Viking
Meaning and origin
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name from Old Norse. Originally a nickname, appearing in runestones, from Old Norse víkingr (“a Viking”). Revived as a given name since 1829.
Source: Wiktionary, Swedish entry for Viking (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity in Sweden
Among newborns, Viking has been falling over the last few years. Its best year between 1998 and 2022 was 2008. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Years with fewer than two babies (fewer than ten before 2004) show as zero in the chart and as – in the table.
Show the figures
| Year | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 13 |
| 1999 | 16 |
| 2000 | 17 |
| 2001 | 13 |
| 2002 | 21 |
| 2003 | 10 |
| 2004 | 12 |
| 2005 | 17 |
| 2006 | 19 |
| 2007 | 8 |
| 2008 | 24 |
| 2009 | 13 |
| 2010 | 16 |
| 2011 | 18 |
| 2012 | 17 |
| 2013 | 12 |
| 2014 | 12 |
| 2015 | 22 |
| 2016 | 23 |
| 2017 | 21 |
| 2018 | 12 |
| 2019 | 19 |
| 2020 | 20 |
| 2021 | 13 |
| 2022 | 12 |
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Men and boys |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 333 |
| 2000 | 342 |
| 2001 | 348 |
| 2002 | 367 |
| 2003 | 368 |
| 2004 | 378 |
| 2005 | 380 |
| 2006 | 398 |
| 2007 | 398 |
| 2008 | 418 |
| 2009 | 423 |
| 2010 | 437 |
| 2011 | 452 |
| 2012 | 461 |
| 2013 | 470 |
| 2014 | 478 |
| 2015 | 493 |
| 2016 | 512 |
| 2017 | 528 |
| 2018 | 533 |
| 2019 | 553 |
| 2020 | 568 |
Viking in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Viking.Hi! My name is Viking.
- Viking ringde och sa att han blir lite sen.Viking called and said he'll be a bit late.
- Vet du om Viking kommer på festen på lördag?Do you know if Viking is coming to the party on Saturday?
- Vikings mamma är lärare.Viking's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Vikings mamma is Viking's mum.
More names
Questions about Viking
How do you pronounce Viking in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Viking in your device's Swedish voice.
What does the name Viking mean?
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name from Old Norse. Originally a nickname, appearing in runestones, from Old Norse víkingr (“a Viking”). Revived as a given name since 1829.
How popular is Viking in Sweden?
12 babies were named Viking in 2022. In 2020, 568 people in Sweden had Viking as the first name they go by. Among newborns the name has been falling lately and peaked in 2008 in the years SCB covers (1998–2022).
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.