Scandinavian Submitted Surnames
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
AANorwegianDerived from
aa, an obsolete spelling of Norwegian
å "small river, stream".
AABYNorwegian, DanishFrom a place called Aaby or Åby, from Old Norse
á "small river, stream" and
býr "farm".
AADLANDNorwegianDerived from a place called Ådland, from Old Norse Árland "land by the river".
AAMODTNorwegianCombination of
aa, an obsolete spelling of Norwegian
å "small river, stream" and
møte "meeting".
AARHUSNorwegianDerived from any of the farms so named, from Old Norse
á "river" and
hús "house, farmstead".
ÅBERGSwedishCombination of Swedish
å "small river" and
berg "mountain".
ADELSKÖLDSwedishSwedish surname which possibly means "noble shield", from the elements
adel, meaning "nobility" and
sköld, which may mean "shield".
AHLBORNSwedish (Rare)Ornamental name composed of the elements
al "alder" and
-born, a Swedish surname suffix derived from German
geboren "born".
AHLINSwedishFrom
al 'alder' and -
in, a common ending of Swedish surnames derived from Latin -
inus, -
inius 'descendant of'.
AHLQUISTSwedishCombination of Swedish
al "alder" and
quist an old or ornamental spelling of
kvist "twig".
ÅHMANSwedishCombination of Swedish
å "small river" and
man "man".
ALVERSONSwedishRespelling of Swedish Halverson or of Alvarsson, a patronymic from the personal name Alvar (composed of Old Norse alf ‘elf’ + -arr, an element with various origins).
ÅNGSTRÖMSwedishSwedish surname meaning "steam river" from the elements
ånga, meaning "steam" and
ström, meaning "stream, current, river".
APPELKVISTSwedishCombination of Swedish
apel or
äpple both meaning "apple" and
kvist "branch, twig".
ARRHENIUSSwedish (Rare)The name of two separate family linages with no relation between each other. One family originates from Linköping, Östergötland and probably got its name from Ancient Greek
ᾰ̓́ρρην (árrhēn) "male" (taken from the last syllable of ancestor's last name,
Kapfelman)...
[more] ÅSLUNDSwedishCombination of Swedish
ås "ridge, esker" and
lund "grove".
ASPLUNDSwedishSwedish surname meaning "aspen grove", from the elements
asp, meaning "aspen tree" and the common surname element
lund, meaning "grove".
ÅSTRÖMSwedishSwedish ornamental name meaning "small river stream". A combination of
å "small river" and
ström "stream".
AUNENorwegianDerived from Old Norse
auðn "wasteland, desolate place".
AXELLSwedishPossibly a habitational name with the combination of
ax, a Swedish word for the fruiting body of a grain plant, and the common surname suffix
-ell.
BÄCKMANSwedishCombination of Swedish
bäck "small stream" and
man "man".
BACKMANEnglish, Swedish, GermanCombination of Old English
bakke "spine, back" and
man "man". In Swedish, the first element is more likely to be derived from Swedish
backe "hill", and in German the first element can be derived from German
backen "to bake"...
[more] BANGDanishOriginally a nickname denoting a loud or brash person, from Old Danish
bang "noise" (from Old Norse
banga "to pound, hammer" of echoic origin). A literary bearer was Danish author Herman Bang (1857-1912)....
[more] BERGGRENSwedishSwedish surname meaning "mountain branch". From
berg "mountain" and
gren "branch".
BERGKVISTSwedishSwedish surname meaning "mountain branch". From
berg "mountain" and
kvist "branch".
BERGLINSwedishCombination of Swedish
berg "mountain" and the popular surname suffix
-in, derived from Latin
-inus,
-inius meaning "descendant of". The second element could also be derived from Swedish
lind "lime tree" or
lin "flax, linseed".
BERGMARKSwedishAn ornamental name, meaning "mountain land" from
berg, meaning "mountain" and
mark, meaning "land" as well as "field" and "ground."
BERLINGerman, English, SwedishHabitational name from the city in Germany, the name of which is of uncertain meaning. It is possibly derived from an Old Slavic stem
berl- meaning
swamp or from a West Slavic word meaning "river lake"....
