🇸🇪 Most Popular Baby Names in Sweden (2025)
Sweden's figures come from Skatteverket, the tax agency, which keeps the population register and has been responsible for names since the Personal Names Act came into force in 2017. It publishes the names of newborns as open data; the name tables of Statistics Sweden stop in 2022. Where Skatteverket gives two names the same rank, this site numbers them one after the other.
Data source: Skatteverket · Year: 2025 · 50 girl names, 50 boy names
Before you settle on a name, it helps to know what the register will accept.
Baby naming rules in Sweden: the legal basis, the deadline and what a registrar may refuse.
Names Used Only in Sweden
Sweden has 29 names in its 2025 ranking that appear in none of the other twelve countries on this site. Accents are ignored in that comparison, so Léo and Leo count as one name, but different spellings such as Sofia and Sophia count as two.
Girls: 15 names
ElsaStellaAlvaLykkeEbbaMajkenElviraWilmaEsterSallyJuniLeiaEdithIlseHilma
Boys: 14 names
NilsFransOlleMalteTageBjörnArvidValterNoelDanteAxelEltonHjalmarMelker
2024 to 2025: What Moved
Compared with 2024, in the girls' ranking, 45 of the 50 names changed position, 3 are new and 2 kept exactly the same place; in the boys' ranking, 40 of the 50 names changed position, 5 are new and 5 kept exactly the same place.
Girls
Biggest climbers: Lykke (#35 → #23, +12), Elvira (#41 → #30, +11), Ines (#26 → #18, +8), Sally (#42 → #34, +8), Ilse (#47 → #39, +8)
Biggest drops: Nora (#33 → #46, -13), Molly (#38 → #49, -11), Ellen (#30 → #40, -10), Juni (#27 → #36, -9), Wilma (#24 → #32, -8)
New in the ranking: Sofia, Liv, Tuva
Dropped out: Celine, Bonnie, Esther
Boys
Biggest climbers: Viggo (#45 → #35, +10), Björn (#31 → #22, +9), Noel (#42 → #33, +9), Matteo (#49 → #40, +9), Alfred (#12 → #5, +7)
Biggest drops: Lucas (#26 → #36, -10), Elliot (#25 → #34, -9), Melker (#38 → #47, -9), Theodor (#30 → #38, -8), Benjamin (#37 → #45, -8)
New in the ranking: Dante, Isak, Levi, Hjalmar, Emil
Dropped out: Alexander, Kian, Albin, Ivar, Lukas
Steady Through 2021–2025
Vera tops the girls' ranking in Sweden in 2025.
42 girls' names appear in every year from 2021–2025 without a gap. The 30 highest placed:
VeraAstridAliceOliviaElsaAlmaFrejaEllaSelmaSagaEllieAlbaStellaSigneAlvaMajaAgnesInesIrisMilaHeddaLeahAliciaEbbaSigridLillyMajkenLunaElviraWilma
Noah tops the boys' ranking in Sweden, and has done so 3 years running.
43 boys' names appear in every year from 2021–2025 without a gap. The 30 highest placed:
NoahHugoLiamNilsAlfredAugustWilliamOliverLeoOttoAdamEliasFransSamOlleCharlieLeonTedMalteTageLudvigTheoArvidValterEbbeGabrielHenryWalterHarryVincent
Five Years at the Top
How today's ten most common names ranked in each year since 2021. A blank cell means the name was not in that year's list.
Girls
Eight of today's top ten girls' names were already in the top ten in 2021.
| Name | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|
| Vera | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Astrid | 6 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 2 |
| Alice | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Olivia | 8 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 4 |
| Elsa | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Alma | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Freja | 18 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 7 |
| Ella | 7 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Selma | 3 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 9 |
| Saga | 15 | 15 | 14 | 6 | 10 |
Boys
Seven of today's top ten boys' names were already in the top ten in 2021.
| Name | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|
| Noah | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Hugo | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Liam | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Nils | 12 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Alfred | 9 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 5 |
| August | 11 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 6 |
| William | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| Oliver | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 8 |
| Leo | 7 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 9 |
| Otto | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 10 |
Sweden Among the Thirteen Countries
Where the most common names of Sweden stand in the other twelve countries on this site, each in its most recent year. Accents are ignored; different spellings count as different names.
