Disney’s latest princess flick comes courtesy of Hans Christian Andersen’s legendary tale, The Snow Queen. While they took quite a few liberties with the story (no talking snowmen, from what I remember!), Frozen’s a beautiful modernization of this classic.
My daughters and I loved the movie—and I adored the names they picked for several of the characters. With Scandinavian names becoming a trendlet in baby names, maybe we’ll see a few of these hitting the big time.
Elsa The Snow Queen gets this lovely variant on Elizabeth, which might be a worthy (and currently under the radar) choice if you like the uberpopular Ella. It means “pledged to God,” and after nearly falling out of the top 1000 in the late 1990s, it’s now recovered into the top 500.
Anna Little sister Anna was the focus of the story, and the person on a quest to save her sister. Anna means grace, and it’s been a consistent top 100 baby name for the past century and a half.
Olaf This Norse name that means “relic” was picked for the comic relief snowman sidekick—and I’m afraid that it’s a relic that won’t see a revival. (It hasn’t been in the top 1000 names here for nearly a century.
Kristoff I like the odds on this Scandinavian variant on Christopher finally cracking the top 1000 here. After all, it was the name of Anna’s hunky helper.
Hans A Scandinavian alternative to John, Hans dropped out of the top 1000 at the turn of the 21st century. I’m not sure its bearer in Frozen will do much to change that around.
Sven Kristoff’s trusty reindeer sidekick bears the most Swedish of names—it’s actually how Sweden came to be named (Svealand). Sven means youth, and has a very hunky ski instructor vibe to it.
What did you think of Frozen? Did any of the names sound baby worthy to you? Don’t forget to check out our Baby Name Finder to help you pick the perfect name, and like In Name Only on Facebook to keep up with the latest in baby names.
Baby Names: Avoid Baby Naming Regret
Image: Frozen movie poster, courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios