Nordic Names Blog - New Icelandic Names 2021-02

1 March 2021
In February 2021, 15 names were submitted to the Icelandic naming committee for approval. All of them were approved and none rejected:

Female Names

• Amía: This Icelandic spelling of Amia, an extended form of Amy, was approved.
• Bertmarí: This is a new combination of the name elements BJÖRT (German form) and MARI. It was approved.
• Estíva: This name is probably an Icelandic female form of Estéban and a variant form of Estefanía. Its earliest documented usage was in the census of 1845 (in Húnavatnssýsla) and it was approved.
• Gulla: This name has been used in the other Nordic countries and now it was approved in Iceland as well. Several different origins and meanings are possible, e.g. a short form of names containing the name element GUD
• Hrafnrún: This new combination of the old name elements HRAFN and RUN was approved.
• Ingaló: This is a new combination of the name elements ING and LÓ and it was approved. Previously, it has been only used as a nickname and became famous because of the film „Ingaló“ (1995).
• Kaos: This name was probably influenced by the Greek mythology where it is the opposite of Cosmos: the primeval emptiness of the Universe, who gave birth to Gaea (Mother Earth), Tartarus (embodiment of the underworld), Eros (god of love), Erebus (embodiment of silence), and Nyx (embodiment of night). It was approved as a female and a male name.
• Róma: This Icelandic spelling of Roma was approved.
• Sanný: This Icelandic spelling of Sanny was approved as well.
• Venedía: This name might be influenced by the Italian place name of Venezia (Venice) or the tribal name oft he Wends. Its first documented usage was in the census of 1845 (in Strandasýsla) and it was approved.

Male Names

• Kaos: This name was approved – see the female name Kaos above.
• Kuggi: This name was used as an Old Norse byname before. And now it was approved as a given name. It derives its meaning from the Middle Low German Kogge, which was a trading ship used by the Hanse traders.
• Lucas: This international spelling was rejected on 20 September 2018 but it was approved now. Previously, the Icelandic proper spelling had to be Lúkas
• Soren: This name was originally an English misspelling of Søren and Sören ignoring the totally different sound of an o compared to an ø/ö. It was approved now.
• Sólarr: This name is a new combination of the old name elements SOL and HER using an additional -r at the end as in Old Norse making it a creative spelling in Icelandic. Nevertheless, it was approved.
• Theo: Finally! This international spelling of the name was rejected three times before, twice in 2018 and again in 2020. Now it was approved.

See also

For more information and new Icelandic names of other months see Icelandic Approved Names.