Girls
Two of the top ten girls' names rank in at least six other countries; one ranks in no other country at all.
| Name | Rank here | Other countries where it ranks | Highest elsewhere |
|---|
| Vera | 1 | 2 | #26 in Denmark |
| Astrid | 2 | 2 | #10 in Norway |
| Alice | 3 | 4 | #8 in Canada |
| Olivia | 4 | 11 | #1 in Canada |
| Elsa | 5 | 0 | |
| Alma | 6 | 5 | #1 in Denmark |
| Freja | 7 | 1 | #9 in Denmark |
| Ella | 8 | 9 | #4 in Norway |
| Selma | 9 | 1 | #11 in Norway |
| Saga | 10 | 2 | #36 in Norway |
Boys
Four of the top ten boys' names rank in at least six other countries; one ranks in no other country at all.
| Name | Rank here | Other countries where it ranks | Highest elsewhere |
|---|
| Noah | 1 | 12 | #1 in Austria |
| Hugo | 2 | 5 | #2 in Spain |
| Liam | 3 | 10 | #1 in the United States |
| Nils | 4 | 0 | |
| Alfred | 5 | 2 | #3 in Denmark |
| August | 6 | 1 | #5 in Denmark |
| William | 7 | 5 | #3 in Norway |
| Oliver | 8 | 9 | #3 in the United States |
| Leo | 9 | 9 | #3 in Canada |
| Otto | 10 | 1 | #10 in Denmark |
Which countries name most alike
Of its 100 names, Sweden shares the most with Denmark (38), Norway (36) and Canada (27), and the fewest with Italy (8). Germany is left out of this comparison, because its list has only ten names per sex.
Where the Names of Sweden Come From
The most frequent origin among the 100 names of 2025 is Latin, with 26. The largest change since 2021 is in Norse names: 16 then, 19 now. A name with two origins, such as Lucas with Greek and Latin, counts for both. More on the groups in the guide to name origins.
| Origin | Names in 2021 | Names in 2025 |
|---|
| Latin | 26 | 26 |
| Hebrew | 19 | 21 |
| Germanic | 21 | 19 |
| Norse | 16 | 19 |
| Greek | 15 | 13 |
| English | 5 | 5 |
| Irish | 3 | 3 |
| Scandinavian | 3 | 3 |
| French | 3 | 2 |
Sweden County by County (2025)
Skatteverket publishes the same figures for each of the 21 counties, the län.
Vera leads the girls nationally, yet in 16 of the 21 counties a different name comes first: Blekinge, Dalarna, Gotland, Jämtland, Jönköping, Kronoberg, Norrbotten, Skåne, Stockholm, Södermanland, Uppsala, Värmland, Västerbotten, Västernorrland, Västmanland and Östergötland.
Noah leads the boys nationally, yet in 16 of the 21 counties a different name comes first: Blekinge, Dalarna, Gotland, Gävleborg, Halland, Jämtland, Kalmar, Kronoberg, Norrbotten, Uppsala, Värmland, Västerbotten, Västernorrland, Västmanland, Västra Götaland and Östergötland.
