10 Nordic Flower Names

1 Lilja/Lilje

Lily Image by Denis Barthel, licensed under Creative Commons

Lilja (Faroese, Icelandic and Swedish) and Lilje (Danish and Norwegian) are the Nordic versions of Lily. All variants are very popular in the Nordic countries at the moment. The Sami form is Liljá.

2 Vuokko

Anemone (one of several species) Image by Aviad2001, licensed under Creative Commons

Vuokko is the Finnish name of the anemone flower. In the early 20th century it was occasionally used as a male name as well.

3 Paannaaq

Chamaenerion latifolium Image by Kim Hansen, License: Creative Commons, CC-BY-SA

This is the North Greenlandic name for the broad-leaved willow herb (Lat. Chamaenerion latifolium). Common English names are 'dwarf fireweed', 'alpine fireweed' and 'French willow'. The word stems from the Proto-Eskimo pangerun + nar (-naaq) = paatingasut = 'those which resemble kayak paddles'. The older spelling is Pângnâĸ.

4 Linnea

Linnæa borealis Image by Henripekka Kallio, licensed under Creative Commons

Linnæa borealis is the Latin name of the twinflower (flower). It was named after the Swedish botanist Carl Ingemarsson (born 23 May 1707), who named himself Carolus Linnæus on his journeys, Linnæus being a Latinisation of the Swedish word lind = 'linden tree' (see LIND). When he was ennobled, his last name was changed again: Carl von Linné.

In Sweden, every province has got its own 'province-flower' (landskapsblomma), and linnæa borealis is the flower of Småland, which was Linnæus' home landscape. Spelling variants include Linnæa, Linnéa, Linea etc.

5 Lemmikki

Forget-me-not Image by Jörg Hempel, licensed under Creative Commons

This is the Finnish name of the 'forget-me-not' flower. It literally means 'sweetheart', 'darling', a diminutive form of Lempi, which means 'love', 'lust'.

6 Niviarsiaq

Rosebay Willowherb Image by Kallerna, licensed under Creative Commons

Niviarsiaq is the Greenlandic name of the 'Rosebay Willowherb' (Lat. Epilobium angustifolium).

It literally means 'young woman or girl, maiden, girl of marriageable age' which is a combination of Niviaĸ and -siaq = 'acquired as'. The older spelling is Niviarsiaĸ and a short form is Nivi, which means 'girl'.

7 Dahlia

Dahlia Image by Ramin Nakisa, licensed under Creative Commons

This flower was named for the Swedish botanist Anders Dahl (1751-1789). The name is used in many other countries outside the Nordic countries as well.

8 Sigurrós

Rose Image by Eva Kröcher, licensed under Creative Commons

In Iceland, name combinations with rós = 'rose' are very common. The most popular one is Sigurrós. The first element of the name is SIG which means 'victory'.

9 Kielo

Lily of the Valley Image by H. Zell, licensed under Creative Commons

Kielo is the Finnish name for 'lily of the valley'. It used to be very popular in the 1940s and 1950s - and its popularity has been rising again since 2000.

10 Orvokki

Violet Image by H. Zell, licensed under Creative Commons

Finnish orvokki means 'violet'. It is probably a diminutive form of Orpo which means 'orphan', so Orvokki literally means 'little orphan'.