Given name & surname
Björn
“bear”
Björn is used as a given name and a surname. One Old Norse interpretation is “bear.”
Original Old NorseBjǫrn
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Old Norse interpretation is “bear.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old Norse.
How it developed
In Swedish usage, Björn developed from Bjǫrn.
Björn’s family of names
Björn shares a linguistic root with Bjarne. Björn has a related form in Bjorn. In German usage, Björn has a related form in Bjarne.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Björn has relatives in 8 languages. Lines run from its Old Norse roots to each of them.
Old Norsewhere Björn comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 12
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Bjǫrnroot · Old Norse
- Bearequivalent
- Beorncognate · Old English
- Berafeminine form · Icelandic
- Bernoequivalent
- Esbjörnequivalent
- BjörnerSwedish
- Björnealso known as · Swedish
Show 4 moreShow fewer
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Björn
- Björn BorgSwedish tennis player (born 1956)
- Björn UlvaeusSwedish musician; member of ABBAborn 1945
- Björn KuipersDutch football refereeborn 1973
- Björn AndrésenSwedish actor and musician (1955–2025)
- Björn HöckeGerman right-wing extremist politicianborn 1972
- Björn FerrySwedish biathleteborn 1978
- Björn Bergmann SigurðarsonIcelandic footballerborn 1991
- Henrik LundqvistSwedish ice hockey goaltenderborn 1982
- Björn NordqvistSwedish footballerborn 1942
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Björn, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Frode
“a wise man”
99% boys · 1% girls
Sven
“a youthful man; a lad”
>99% boys
Bror
“brother”
>99% boys
Viggo
“battle”
>99% boys
Stein
“as solid as a stone” · “stone”
>99% boys
Birger
“helper”
>99% boys
Roald
“praise, fame” · “ruler, chieftain”
>99% boys
Torbjørn
“Thor, god of thunder”
>99% boys