Top three in each county
Blekinge
Girls: Astrid (13), Ellie (13), Hedda (12)
Boys: Olle (17), Adam (14), Liam (11), Noah (11)
Dalarna
Girls: Elsa (22), Signe (22), Astrid (18)
Boys: Alfred (25), Nils (21), Olle (18)
Gotland
Girls: Alva (5), Astrid (5), Saga (5)
Boys: Hugo (5)
Gävleborg
Girls: Alma (20), Vera (20), Astrid (19)
Boys: Ted (20), Alfred (19), Leon (17), Malte (17)
Halland
Girls: Vera (30), Maja (26), Astrid (25)
Boys: Liam (24), Malte (23), Noah (23)
Jämtland
Girls: Astrid (12), Signe (9), Freja (8), Selma (8), Sigrid (8), Svea (8), Vera (8)
Boys: Arvid (9), Otto (9), Ture (9)
Jönköping
Girls: Alva (25), Selma (25), Astrid (24)
Boys: Noah (29), Olle (27), Hugo (22)
Kalmar
Girls: Vera (29), Alice (16), Signe (16)
Boys: Otto (16), Hugo (15), Liam (14), Noah (14)
Kronoberg
Girls: Astrid (14), Alba (13), Ines (13)
Boys: Tage (20), Nils (14), Olle (14)
Norrbotten
Girls: Astrid (18), Lilly (15), Selma (15), Signe (15)
Boys: Leo (22), Alfred (20), Nils (18)
Skåne
Girls: Alma (80), Vera (79), Alice (74), Olivia (74)
Boys: Noah (119), Liam (93), Elias (84)
Stockholm
Girls: Olivia (192), Alba (143), Alice (142)
Boys: Noah (183), Oliver (170), Hugo (157)
Södermanland
Girls: Alma (18), Astrid (17), Alice (16), Vera (16)
Boys: Noah (22), Adam (20), Frans (18), Hugo (18), Liam (18)
Uppsala
Girls: Alma (31), Vera (29), Astrid (27), Signe (27)
Boys: Alfred (25), Liam (25), Oliver (24)
Värmland
Girls: Elsa (26), Signe (19), Ella (18)
Boys: Hugo (22), August (19), Liam (18)
Västerbotten
Girls: Freja (23), Astrid (21), Hedda (20)
Boys: Björn (19), Frans (19), Alfred (18)
Västernorrland
Girls: Alice (19), Elsa (19), Alma (18)
Boys: Nils (20), Hugo (14), Noah (14)
Västmanland
Girls: Alice (24), Ella (23), Olivia (19)
Boys: August (21), Elias (19), Liam (19)
Västra Götaland
Girls: Vera (118), Astrid (100), Olivia (97)
Boys: Hugo (134), Noah (120), Alfred (104)
Örebro
Girls: Vera (23), Maja (17), Alice (16), Stella (16)
Boys: Charlie (21), Noah (21), Alfred (19), August (19), Liam (19), William (19)
Östergötland
Girls: Astrid (34), Vera (30), Alice (29), Elsa (29)
Boys: Nils (30), Leon (28), Otto (27)
Figures in brackets are births with that first name in 2025. Equal figures mean a shared place. In counties with few births the lists are short.
👧 Most Popular Girl Names in Sweden (2025)
#1VeraLatinSlavic
Meaning: Truth; faith
#2AstridNorse
Meaning: Divinely beautiful
Astrid comes from the Old Norse Ástríðr, from áss, god, and fríðr, beautiful or beloved. The Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren bore it.
#3AliceGermanicFrench
Meaning: Noble kind
Alice comes from the Old French Aalis, a short form of the Germanic Adalheidis, meaning noble kind. Lewis Carroll published Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 1865.
#4OliviaLatin
Meaning: Olive tree
Olivia is linked to the Latin oliva, olive. Shakespeare gave it to the countess in Twelfth Night, and the play made it familiar in English.
#5ElsaHebrewScandinavian
Meaning: My God is an oath
Elsa is a short form of Elisabeth used in German and the Scandinavian languages. Elsa of Brabant is the heroine of Wagner's opera Lohengrin.
#6AlmaLatinArabic
Meaning: Nourishing, soul
Alma is linked to the Latin almus, meaning nourishing or kind, and is also the Spanish word for soul. In Britain it came into use after the Battle of the Alma in 1854.
#7FrejaNorse
Meaning: Lady
Freja is the Danish and Swedish form of Freyja, the Norse goddess of love. The name is the Old Norse word for lady or mistress.
#8EllaGermanic
Meaning: All, completely
Ella was a Norman name of Germanic origin and is also used as a short form of Eleanor and Ellen.
