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!