Top 100 Norwegian Last Names or Surnames

Norwegians have unique names that sound mysterious and magical. In ancient times, it comprised of three parts: the given name, the patronym, and an address. As society evolved, the christening process changed to feature fixed Norwegian family names.  Some of the most common names in a Norwegian surnames list end with “sen”,”son”,”datter”, or “dotter”. They mean “son of” or “daughter of”, and change with generations.

Take a look at 100 of the most popular Norwegian surnames and last names in our curated list below!

100 Popular Norwegian Surnames or Family Names with Meanings

1. Aaberg

Meaning “on the hill by the river”, it denotes someone who lived at a place by the river.

2. Aaby

This name is derived from the Norwegian “å” meaning river, with an Norse element “byr”, meaning farm.

3. Aadland

This name is derived from the Old Norse “Árland”, meaning land by the river.

4. Aarhus

A habitational name derived from Old Norse, this name is a combination of “å” meaning river, with “hus” meaning house or farmstead.

5. Arud

This is an old Norwegian surname, made of “å” meaning stream or river, and “rud” meaning clearing.

6. Aune

Originating from the Old Norse word “aun” meaning wasteland, this name means a farm in Norway.

7. Balke

This is a name derived from the Old Norse name “balk” meaning beam, and is a habitational name, too.

8. Bang

One of the more common Norwegian last names, it is known among people who dwelled in a farm, terraced land, or hill top.

9. Barsness

This family name is a composition of the Old Norse names “Baldrekr” and “nes”, meaning point or headland.

10. Becken

This last name is quite interesting, as it is derived from “Bec” that itself comes from the English word ”bekke” or Old Norse ”bekkr”, which mean “stream”.

11. Beito

This family name is derived from the name of a river that is either by a pasture, or is freezing cold.

12. Borger

This name is a habitational name for someone who lives by the hill or by a fortification.

13. Calland

This Norwegian name is derived from the Old Norse name “Kalfaland”, which is a combination of “kalfr” meaning calf or land.

14. Dahl

Derived from an Old Norse word “Dalr”, this name means “valley”.

15. Dahlem

This name is a combination of an Old Norse word “dalr” meaning valley, and “heim” meaning horse.

16. Dammen

In Norwegian, “dam” means pond. This name could also have originated from a place called Drammen in Southeast Norway.

17. Dokken

This name is derived from the Old Norse word “Dokk”, meaning hollow or depression.

18. Dybdahl

Meaning “deep valley” in Norwegian, this name refers to someone living in the place named so in Norway.

19. Dullum

This name is the plural form of the Old Norse name “dalr”, meaning valley.

20. Ege

In Old Norse, “eiki”, a derivation of this name, means oak grove, and is a topographic name from a village in Norway.

21. Eggum

This Norwegian name is a plural form for “egg”.

22. Eiken

This is a habitational name, and is derived from the singular form of “eik”, meaning oak.

23. Elden

Derived from an Old Norse word “eldr”, this name means fire or flame.

24. Elstad

This name is a combination of the personal name “Eilifr” or “Eldfridr”, and the Old Norse word “stadr”, meaning farmstead.

25. Enberg

This name is derived from two Norse elements: “Einir” that means “juniper”, and “berg” that means “hill” or “mountain”.

26. Fadness

This is a combination of the Norwegian words “ferga” meaning ferry, and “nes” meaning headland.

27. Falla

This simple name is derived from the Norwegian word “fall”, meaning fall.

28. Falstad

This name is another combination of Norwegian words, the first element of which is unknown, and the second element “stadr” meaning dwelling.

29. Fehn

Derived from the Old Norse word “Favin’, this name means “meadow”.

30. Femrite

This family name is a combination of “Fim” meaning early growth in spring, and “reit”, meaning small field.

31. Fiske

This name is derived from the Old Norse word “fiskr”, meaning fish.

32. Flaa

This has rriginated from the Old Norse word “fla” that means terrace or plain.

33. Fure

It denotes a pine or “fir”, and represents someone who lived in or by a farm with that name.

34. Gaarder

Derived from the Old Norse word “gard” that means farm, and is also the name of several places in Norway.

35. Gill

The word “gil” in Old Norse means ravine.

36. Grambo

This is a habitational name of a farmstead with the same name in Trysil.

37. Granberg

This name is derived from the Old Norse elements “gran” meaning spruce, and “berg” meaning “hill or mountain”.

38. Grande

This name is derived from the Old Norse name “grandi” meaning sandbank.

39. Greseth

This name comes from ancient origins. In Old Norse, “grjot” means stone, and “setr” means “farmstead”.

40. Grimsrud

Derived from Old Norse, “grimr” means man with a mask or helmet, and “rud” means field.

41. Grinde

This name originates from the Old Norse element “grind”, which means gate.

42. Gronlund

A combination of Norwegian words, “gronn” means green, and “lund” means grove.

43. Groven

Derived from Old Norse word “grof”, it means hollow or a pit.

44. Gulseth

Derived from an Old Norse personal name “Guli”, it means farmstead.

45. Hagen

Originated from the Old Norse element “Hagi” or Old Dutch “Hago”, it refers to a pasture.

46. Hall

This is name that is adopted by those who worked in a hall, manor, or house of a medieval nobleman.

47. Hamar

Derived from the Old Norse word “hamarr”, it denotes a hammer-shaped cliff.

48. Handal

This is derived from the Old Norse words “horn” indicating a sharp bend, and “dal” meaning valley.