#9SelmaArabic
Meaning: Disputed, literary and Arabic roots
Selma has two separate sources. One is the Arabic salma, meaning safe or peaceful; the other is a place name invented by James Macpherson for his Ossian poems.
#10SagaNorse
Meaning: Seeing one, teller of tales
Saga is a Norse goddess associated with Odin, and the word means a told story. Both readings are current in Scandinavian use.
#11EllieGreek
Meaning: Bright, shining
#12AlbaLatin
Meaning: Dawn, white
Alba comes from the Latin albus meaning white, and in Spanish and Italian it means dawn. It is also the Gaelic name for Scotland, a separate root.
#13StellaLatin
Meaning: Star
Stella is the Latin word for star. Philip Sidney used it in the 1580s for the beloved in his sonnet sequence Astrophel and Stella.
#14SigneNorse
Meaning: New victory
Signe comes from the Old Norse Signý, joining sigr meaning victory with ný meaning new. Signy appears in the Völsunga saga.
#15AlvaNorse
Meaning: Elf, or bright
Alva is a Swedish name, generally read as a feminine form of Alf, from the Old Norse alfr meaning elf. A separate Latin root meaning white also feeds the spelling.
#16MajaGreekScandinavian
Meaning: Pearl; great
Maja is the Scandinavian, German and Slavic spelling of Maya. It is used both as a short form of Maria and as a name of its own.
#17AgnesGreek
Meaning: Pure, holy
Agnes comes from the Greek hagnos meaning pure or holy. Early association with the Latin agnus, meaning lamb, made the lamb her emblem in art.
#18InesGreek
Meaning: Pure, holy
Ines is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Agnes, from the Greek hagnos meaning pure or holy.
#19IrisGreek
Meaning: Rainbow
Iris is the Greek goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the gods. The flower and the coloured part of the eye take their names from the same word.
#20MilaSlavic
Meaning: Gracious, dear
Mila comes from the Slavic element mil, meaning gracious or dear, and began as a short form of names such as Ludmila and Milena.
#21HeddaGermanic
Meaning: Battle
Hedda is a Scandinavian short form of Hedvig, from the Germanic hadu meaning battle and wig meaning war. Ibsen's Hedda Gabler carried it into world theatre.
#22LeahHebrew
Meaning: Weary
#23LykkeNorseDanish
Meaning: Happiness, luck
Lykke is the Danish and Norwegian word for happiness or luck, used as a girl's name.
#24AliciaGermanicSpanish
Meaning: Noble kind
#25EbbaNorse
Meaning: Strength of a wild boar
Ebba is a Swedish name, usually explained as a feminine form of Ebbe, which goes back to the Germanic word for wild boar. Ebba Brahe, a Swedish noblewoman of the seventeenth century, is a historical bearer.
#26SigridNorse
Meaning: Beautiful victory
Sigrid comes from the Old Norse Sigríðr, joining sigr meaning victory with fríðr meaning beautiful or beloved.
#27LillyLatin
Meaning: Lily
Lilly is a spelling of Lily, the flower name from the Latin lilium. The lily has stood for purity in Christian art since the Middle Ages.
#28MajkenHebrew
Meaning: Bitter, or beloved
Majken is a Swedish pet form of Maria, a name whose Hebrew root is disputed and variously read as bitter, beloved or wished-for child.
#29LunaLatin
Meaning: Moon
Luna is the Latin word for moon and the name of the Roman goddess of the moon.
#30ElviraGermanic
Meaning: Disputed, of Visigothic origin
Elvira is a Spanish name of Visigothic origin whose elements are not securely identified. It has been in use in Spain since the early Middle Ages.
#31LilyLatin
Meaning: Lily flower
#32WilmaGermanic
Meaning: Resolute protector
Wilma is a German short form of Wilhelmina, the feminine of Wilhelm, from wil, will or desire, and helm, helmet or protection.
#33EsterHebrewPersian
Meaning: Star
Ester is the Scandinavian and Italian form of Esther, the queen of the biblical book that bears her name. The name is generally traced to the Persian word for star.
