So far this year, Iceland’s Personal Names Committee (Mannanafnanefnd) has reached a verdict on nearly three dozen first names:
Female names
- Rejected: Adriana, Daniela, Dyljá (“disguise”), Gígí, Swanhildur, Zoe
- Approved: Ára, Beata, Dalrún, Ísbjört, Jóhanndína, List, Mæja, Rósý, Silfra (“silver”), Susie, Yngveldur, Þorbrá
Male names
- Rejected: Einarr
- Approved: Baui, Freymann, Gestar, Jötunn (“hulk”), Kinan, Líó, Lói, Manuel, Mummi, Olli, Raknar, Sæmar, Tobbi, Toddi, Ugluspegill*
*Ugluspegill ultimately comes from Till Eulenspiegel, the name of a character in German folklore and literature. Till Eulenspiegel was a peasant trickster whose jests and jokes were “broadly farcical, often brutal, sometimes obscene; but they [had] a serious theme.” The name Eulenspiegel is made up of Germanic elements meaning “owl” and “mirror.”
Sources: Yngveldur samþykkt en Swanhildi hafnað, Till Eulenspiegel – Britannica.com, Ugluspegill – Nordic Names