[more] BERNGerman, Scandinavian, German (Swiss)German and Scandinavian: from the personal name Berno, a pet form of Bernhard. In South German it comes from the habitational name from Bern, Switzerland, notably in the south; in other parts from the personal name
Berno.
BERNADOTTEFrench, SwedishPossibly from the name of a building in the French city of Pau called
de Bernadotte. This was originally a French non-noble surname, but a member of the family later became King of Sweden.
BERWALDSwedishOriginally
Bernwald which meant the ruler of bears but later changed to
Bärwald through German folk which meant "The bear of the forest".
BESKOWSwedishDerived from the name of the city Beeskow in Germany. A notable bearer was Swedish author and illustrator Elsa Beskow (1874-1953).
BILDTSwedish, DanishBildt is a Danish-Swedish-Norwegian noble family originating from Jutland in Denmark and now domiciled in Bohus county in southwest Sweden. The Norwegian branch of the family died out in the beginning of the 18th century...
[more] BIRCHEnglish, German, Danish, SwedishTopographic name for someone who lived by a birch tree or in a birch wood, from a Germanic word meaning ‘birch’ (Old English
birce ‘birch’, Middle High German
birche, Old Danish
birk)...
[more] BIRKELANDNorwegianDerived from Old Norse
birki "birch" and
land "farm, land". Birkeland is the name of a village and parish in western Norway. The parish got it's name from an old farm. The parish church was built on the same spot where the farm once was.
BJÖRKLUNDSwedishSwedish ornamental name meaning "grove of birch trees". A combination of
björk "birch" and
lund "grove".
BLASIUSGerman, Dutch, ScandinavianFrom the Latin personal name
Blasius. This was a Roman family name, originating as a byname for someone with some defect, either of speech or gait, from Latin
blaesus "stammering" (compare Greek
blaisos "bow-legged")...
[more] BLOMQUISTSwedishOrnamental name composed of the elements
blom "flower" +
quist, an old or ornamental spelling of
kvist "twig".
BODÉNSwedishSwedish ornamental name composed of Swedish
bod "small hut" and the common surname suffix
-én, a derivative of Latin
-enius "descendant of".
BØENorwegianDerived from Old Norse
býr "farm, village, settlement" or
búa "to reside".
BØENNorwegianHabitational name from the common farm name Bøen, simply meaning "the farm" (ultimately derived from Old Norse
býr "farm, village, settlement" and the definite article
-en).
BOMANSwedishCombination of Swedish
bo (noun) "nest, farm, dwelling" and
man "man".
BORÉNSwedishOrnamental name composed of an unexplained first element and the common surname suffix
-en, from Latin
-enius "descendant of"....
[more] BORRESENDanishThe Danish surname Borresen has two origins. Boerresen is composed of -sen 'son' + the given name Boerre, the modern equivalent of Old Norse Byrgir 'the helper' (from proto-Indo-European root BHER- 'to carry, bear')...
[more] BORSHEIMNorwegian (Rare)Habitational name from either of two farmsteads in Norway: Borsheim in Rogaland and Børsheim in Hordaland. Borsheim is a combination of an unknown first element and Norwegian
heim "home", while Børsheim is a combination of Old Norse
byrgi "fence, enclosure" and
heim.
BOSTRÖMSwedishCombination of Swedish
bo "dwelling, home" and
ström "stream, river".
BRAGERNorwegian (Rare)From the name of any of the various farmsteads in eastern Norway, which may have derived their name from a river name meaning "roaring", "thundering".
BRAHEDanish (Rare), Swedish (Rare)Danish and Swedish noble family with roots in Scania and Halland, southern Sweden (both provinces belonged to Denmark when the family was founded). A notable bearer was Danish astronomer
Tycho Brahe (1546-1601).
BRANTINGSwedishA combination of Swedish
brant "steep hill" and the suffix
-ing. A famous bearer was
Hjalmar Branting (1860–1925), Prime Minister of Sweden in the 1920s.
BRÅTHENNorwegianDerived from Old Norse
broti "land cleared for cultivation by burning". This was a common farm name in southeastern Norway.
BRATTÉNSwedishOrnamental name composed of the personal name Bratt + the surname suffix -én, from Latin -enius ‘descendant of’.