#34SallyHebrew
Meaning: Princess
Sally began as an English pet form of Sarah, from the Hebrew sarah meaning princess.
#35JuliaLatin
Meaning: Youthful
Julia is the feminine form of Julius, the Roman family name of Julius Caesar. Paul greets a Christian woman named Julia in his letter to the Romans.
#36JuniLatin
Meaning: June
Juni is the Scandinavian word for the month of June, which is named after the Roman goddess Juno.
#37LeiaHebrew
Meaning: Weary, or a Hawaiian garland
Leia is read as a form of Leah, from the Hebrew for weary, and separately as the Hawaiian lei, a garland. Star Wars is the reason it entered Scandinavian records.
#38EdithEnglish
Meaning: Prosperity in battle
Edith comes from the Old English Eadgyth, joining ead meaning wealth or fortune with gyth meaning strife. It survived the Norman Conquest through two Anglo-Saxon saints.
#39IlseHebrew
Meaning: God is my oath
Ilse is a German and Dutch short form of Elisabeth, from the Hebrew elisheva meaning God is my oath.
#40EllenGreek
Meaning: Torch, bright
Ellen is an English and Scandinavian form of Helen, from the Greek helene, generally connected with a word for torch or brightness.
#41HilmaGermanic
Meaning: Protective helmet
Hilma is a Scandinavian short form of Wilhelmina, the feminine of William, from the Germanic wil meaning will and helm meaning helmet or protection.
#43IngridNorse
Meaning: Beautiful, beloved
Ingrid comes from the Old Norse Ingríðr, joining the name of the god Ing with fríðr, beautiful. The actress Ingrid Bergman was born in Stockholm in 1915.
#44ClaraLatin
Meaning: Clear, bright, famous
Clara is the Latin word for clear or bright. Saint Clare of Assisi, a follower of Francis, founded the order of the Poor Clares in the thirteenth century.
#45LiviaLatin
Meaning: From the Livius family
Livia is the feminine of the Roman family name Livius. Livia Drusilla was the wife of Augustus and one of the most powerful women of the early empire.
#46NoraLatinIrish
Meaning: Honour
Nora began as a short form of Honora and Eleanor. Henrik Ibsen gave it to the heroine of his 1879 play A Doll's House.
#47SofiaGreek
Meaning: Wisdom
Sofia is the spelling of Sophia used in Italian, Spanish, the Scandinavian languages and the Slavic languages. It goes back to the Greek sophia, wisdom.
#48LivNorse
Meaning: Protection, or life
Liv comes from the Old Norse hlíf, meaning protection or shelter. In modern Norwegian and Danish it coincides with the word for life, which has reinforced its use.
#49MollyHebrew
Meaning: Bitter, or beloved
Molly began as a medieval English pet form of Mary, whose Hebrew original has no settled meaning.
#50TuvaNorse
Meaning: Beautiful Thor
Tuva is a Scandinavian name generally read as a feminine form built on Thor, joined with fríðr meaning beautiful.
👦 Most Popular Boy Names in Sweden (2025)
#1NoahHebrew
Meaning: Rest, comfort
Noah is the Hebrew Noach, meaning rest or comfort. In Genesis he builds the ark and survives the flood with his family.
#2HugoGermanic
Meaning: Mind, intellect
Hugo is the Latin form of the Germanic Hugo, from hug, meaning mind or spirit, and is used in German, French, Spanish and the Scandinavian languages.
#3LiamIrishGermanic
Meaning: Resolute protector
Liam began as the Irish short form of Uilliam, the Irish form of William, which comes from the Germanic wil, will, and helm, protection.
#4NilsGreek
Meaning: Victory of the people
Nils is the Scandinavian form of Nicholas, from the Greek nike meaning victory and laos meaning people.
#5AlfredEnglish
Meaning: Wise counsel of the elves
Alfred comes from the Old English Aelfraed, joining aelf meaning elf with raed meaning counsel. Alfred the Great of Wessex kept the name in use after the Norman Conquest.
#6AugustLatin
Meaning: Venerable, majestic
August comes from the Latin augustus, meaning venerable or majestic. It was the title granted to the first Roman emperor, whose adopted month still carries it.
