweden, but also popular in neighboring countries Denmark and Finland.
Traditional Swedish Boy Names
27 AgneAgne is a name that is derived from Old Norse Agni. The female version of the name, Agnes, is significantly more common in Sweden than the male version Agne.
28 AllanAllan is borrowed from the same English name and gained the most popularity in Sweden from the 1910s to the 1930s.
29 BjörnThe name Björn means “bear”, and in modern Swedish the word is still the same. There are some variants of the name such as Torbjörn or Thorbjörn.
30 GunnarThe common Swedish name Gunnar originates from Old Norse gunnr translating to “fight”. Gunnarsson (Gunnar + Son) is a common surname, being in the top 50 surnames in Sweden.
31 GöranThe name Göran originates from Middle Low German Jurian. This particular spelling of the name, starting with a G, is common in Sweden but not often found elsewhere.
32 HansHans is a variant of the biblical name Johannes. For those with the name Hans, Hasse is a very commonly used nickname in Sweden. Hansson (Hans + son) is also one of the most common surnames in Sweden.
33 HelgeHelge is based on the Old Norse Helgi, from heiligr, meaning “happy” or “lucky”). Helgi has later been reinterpreted to be a form of the adjective heilagr, translating to “holy”.
34 HåkanHåkan comes from Old Norse Hákon, and the meaning of the name is undecided with several interpretations. This is an old-school name that pretty much exists exclusively in Sweden.
35 IngemarIngemar, also sometimes but less commonly spelled Ingmar, is derived from Old Norse Ingimarr – ingi from the god of Ing/Yngvi and marr from mærr, translating to “famous”.
36 IngvarThe Swedish name Ingvar is the equivalent of the English Ivor and originates from the Old Norse name Yngvarr.
37 KajKaj is a name that spread to Sweden from Denmark, likely originating from the Roman name Caius. This is the Scandinavian equivalent of the German name Kai.
38 KjellKjell is a name that originates from Old Norse Ketill, which is a word meaning “cauldron” or “helmet.” This name is sometimes part of a compound name – for example in Eskil, which also originates from Ketill, combined with another name. Kjell has been around in Sweden for a while, with the first recorded usage being in the mid-1500s.
39 KurtThe name Kurt is a contraction of Konrad and has been in use in Sweden since the 1600s. The name Kondrad stems from a combination of kōniz, meaning “bold” or “brave” plus rēdaz, translating to “counsel”.
40 LeifLeif is a name that originates from Leifr and has been used in Norway since the Middle Ages – it started gaining popularity in Sweden around the later 1800s. The meaning of Leif is “inheritor”.
41 OveThis Swedish male name has been taken from Denmark and has been around in Sweden since the Middle Ages. It stems from Old Danish Aghi, which is speculated to be a short form of Germanic agh, “blade” or old Norse agi meaning “awe”. The name has a connection to the German name Uwe. It also relates to the name Åke.
42 RagnarRagnar is the modern Scandinavian spelling of the Old Norse name Ragnarr which is a combination of the words regin, meaning “the gods” and herr means “army”.
43 RolfThe name Rolf comes from Old Norse Hrólfr, consisting of the words hróðr, meaning “fame” and ulfr meaning “wolf”. The English version of the name is Rudolph. Rolf is not the only common Swedish name with the meaning “wolf” – Ulf is another example.
44 RuneRune is a name that is declining in popularity – the average age of men named Rune in Sweden is about 73 years old at the time of writing. The name is derived from Proto-Germanic Rūnô, meaning “counselor”.
45 StigThis name is found in all Nordic countries, first in Denmark and introduced to Sweden during the late 1860s. Stig, being derived from Old Norse Stígr, comes from the verb stíga, which means “to step”.
Stig in modern Swedish is not only a name but has two meanings – one being the verb “to step” and the other a noun meaning “path”.
46 StureThe name Sture became famous in history through an important family living during medieval times. Sture was most commonly given as a name during the 1900s. The meaning of the name Sture is thought to be from the verb stura, “to sulk”, and describes someone stubborn.
47 SvenThe name Sven originates from the Old Norse word sveinn which translates to “boy”.
48 SörenSören, an old common Swedish name, originates from the Latin word Severinus with the meaning “serious” or “grave”.
49 Torbjörn / ThorbjörnThis name is a simple one in meaning – it is a combination of the name Thor or Tor compounded with the Swedish word björn, meaning “bear”. Björn is also a name on its own in Sweden.
50 TordThe name Tord, alternatively but less commonly spelled Thord, is derived from a combination of Old Norse Thor and the word fridr, meaning “peace”,
51 TorstenLike Torbjörn, Torsten, and Tord, this name is a compound name adding Tor upon another word. The latter part of the name, sten, is derived from stein meaning “stone” – and it also directly translates to “stone” in modern Swedish.
52 UlfThe name Ulf is derived from Old Norse Ulv and translates to “wolf”. For other Swedish names inspired by wildlife, see also Björn, Torbjörn and Rolf.
53 ÅkeÅke is a classically Swedish name that almost only is used in Sweden, although a few different variants exist in other Scandinavian countries – like the Danish Åge or Aage.
ConclusionThis concludes our guide to Swedish male names! There are a lot of unique names in Sweden that you usually find only in the Nordic countries, as well as names derived from other countries with a Swedish twist. Hopefully, this guide has given you a hint of what Swedish names you might encounter in Sweden.
