Fun Facts About the Name Fenrir
- 125 babies named Fenrir: U.S. records list 125 babies given the name Fenrir from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Fenrir Mean?
Fenrir is the Old Norse name of the great wolf of Norse myth, the son of Loki and the giantess Angrboða. The most commonly cited explanation takes the first element from the Old Norse noun fen (neuter), "marsh, bog, fen," which is related to Old English fenn, Old High German fenna, and Gothic fani, "mud." On that reading the name would mean something like "marsh-dweller" or "he who lives in the fen."
The ending -rir has no accepted explanation, so the literal sense of the whole name is not settled, and some reference works treat the etymology as disputed. A related form, Fenrisúlfr ("Fenrir's wolf"), preserves the genitive Fenris; the same wolf is also called Hróðvitnir, generally understood as "famous wolf" (hróðr, "fame," plus vitnir, "wolf"). The notion that the name has to do with binding, because the gods bound the wolf with the fetter Gleipnir, is an interpretation of the myth rather than a demonstrated etymology.
Fenrir Name History & Origins
The name belongs to Norse mythology as it was recorded in medieval Icelandic sources. In the Poetic Edda the wolf is mentioned in Völuspá, Vafþrúðnismál, Grímnismál, Lokasenna, and Hyndluljóð; in Grímnismál he is called Hróðvitnir. The fullest account is in Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda (Gylfaginning), written in the thirteenth century, which relates that Loki and Angrboða had three children - Fenrir, the serpent Jörmungandr, and Hel - and that the gods raised the wolf and then bound him.
According to Snorri, two iron fetters, Leyding and Dromi, broke, so dwarves made the ribbon Gleipnir out of six impossible things. Fenrir suspected a trick and allowed himself to be bound only if one of the gods put a hand in his mouth; Tyr did, and lost his hand. The wolf was bound on the island Lyngvi in the lake Ámsvartnir, with a sword holding his jaws open. At Ragnarök he breaks loose, swallows Odin, and is killed by Víðarr, who tears his jaws apart. Snorri also says that the wolf Hati, who chases the moon, is the son of Hróðvitnir, a name usually identified with Fenrir.
In the medieval record Fenrir is a mythological being rather than a personal name. Use of Fenrir as a given name is recent and occurs mainly in the Nordic countries and among people drawn to Norse myth; the name also appears in modern fantasy and games, such as the werewolf Fenrir Greyback in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. Those modern uses stand apart from the medieval evidence.
How Popular is the Name Fenrir?
Fenrir has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2023. Its best rank was #4,935 in 2023.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,335 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #5,499 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2023 | #4,935 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2022 | #5,275 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2021 | #6,126 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2020 | #6,401 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #5,640 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #12,773 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #11,201 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #12,831 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Fenrir
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with F
How the Name Fenrir Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are kind, home-loving, hospitable and friendly. Since you take responsibility well, you are a good organizer of social affairs. Compassion for others is an outstanding trait. You are a great lover and a great flirt – an artist, musician, actor, teacher, nurse. Your character can be contradictory. You are practical, yet idealistic and intuitive; capable of selfless devotion to someone you love, yet look to receive payback. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Fenrir's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Fenrir's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.