BREVIKNorwegianHabitational name from any of several farms named Brevik, from Norwegian
bred "broad" and
vik "bay".
BRODÉNSwedishOrnamental name or topographic name, probably composed of the elements bro ‘bridge’ + the adjectival suffix -én, from Latin -enius.
BUREOld Swedish, SwedishThis was the name of an influential family in 16th century Sweden. The name originated from the village
Bure (now known as
Bureå) in Skellefteå parish in Northern Sweden. The village got its name from the nearby Bure River (Swedish: Bure älv, Bureälven) whose name was derived from the Swedish dialectal word
burra "buzz, rumble".
BYBERGSwedishSwedish ornamental name. A combination of Swedish
by "village" and
berg "mountain".
BYLINSwedishA combination of Swedish
by "village" and the suffix
-in, derived from Latin -inus, -inius "descendant of"
BYSTEDTSwedishA combination of Swedish
by "village" and German
stedt "home, place".
CARLANDERSwedishCombination of the given name
KARL or Swedish
karl "man" and
ander, from classical Greek
andros, "man".
CARLINIrish (Anglicized), Scottish, French, Swedish, Italian, Jewish (Anglicized), GermanIrish (now also common in Scotland) anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Cairealláin, an Ulster family name, also sometimes Anglicized as
Carlton, meaning ‘descendant of Caireallán’, a diminutive of the personal name
Caireall...
[more] CELSIUSSwedish (Archaic), HistoryLatinized form of
Högen "the mound" (Latin:
celsus), the name of a vicarage in Ovanåker parish, Sweden. Celsius is a unit of measurement for temperature named for Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744).
CLEVELANDNorwegian (Anglicized)Americanized spelling of Norwegian
Kleiveland or
Kleveland, habitational names from any of five farmsteads in Agder and Vestlandet named with Old Norse
kleif "rocky ascent" or
klefi "closet" (an allusion to a hollow land formation) and
land "land".
CRABBEnglish, Scottish, German, Dutch, DanishEnglish and Scottish, from Middle English crabbe, Old English
crabba ‘crab’ (the crustacean), a nickname for someone with a peculiar gait. English and Scottish from Middle English
crabbe ‘crabapple (tree)’ (probably of Old Norse origin), hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a crabapple tree...
[more] DAHLÉNSwedishCombination of Swedish
dal "valley" and the common surname suffix
-én, a derivative of Latin
-enius "descendant of".
DAHMERGerman, DanishA northern German or Danish habitual name for someone from one of the many places named Dahme in Brandenburg, Holstein, Mecklenburg, or Silesia. A famous bearer of this name was Jeffrey Dahmer, serial killer (1960 - 1993).
DALENorwegian, DanishHabitational name from any of the various farmsteads called Dale in Norway. Derived from Old Norse
dalr "valley".
DAUGAARDDanishDanish name element
gård "farmstead, yard" combined with prefix
dau of unknown origin. ...
[more] DE GEERDutch, SwedishThe name is possibly derived from the town of Geer near Liège, Belgium. The town lies along the course of the river Jeker, which is called Geer in French.
DELEURANFrench (Huguenot), DanishHuguenot surname of unknown origin. This family emigrated to Denmark in the 16th century, and now most members of the family are Danish
DRAGNorwegian (Rare)Habitational name from any of several farms named Drag. The place name is related to Old Norse
draga "to pull" (compare modern Norwegian
dra with the same meaning) and originally denoted a place where boats were pulled along a river or across an isthmus.
EDÉNSwedishPossibly a habitational name from a place named with the element
ed "isthmus". In some cases it could also be a shortened form of
EDENIUS (a combination of Swedish
ed "isthmus" and the Latin suffix
-enius "descendant of").
EGEDEScandinavianDerived from a place name on Sjælland containing the name element
EIK meaning "oak".
EGELANDNorwegianFrom the name of several farmsteads in Norway named with Norwegian
eik "oak" and
land "land".
EGNERNorwegian (Rare)From the name of a farm in Norway, of unknown origin. A known bearer was Norwegian playwright Thorbjørn Egner (1912-1990).
EKBERGSwedishCombination of Swedish
ek "oak" and
berg "mountain".
EKLANDSwedish (Rare)Combination of Swedish
ek "oak" and
land "land". A famous bearer is Swedish actress Britt Ekland (b. 1942).
