Fun Facts About the Name Iceland
- 103 babies named Iceland: U.S. records list 103 babies given the name Iceland from 1880 through 2025. Even 11 boys received the name Iceland - about 1 boy for every 8 girls.
What Does the Name Iceland Mean?
Iceland means "land of ice." The name corresponds to Old Norse Ísland, a compound of íss ("ice") and land ("land, region"), from the North Germanic branch of the Germanic languages. The literal sense is also the intended one: the name is a plain geographic description rather than a name built from a personal name, a deity, or a religious text.
The English form uses the native English words ice and land, which descend from the same Germanic roots as the Norse words, so English Iceland and Old Norse Ísland are parallel formations rather than one being borrowed from the other. Medieval Latin wrote the name Islandia. Classical authors also described a far-northern land called Thule, which some ancient geographers placed near Iceland, but that identification is uncertain and Thule is a separate name with its own history.
Iceland Name History & Origins
Norse seafarers reached Iceland in the ninth century, and medieval Icelandic tradition preserves several names the island carried before the one that survived. According to Íslendingabók ("Book of the Icelanders"), written by Ari Thorgilsson in the twelfth century, the Swedish Viking Garðarr Svavarsson called the land Garðarshólmr ("Garðarr's islet"), and the Norwegian Naddodd called it Snæland ("Snowland").
The same account tells how a Norwegian named Flóki Vilgerðarson, known as Hrafna-Flóki ("Raven-Flóki"), wintered on the island, climbed a mountain in the spring, and saw drift ice filling a fjord. He gave the land the name it kept, Ísland. This is a traditional story explaining the naming, not a record of the moment the word came into being.
A widely repeated modern explanation holds that the settlers chose a cold, uninviting name on purpose to discourage others from following them, while giving the greener land to the west the more attractive name Greenland. The medieval source instead connects the name to Flóki's sighting of ice.
The name later passed into other European languages in forms close to the Norse original: Latin Islandia, German Island, and English Iceland. Ísland remains the country's own name in modern Icelandic, and Iceland is the standard English name of the country.
Iceland is primarily a place name. It is not a traditional personal name in Iceland, where family naming has long relied on patronymics, and its appearance as a given name elsewhere is occasional rather than part of an established naming custom.
How Popular is the Name Iceland?
Iceland 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 2024. Its best rank was #5,489 in 2024.
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 | #8,051 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2024 | #5,489 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 2023 | #6,041 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2022 | #9,969 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2021 | #14,144 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #11,477 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #12,965 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #18,352 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #7,449 | 11 | 0.0006% |
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.
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How the Name Iceland Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Iceland's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Iceland's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.