Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

NORWEGIAN TRADITIONS

Norway’s most popular baby names

Olivia, Lucas, and Emma are among the most popular baby names in Norway, according to figures from the national data agency Statistics Norway. Experts believe biblical names are making a comeback.

Published: 1 February 2023 16:20 CET
Updated: 1 February 2024 12:18 CET
Pictured is a baby's hand being held by an adult.
Statistics Norway have revealed the most popular baby names in Norway. Pictured is a baby's hand being held by an adult.

National data agency Statistics Norway announced the most popular baby names of 2023, with Lucas and Olivia being the most popular names for boys and girls.

The other top girls’ names were Emma, ​​Ella, Leah, Sofie, Nora, Sofia, Maja, Alma and Ada. Maja, Alma and Ada were new entries in the top ten most popular baby names.

Olivia has consistently been in the top ten most popular baby names over the last decade after seeing a massive increase in popularity at the turn of the millennium. 

Noah, Isak, Oliver, Kasper, Elias, Emil, Jakob, Oskar and Theodor were the most popular boys’ names. Biblical names for boys have been trendy over the past couple of decades.  

READ ALSO: Why are certain children’s names banned in Norway?

The most popular boy’s name being Lucas comes after many years where Jakob has been the most popular boys name. Jakob was extremely popular in the 19th century before falling out of favour by the fifties.

Since records began, Anna and Ole are the two most popular baby names in Norway. 

Public broadcaster NRK has previously reported that traditional Norwegian names were back in fashion when it comes to parents naming their newborns.

“We see that old Nordic names are starting to come back. Names that were widely used 100 years ago, such as Einar, Ingrid, Olav, Sigurd and Astrid,” Ivar Utne from the University of Bergen told NRK.

Despite that, Statistics Norway has also pointed to a trend of parents giving their children more unique names.

“Although there are not necessarily the biggest changes in the top lists, we see that more and more people are choosing less common names. It is not unnatural to assume that we are in a period where the individual gets more space,” Anders Sønstebø from Statistics Norway said in 2023.

Meanwhile, the researcher from the University of Bergen, Utne, said that there had been a trend towards English and biblical names over the past two decades.

“It increased from the 1970s and 80s onwards. Most of the names that are given to children are names that we share with large parts of Europe, including the biblical ones,” he explained.

A slew of names are also in danger of going extinct in the coming years, according to a slightly older Statistics Norway report. Halfrid, Berta/ Bertha, Hjørdis, Aagot, Thorbjørg, Borgny, Odlaug, Alfhild, and Vally were the names in danger of dying out.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

NORWEGIAN TRADITIONS

What foreigners in Norway find confusing about May 17th 

Constitution Day, or May 17th, is a fantastic occasion in Norway. Foreigners living in the country also love getting in on the celebrations – but a few things about the day can be confusing. 

Published: 15 May 2024 16:06 CEST
Updated: 17 May 2024 14:27 CEST
What foreigners in Norway find confusing about May 17th 

Often referred to as Norway’s national day, May 17th is much beloved in Norway. The parades and festivities are a must-see (and also pretty hard to miss) for anyone in Norway on the day. 

There are plenty of traditions that can seem strange from the outside looking in, including bunads, parades, singing the national anthem, and waving flags. Even after you’ve experienced them a few times, they can still feel puzzling. 

How to celebrate 

One aspect that can confuse foreigners, even those with a few May 17ths under the belt, is how exactly the date should be celebrated. 

While the parades are an obvious starting point, traditions can vary across families, cities and regions. 

Many will start May 17th with a combination of a typical Norwegian breakfast, with or without champagne, and then go to watch the parades. 

After that, things become more unclear. Some choose to celebrate the rest of the day with family, grilling or playing garden games. 

Others choose to party hard, whether at parties, bars, or special May 17th events. 

Meanwhile, some cities have large gatherings after the parades, torch processions, or fireworks in the evening. 

Our tip would be to choose what you like most about May 17th and go with the flow. 

Thankfully, as long as you don’t do something stupid like desecrate the Norwegian flag or spend the day antagonising people, there doesn’t appear to be a “right or wrong” way to celebrate the occasion. 

What to wear 

Outfit choice can be tricky on May 17th. People normally dress their best, be it in a traditional bunad, a suit, or other smart clothes. 

For foreigners, this can be tough. For starters, most probably do not feel Norwegian enough to wear a bunad but want to dress nicely for the occasion as a show of respect. 

Therefore, finding something that makes you feel comfortable, doesn’t feel underdressed, and is also appropriate for whatever the weather is can be a tricky balance. 

Some people wear folk costumes from where they are from, which for the most part goes down well as very few Norwegians hold an attitude of “this is our day and not yours”.

What other people are wearing

This is perhaps more the case for newcomers to Norway, but seeing a bunad for the first time can be strange. Seeing thousands of people decked out in “national costumes” (as they are sometimes referred to) can be overwhelming. 

Given that the costumes date back centuries, seeing the old mixed with the modern can also be surreal—for example, seeing someone in a bunad whizz by on an e-scooter. 

Even as you become more accustomed to seeing national costumes and learning more about them, you could confuse yourself trying to work out the origin of the bunad given the designs, colours and embroidery unique to different regions of Norway. 

The national pride

As the day marks the signing of the Norwegian constitution, it’s no surprise that its themes centre on national pride and identity and feature plenty of flag waving and singing of the national anthem. 

This can be puzzling for foreigners, as in some places, patriotism and national pride have been hijacked by populist and far-right movements and used as a tool to cause division.

Other foreigners may also be critical of the idea of a monarchy and how heavily they feature in the day’s proceedings. 

However, in Norway, no one really questions these things. This is just as well because, for the most part, May 17th demonstrates how you can celebrate a country’s essence without hijacking it for the wrong reasons. 

The locals in Norway generally choose to include those who also wish to celebrate May 17th rather than exclude them. 

It’s the fact that Norway is able to maintain a strong sense of national pride on May 17th while remaining inclusive that some may find confusing. 

SHOW COMMENTS