49. Haugen

Originating from the Old Norse element “haugr”, it means “hill”.

50. Horn

Derived from a Germanic word “horn”, it was adapted by families who would carve objects out of a horn.

51. Hove

Derived from Old Norse element “hof”, it means “place of worship”.

52. Hoye

Also derived from the Old Norse word “haugr”, this name means “mound or hill”.

53. Ihle

Derived from Old Norse word “ila”, it means “spring” or “well”.

54. Ingebrestend

This is the patronymic form of the German personal name “Engelbrecht”.

55. Island

This simple name is a combination of the  Norwegian words “is” meaning water or ice, and “land” meaning land.

56. Jahr

An old Norse name “jaorr”, it means “edge” or rim”.

57. Johnsrud

This name originates from “Jon” and the Old Norse word ”ruo” meaning clearing.

58. Jordahl

This name comes from the Old Norse elements “Hjo” meaning “shining river”, and “dalr” meaning “valley”.

59. Jorde

In Old Norse, “gerdi” means enclosed land or field.

60. Juve

This is a name that means “gorge” or “ravine”.

61. Kalberg

This name is derived from the Norwegian words “kald” meaning “cold” and “berg” meaning mountain.

62. Kampen

Originating from the Norwegian word “kamp”, this name means “boulder” or “round”, and it also refers to the city of Kampen.

63. Kile

Derived from the Old Norse word “kill”, this name actually means “wedge” or “narrow bay or inlet”.

64. Kise

This name originates from the Old Norse word “kisi” meaning gravel”

65. Kjos

Originating from the Old Norse word “kjoss” , it means “narrow valley”.

66. Klepp

“Kleppr” in Old Norse means “cliff” or “bluff”.

67. Kleve

A name derived from the old Norse word “kleif”, it means “cliff”, and it is a toponymic name.

68. Kolden

The name of a place in Norway, it is derived from an old Norse word “kollr”, which means a rounded mountain top.

69. Korsmo

This name is the combination of the old Norwegian words “korz” meaning crossroads, and “mo” meaning sandy meadow.

70. Kvam

Originating from the old Norse word “hvammr”, it means small valley.

71. Landvik

A town in Norway, it means “land inlet” in Norwegian.

72. Lehne

A variant of “Leine”, it is also the habitational name for “farmstead”.

73. Lien

The plural form of “Li” in Norwegian, the name is also a habitational name for several farmsteads.

74. Losendahl

This name is derived from “Losna”, which is the name of a place in Norway, and “dahl”, which means “valley”.

75. Lund

Derived from “lundr”, which means grove, it refers to a person living along a grove of trees.

76. Manger

It refers to a place called Manger in Norway. It is also derived from the Old Norse elements, “mar” meaning seagull and “angr” meaning inlet.

77. Malmin

This is a habitational name associated with two farmsteads in Norway.

78. Morken

This simple name originates from the Old Norse word “mork” meaning wood.

79. Naas

This name is derived from the Old Norse word for “nose”.

80. Nerby

“Nedribyr” in Old Norse means old farm, and is also the name of several places in Norway.

81. Ness

“Nes” in Norwegian means headland, and represents a person living in a headland or promontory.

82. Odden

Derived from the Old Norse word “oddi”, it means “headland”.

83. Ottum

Originating from the Otta river, the word means “to frighten”.

84. Pollen

Derived from the Old Norse word “pollr”, it means “pond” or “small bay”.

85. Rannum

It is a habitational name for farmsteads, and means either “nose” or “edge/brink”.

86. Rinde

The name denotes ancestors hailing from farms named after “rind”, which means ridge or bank in Norwegian.

87. Selland

This name originates from the Old Norse elements “selja” meaning willow, and “land” meaning land or farm.

88. Solberg

It is the name of a place, and a combination of “sol” meaning sun and “berg” meaning mountain.

89. Sund

This name is derived from the Old Norse word “sund” that means strait, and is also the name of several farmlands.

90. Tanberg

This combination of old Norse words contains “thorn” meaning thorn bush, and “berg” for mountain.

91. Tanck

A short version of the name “Thankmar”, it means “ famous for his spirit” and is of German origin.

92. Tande

Originating from Tandar that denotes farms in Norway, it also derives from the Old Norse word “tonn” meaning tooth.

93. Tenold

This name is derived from the old Norse word “Tunhvall”, which itself comes from the Old Norse words “tun” meaning enclosure and “hvall” meaning a tiny hill.

94. Ulberg

An adopted name from Old Norse words, it is a combination of “ulfr” for wolf and “berg” for mountain.

95. Valen

This simple name originates from the Old Norse word “vadil” that means ford, meaning shallow waters.

96. Velten

The name refers to several farms in the Hedmark county of Norway, and originates from the Norwegian word “Velte” that means log pile.

97. Velde

Derived from the old Norse word “vollr”, it means a “meadow” or “ford”.

98. Waag

The word “vag” comes from the old Norse word “vagr” that means creek or bay. It denotes a person living by a creek or a bay, particularly in the Nordland county in Norway.

99. Wang

This name originates from the old German word “wang” or Old Norse word “vangr”, and means “a grassy slope or meadow”.

100. Westrum

This is a habitational name from farms in Norway called “Vestrom” or “Vestrum”, and comes from the Old Norse word “vestr” meaning West.

Most Norwegian surnames offer a wonderful and captivating insight into the culture and traditions of Norway. Most of these names have lasted for centuries, and continue to be added to Norwegian first names even now!

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