Our Icelander name database contains 498 Icelander surnames and 2.337 Icelander first names categorized by gender and frequency. After payment you can download the Icelander name database in CSV, SQL or JSON format. The Icelander names are validated using official governmental databases we received in other countries which contained Icelander names as well. To create the Icelander name database we used 7.320 validated Icelander social media profiles. We have a detailed explanation of our methodology and illustrate our approach with several examples.

Popular Icelander surnames

This table show popular Icelander surnames. In Iceland, surnames are based on the father's first name. For example, if a man named "Jón" has a son, the son's surname would be "Jónsson" (son of Jón). If the man has a daughter, her surname would be "Jónsdóttir" (daughter of Jón). Women do not change their surname upon marriage. Additionally, Icelanders use the patronymic system rather than the surname system.

Surname Frequency*1 Percentage*1 Alternative countries*2
Jónsson 104 1.4% Swedish American British
ólafsson 93 1.3% American British Danish
Jónsdóttir 62 0.8% American Swedish Norwegian
Gunnarsson 62 0.8% Swedish British American
Magnusson 48 0.7% Swedish American British
Einarsson 46 0.6% Swedish Danish Dutch
Már 43 0.6% American Mexican Spanish
Bjarnason 43 0.6% Danish Canadian British
Björk 42 0.6% Swedish American Finnish
örn 41 0.6% American Swedish Mexican
  • *1 The Frequency and Percentage are based on 7.320 Icelander social media profiles.
  • *2 Alternative countries are countries where this surname also is used. They are sorted on popularity.

Icelander first names

In Iceland, parents typically choose a first name for their child by consulting a government-approved list of names. This list includes traditional Icelandic names as well as names from other cultures that have been approved for use in Iceland. Parents may also choose to create a unique name that has not yet been approved, but it must be submitted to the Icelandic Naming Committee for approval before it can be officially used. The name must also conform to Icelandic grammar rules.

Popular Icelander male names

First name Frequency*1 Percentage*1 Alternative countries*2
ólafur 65 1.5% American Norwegian Swedish
Gunnar 62 1.4% German American Swedish
Jon 57 1.3% American British Spanish
Stefán 54 1.2% German Dutch American
Magnús 52 1.2% Swedish Norwegian American
Einar 52 1.2% Norwegian American Swedish
Kristján 49 1.1% Estonian Slovene American
Guðmundur 49 1.1% Danish Belgian Channel Islander
Johann 47 1.1% German French Mahoran
Daníel 46 1.0% American British Spanish
  • *1 The Frequency and Percentage are based on 7.320 Icelander social media profiles from which 4.445 (61%) is male.
  • *2 Alternative countries are countries where this first name also is used. They are sorted on popularity.

Popular Icelander female names

First name Frequency*1 Percentage*1 Alternative countries*2
Anna 50 1.7% American British Spanish
Margrét 36 1.3% American Dutch German
Kristín 35 1.2% American German Norwegian
Guðrún 35 1.2% Austrian Danish Indian
Hildur 30 1.0% Norwegian Swedish British
Helga 30 1.0% German American Dutch
Sigrun 28 1.0% German Norwegian American
Maria 28 1.0% Spanish American Venezuelan
Eva 24 0.8% Spanish American British
Sara 20 0.7% American Spanish Italian
  • *1 The Frequency and Percentage are based on 7.320 Icelander social media profiles from which 2.875 (39%) is female.
  • *2 Alternative countries are countries where this first name also is used. They are sorted on popularity.