A Cast of Names Both Old and New
Thorfinn comes from Old Norse Þórfinnr, made up of Thor (the name of the Norse god of thunder) and Finnr meaning “Sámi, Finn, Laplander”, a byname used to refer to someone who came from Finland or was part of the Sami people (also known as Lapps). Although the origin behind finnr is uncertain it has been linked to Old Norse meaning …
Emilie is the Scandinavian form of Emilia, itself a variant of Aemilia, the feminine form of Aemilius, an Ancient Roman name. Though the origin of the name is uncertain, it has often been associated with Latin aemulus meaning “rival; rivaling, striving” via Proto-Italic *aimos (imitation) derived from a PIE root word. Origin: Proto-Indo-European Variants: Aemilia (Ancient Roman) Aemiliana (Ancient Roman) Emílie (Czech) Emilija …
Layla is an Arabic female name meaning "night" which comes from Proto-Semitic layl- meaning "night". There's a popular Persian story called Layla and Qays (also known as Layla and Majnun), known across the Middle East and which has many versions. Qays and Laylagrew up in the same tribe and loved each other but her father wouldn't allow them to get married and …
Tyra is a Scandinavian female name which comes from Old Norse Þýri which is either a variant of Þórví (an Ancient Scandinavian name composed of Thor, the Norse god of thunder whose name means "thunder" and ví "holy", so the name essentially means "holy Thor" or "Thor is holy") or a variant of Þórveig (meaning "Thor's strength" or "strength of …
Karsten is a Scandinavian male name, the Low German form of Christian which comes from Latin Christianus meaning “a Christian”, referring to someone who followed Christianity. Christian comes from Ancient Greek Khristos meaning “anointed” or “the anointed one”, via from Ancient Greek khrī́ō (to anoint oneself, to rub) derived from a PIE root word *gʰer- (to rub). Karsten is also a Scandinavian surname originating …
Werner comes from a Germanic name made up of Germanic elements warin (guard) and hari (army), and is also a surname originating from the given name. Nicknames: Wessel (German, Dutch, Frisian), Wetzel (German) Origin: Proto-Indo-European Variants: Verner (Danish, Swedish, Norwegian) Garnier (Medieval French) Irnerius (Latin) Wernerus (Latin) Warinhari (Ancient Germanic) Warner (English)
Magda is a Scandinavian short form of Magdalena, a Latinate form of Magdalene, originally a title meaning “of Magdala” in reference to someone who came from the town or village of Magdala, originally located at the Sea of Galilee. Magdala comes from Hebrew migdal meaning “tower”. Origin: Hebrew
Hansen comes from a Scandinavian surname, a patronymic name meaning "son of Hans", Hans being the short form of Johannes, the Scandinavian form of John meaning "Yahweh is gracious". Origin: Hebrew, Proto-Indo-European Variants: Hanson (English) Hanssen (Danish, Norwegian, German) Hansson (Swedish)
Liv is a Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish female name which comes from Old Norse hlíf meaning "protection, cover, defense, shield", the spelling influenced by the Scandinavian word liv meaning "life". In Norse mythology, Líf is one of two humans who will survive the events of Ragnarok, along with Lífþrasir. Liv is also a nickname for Olivia or Olive; Olivia may have been based on Latin Oliva meaning …
Lydian is an adjective referring to Lydia, the name of an ancient kingdom in Asia Minor, which could be used to refer to someone who came from Lydia and is used to describe the people, culture, and language. Lydian has also been used as a Scandinavian male form of Lydia. The kingdom received its name from an early king, Lydus …
Sirina is a female given name with various meanings attributed to it such as: it's a variant spelling of Serena meaning "calm, tranquil, serene" from Latin serenus; it could also be a variant of Sirin, also a name of uncertain meaning though it could be an elaborated form of Siri, a short form of Sigrid meaning "victory + beautiful, fair" made …
Runa has several possible meanings and etymologies such as: it is the Scandinavian feminine form of Rune, derived from Old Norse rún meaning "secret lore" which comes from Proto-Germanic *rūnō (whisper, murmur). it's also a Latin word meaning "dart" or "javelin"; it's also a Latvian word meaning "speech, delivery, talk"; it's also a Quechua word meaning "man, person, …