#7WilliamGermanic
Meaning: Resolute protector
William comes from the Germanic Willahelm, joining wil, will or desire, with helm, protection. William the Conqueror brought it to England in 1066.
#8OliverLatinNorse
Meaning: Olive tree
Oliver comes from Olivier, one of Charlemagne's paladins in the medieval Song of Roland. It is usually linked to the Latin oliva, olive, though a Germanic root has also been proposed.
#9LeoLatin
Meaning: Lion
Leo is the Latin word for lion. Fourteen popes have taken it, from Leo the Great in the fifth century to Leo XIV, elected in 2025.
#10OttoGermanic
Meaning: Wealth, fortune
#11AdamHebrew
Meaning: Earth, man
#12EliasHebrew
Meaning: My God is Yahweh
Elias is the Greek and Latin form of the Hebrew Eliyahu, Elijah, meaning my God is Yahweh. Elijah is the prophet of the Books of Kings who is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.
#13FransLatin
Meaning: Frenchman
Frans is the Scandinavian and Dutch form of Francis, from the Latin Franciscus meaning a Frank or Frenchman.
#14SamHebrew
Meaning: God has heard
Sam is a short form of Samuel, from the Hebrew shema el meaning God has heard, and is used independently across northern Europe.
#15OlleNorse
Meaning: Ancestor's descendant
Olle is a Swedish pet form of Olof, from the Old Norse Áleifr meaning the ancestor's heir.
#16CharlieGermanic
Meaning: Free man
Charlie is a pet form of Charles, from the Germanic karl meaning a free man. It has been registered as a name in its own right across northern Europe for decades.
#17LeonGreekLatin
Meaning: Lion
Leon comes from the Greek leon, lion. It was the name of several Byzantine emperors and, in its Latin form Leo, of many popes.
#18TedEnglishGreek
Meaning: Guardian of wealth, or gift of God
Ted is a short form of Edward, from the Old English elements for wealth and guardian, and also of Theodore, from the Greek for gift of God.
#19MalteGermanic
Meaning: Ruler of the assembly
Malte is a Scandinavian short form of Helmold or Maldher, generally read from Germanic elements meaning power and assembly or ruler.
#20TageNorse
Meaning: Guarantor
Tage comes from the Old Danish Taki, from a root meaning to receive or take, and is usually read as one who gives a pledge or acts as guarantor.
#21LudvigGermanic
Meaning: Famous warrior
Ludvig is the Scandinavian form of Louis, from the Germanic hlud meaning famous and wig meaning war.
#22BjörnNorse
Meaning: Bear
Björn is the Swedish word for bear, from the Old Norse bjorn. It was in use as a personal name in the Viking age and never went out of it.
#23TheoGreek
Meaning: Gift of God
Theo is a short form of Theodore, from the Greek theos meaning god and doron meaning gift. It is now given as a full name across most of Europe.
#24ArvidNorse
Meaning: Eagle tree
Arvid comes from the Old Norse Arnviðr, joining orn meaning eagle with viðr meaning tree or wood. It has stayed in ordinary use in Sweden and Norway.
#25ValterGermanic
Meaning: Ruler of the army
Valter is the Scandinavian and Italian form of Walter, from the Germanic wald meaning rule and hari meaning army.
#26EbbeGermanic
Meaning: Wild boar
Ebbe is a Danish and Swedish short form of Germanic names beginning with eber, meaning wild boar, such as Eberhard. It has been used independently for centuries.
#27GabrielHebrew
Meaning: God is my strength
Gabriel is a Hebrew name meaning God is my strength. In the Bible the archangel Gabriel announces the births of John the Baptist and of Jesus.
#28HenryGermanic
Meaning: Home ruler
Henry comes from the Germanic Heimirich, joining heim, home, with ric, ruler. Eight kings of England bore it.
#29WalterGermanic
Meaning: Ruler of the army
Walter comes from the Germanic wald meaning rule and hari meaning army. The Normans brought it to England, where it stayed in use for centuries.