EKLÖFSwedishCombination of Swedish
ek "oak" and
löf, an archaic spelling of
löv, "leaf".
EKMANSwedishSwedish ornamental name. A combination of
ek "oak" and
man "man".
EKSTRÖMSwedishSwedish ornamental name. A combination of
ek "oak" and
ström "stream".
EKVALLSwedishComposed of Swedish
ek "oak" and
vall "field, pasture".
ELANDERSwedishOrnamental name composed of an unexplained first element + -ander, suffix adapted from Greek aner, andros ‘man’, a common element of Swedish surnames.
ENGLANDNorwegian (Rare)From the name of several farms in Norway, named with Old Norse
eng "meadow" and
land "land".
ERLANDERSwedishDerived from the personal name
ERLAND. A famous bearer was Swedish politician Tage Erlander (1901-1985), Prime Minister of Sweden between 1946 and 1969. His father adopted the name Erlander from his father, whose surname was Erlandsson.
FAGERSwedishFrom Swedish
fager, an archaic word meaning ”pretty, fair”.
FÄLTSKOGSwedishCombination of Swedish
fält "field" and
skog "forest". Agnetha Fältskog (b. 1950) is a Swedish singer and former member of ABBA.
FETTNorwegian (Rare)Derived from Old Norse
fit "land, shore". This was the name of several farmsteads in Norway.
FINSTADNorwegianMeans "Finn's farmstead", from the given name
Finn (2) and Old Norse
staðr "farmstead, dwelling". This was the name of several farms in Norway.
FISKEEnglish, NorwegianFrom the traditionally Norwegian habitational surname, from the Old Norse
fiskr "fish" and
vin "meadow". In England and Denmark it was a surname denoting someone who was a "fisherman" or earned their living from selling fish.
FIVELANDNorwegian (Rare)From the name of a farm in Norway named with the word
fivel possibly meaning "cottongrass, bog cotton". This plant grows in abundance in the marshy land near the location of the farm.
FLINKSwedishFrom Swedish
flink, an adjective for someone who is quick and accurate.
FLONorwegianFamous bearers include Norwegian footballers and relatives
Tore Andre,
Håvard, and
Jostein Flo of the Norwegian national team that upset Brazil twice in both a friendly in 1997 and a 1998 World Cup group match.
FLOBERGSwedish, Norwegian (Rare)Of uncertain origin. Could possibly be combination of
flo, an unexplained element (but probably either ornamental or locational), and
berg "mountain", or a habitational name from a place so named.
FØRDENorwegianFrom Old Norse
fyrði dative form of
fjórðr "fjord". This was the name of several farmsteads in Norway.
FORRENNorwegian (Rare)Derived form the name of a farmstead in Norway named with a word meaning "hollow, gorge".
FORSMANSwedishCombination of Swedish
fors "rapid" (geology) and
man "man".
FRANZÉNSwedishCombination of the given name
FRANZ and the popular surname suffix
-én, derived from Latin
-enius "descendant of".
GARDLINSwedishPossibly derived from the Swedish word Gård meaning (Garden, or Gardener).
GRÅBERGScandinavianIn
Swedish, an ornamental name meaning "spruce mountain" or "spruce hill", with gran meaning "spruce" and berg meaning "mountain" or "hill."...
[more] HAALANDNorwegianFrom Old Norse
Hávaland, derived from
hár "high" and
land "land, farm". This is the name of several farms in Norway.
HAGEMANDutch, SwedishDutch: topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosure, from Middle Dutch haghe ‘hedge’, ‘enclosure’ + man ‘man’. Respelling of German
Hagemann. ...
[more] HAGEMANNGerman, Danish1. German: topographic name for someone who lived by a hedge or enclosure, from Middle High German hac ‘enclosure’, ‘hedge’, Middle Low German hage + mann ‘man’. ...
[more] HÄGGSwedishFrom Swedish
hägg "hackberry, bird cherry ".
HÄGGSTRÖMSwedishCombination of Swedish
hägg "bird cherry" and
ström "stream, small river".
HAGSTRÖMSwedishCombination of Swedish
hage "enclosure, garden" and
ström "stream, small river".