A Handbook of Scandinavian Names

Are you looking for
•    A Scandinavian name for your baby?
•    The names of Norse gods and heroes?
•    The history and meaning of Scandinavian first names?
•    Variations and alternate spellings for common Scandinavian names?
•    Naming traditions and customs in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark?

A Handbook of Scandinavian Names includes a dictionary of more than fifteen hundred given names from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, plus some from Iceland and Finland. Each entry provides a guide to pronunciation and the origin and meaning of the name. Many entries also include variations and usage in the Scandinavian countries and famous bearers of the name.
    Adding engaging context to the dictionary section is an extensive comparative guide to naming practices. The authors discuss immigration to North America from Scandinavia and the ways given names and surnames were adapted in the New World. Also included in the book is a history of Scandinavian names, information on “Name Days,” and discussion of significant names from mythology and history, including naming traditions in royal families.

Nancy L. Coleman taught English, German, and Norwegian at a high school in Hamar, Norway, and is editor and translator of the English-Norwegian/Norwegian-English dictionary Password.

Olav Veka is president of the Norwegian Name Association (Norsk namnelag) and the author of many reference works and textbooks on Norwegian language, literature, and names. He contributed the entries on Norwegian and Danish surnames to the Oxford Dictionary of American Family Names.