#30HarryGermanic
Meaning: Ruler of the home
Harry is the medieval English form of Henry, from the Germanic heim meaning home and ric meaning ruler. It was how the English pronounced the name of eight kings.
#31VincentLatin
Meaning: Conquering
Vincent comes from the Latin vincens, meaning conquering. Saint Vincent of Saragossa was one of the most venerated martyrs of the early Spanish church.
#32AdrianLatin
Meaning: From Hadria
Adrian comes from the Roman Hadrianus, meaning a man from Hadria, a town that also gave its name to the Adriatic Sea. The emperor Hadrian carried it into general use.
#33NoelLatinFrench
Meaning: Born at Christmas
#34ElliotHebrew
Meaning: My God is the Lord
Elliot began as a medieval English surname derived from Elias, the Greek form of Elijah, from the Hebrew meaning my God is Yahweh. It returned as a first name in the twentieth century.
#35ViggoNorse
Meaning: War
Viggo is a Scandinavian short form of names built on the Old Norse víg, meaning war or battle.
#36LucasLatinGreek
Meaning: Bringer of light
Lucas is the Latin form of Loukas, Luke, the name of the author of the third gospel. The Greek name probably meant man from Lucania, though it is popularly linked to the Latin lux, light.
#37DanteLatin
Meaning: Enduring
Dante is a medieval Italian short form of Durante, from the Latin durans meaning enduring. The poet Dante Alighieri is the reason it never faded.
#38TheodorGreek
Meaning: Gift of God
Theodor is the German and Scandinavian form of Theodore, from the Greek theos meaning god and doron meaning gift.
#39AxelHebrewScandinavian
Meaning: Father of peace
Axel is the Scandinavian form of Absalom, from the Hebrew av meaning father and shalom meaning peace. It spread through Germany and France from Denmark and Sweden.
#40MatteoHebrewItalian
Meaning: Gift of God
Matteo is the Italian form of Matthew, from the Hebrew Mattityahu, meaning gift of God. Matthew is the apostle traditionally named as the author of the first gospel.
#41IsakHebrew
Meaning: He will laugh
Isak is the Scandinavian form of Isaac, from the Hebrew yitzhak meaning he will laugh. In Genesis, Sarah laughs when she is told she will bear a son in old age.
#42OscarNorseIrish
Meaning: God's spear; divine strength
Oscar is the son of Oisín in Irish legend, and James Macpherson's Ossian poems spread the name in the eighteenth century. Napoleon, an admirer of the poems, was godfather to the boy who became King Oscar I of Sweden. Its meaning is disputed.
#43EltonEnglish
Meaning: Ella's settlement
Elton is an English place name and surname, formed from an Old English personal name and tun meaning settlement or enclosure.
#44LeviHebrew
Meaning: Joined, attached
#45BenjaminHebrew
Meaning: Son of the right hand
Benjamin comes from the Hebrew Binyamin, meaning son of the right hand. In Genesis he is the youngest of the twelve sons of Jacob.
#46HjalmarNorse
Meaning: Helmeted warrior
Hjalmar comes from the Old Norse Hjalmarr, joining hjalmr meaning helmet with herr meaning army. It appears in Norse legend and returned to use in the nineteenth century.
#47MelkerHebrew
Meaning: My king is light
Melker is the Swedish form of Melchior, traditionally one of the three magi. The name is usually read from Hebrew elements meaning king and light.
#48JackHebrewEnglish
Meaning: God is gracious
Jack began in medieval England as a pet form of John, from the Hebrew Yochanan, meaning God is gracious, and has long been given as a name in its own right.
#49EmilLatin
Meaning: Rival, eager
Emil comes from the Roman family name Aemilius, from aemulus meaning rival or eager. Astrid Lindgren's Emil of Lönneberga fixed it in Scandinavian childhood reading.
#50JulianLatin
Meaning: Youthful
Julian comes from the Roman name Julianus, derived from Julius. The Roman emperor Julian and the English mystic Julian of Norwich bore it.