Some “odd” names from Sweden

According to one Swedish news site, these are the ten “oddest” names in Sweden:

1. Odd, meaning “point (of a weapon), spear.” Hundreds of men in Sweden are named Odd.
2. Love, pronounced low-vay, meaning “fame” + “war” (via Lovis, via Louis, via Ludovicus, via Ludwig, etc.). Thousands of men and hundreds of women in Sweden are named Love.
3. Björn, meaning “bear.” Tens of thousands of men in Sweden are named Björn.
4. Lillemor, meaning “little mother.” No numbers given, but said to be “a common name in Sweden.” (This one can be traced back to a 19th-century Swedish folk song. Originally it was a pet name.)
5. Tintin, a pet form of names ending with -tin. Hundreds of men and hundreds of women in Sweden are named Tintin.
6. Axel, meaning “shoulder.” Tens of thousands of men in Sweden are named Axel.
7. Stig, meaning “path” or “trail.” Tens of thousands of men in Sweden are named Stig.
8. Jerker, pronounced yerr-kerr. Thousands of men in Sweden are named Jerker.
9. Saga, meaning “fairytale.” Thousands of women in Sweden are named Saga.
10. Ylva, meaning “(female) wolf.” Thousands of women in Sweden are named Ylva.

Ylva is one that I bet Northwestern name-seekers would like. Many of the distinctive baby names used in Oregon and Washington state are nature names, Nordic names, and/or names with uncommon letters; Ylva fits into all three of these categories.

Sources: Ten oddest Swedish names, Nordic Names, Lillemor – Wiktionary