Decoding Astrid: Understanding Name Meaning and Origins

What Does the Name Astrid Mean?

Astrid is a Scandinavian or Old Norse name. It’s popularly translated as ‘Divinely Beautiful.’ Linguists who translate Astrid this way divide it into two Norse words; ‘Ass’ or ‘As,’ meaning ‘God’ and ‘Friðr,’ which means beautiful.

Sometimes linguists also point to the Norse ‘trud,’ which also means beautiful to parse the second half of Astrid.

An alternative rendering of the Norse changes the meaning to ‘God’s Strength.’

Linguists who translate the name this way point to the word ‘Æsir,’ which represents God or the Nordic pantheon, and ‘drudi,’ which means ‘strength.’

Sometimes, however, ‘trud’ also translates as ‘strength.’ This holds over into Old English, where writers use words like ‘trummes’ or ‘trymþ’ to connote strength, support, or certainty. Interestingly, both these Old English nouns have a feminine gender.

What is the Origin of the Name Astrid?

Astrid is often incorrectly associated with the Latin ‘Astra,’ which means star. Lovely as this is, Latin created a completely different branch of names for young women.

The confusion is understandable because a popular variation on Astrid is Asta, which is almost a perfect match for Latin.

However, the branching of the two names is immediately apparent in their English rendition. While Anglo-Saxons left the Latin ‘Astra’ untranslated, ‘Astrid’ in Anglo-Saxon became ‘Æstrith.’

Since standardized spelling was unheard of before Alfred the Great introduced it to England, other common Anglo-Saxon spellings included the old Norse runes. So, alternative spellings of ‘Æstrith’ included:

• Æstrið
• Æstriþ

The Norse or Scandinavian usage is much older and has a long association with Norse noblewomen. One of its most prominent uses belongs to Astrid, wife of St Olaf, or Olaf II of Norway ⁽¹⁾.

Appropriately, history describes Queen Astrid as both beautiful and strong, suggesting she stood up to her namesake, however, you interpret it.

How Popular Is the Name Astrid?

For a long time, Astrid failed to enjoy the same popularity in America.

That changed in 2013, in no small part due to the popularity of shows like Fringe, which brought the name to the forefront of the American consciousness.

Since 2013, Astrid features as one of the 1,000 most prevalent baby names. Compared to other names currently in vogue, making Astrid a somewhat popular name. However, that may be changing.

The height of its popularity came in 2020 when 675 babies were named Astrid ⁽²⁾. The uptick in baby Astrids moved the name from the 516th most popular name to the 452nd.

Although Astrid only began enjoying notoriety as a baby name in the mid-2010s, that was far from the first time the name appeared on American census data. The name has a longer history than you might expect, and its first recorded use in America is 1892.

How Do I Pronounce Astrid?

Despite all the ash characters and runes associated with older versions of Astrid, It’s a straightforward name to pronounce, with the stress on the first syllable. Written phonetically, you say Astrid AST-rid.

However, some variations soften the dental at the end of the name, and you sometimes hear AST-rit.

Less often, some people lengthen the I in the second syllable. So, while it’s uncommon, AS-treed is an acceptable pronunciation.

Note that this pronunciation isn’t typical of Astrid when spelled with an I. there are several spelling variations we will discuss later, and some of these lend themselves naturally to the lengthened second syllable.

Is Astrid a Boys’ or Girls’ Name?

Typically, Astrid is a name associated with girls. Historically, this is also true, and Scandinavian history, in particular, is rife with women named Astrid. This may be because of the name’s derivation from nouns with the feminine gender.

Astrid Name Variations

There are also many variations on the name Astrid. These vary depending on language and country. Some of these include:

• Assan (Swedish)
• Asta (Danish, Norwegian, Finnish)
• Austris (Latvian)
• Astryd (English)
• Estrid (Swedish)
• Sassa (Swedish)

Nicknames for Astrid

Astrid doesn’t sound like a name you can do much with if you want to shorten it, but you’d be surprised. Some popular nicknames for Astrid include:

• Assi
• Asta
• Astra
• Astri
• Atti
• Atty
• Rida
• Sassa
• Tatty
• Tridi

Similar Names to Astrid

There are also many names that share similar meanings with the name Astrid. Some of these are:

• Adelaide
• Alexandra
• Dahlia
• Elsa
• Freya

Middle Names for Astrid

There are many options when it comes to choosing a middle name that goes well with Astrid. Some of the most popular are:

• Charlotte
• Hailey
• Lucinda
• Morgan
• Seraphina

Sibling Names for Astrid

Popular sibling names for children named Astrid include:

• Anders
• Erica
• Finn
• Gus
• Hansel
• Hilda
• Kirsten

Famous People Named Astrid

Although Astrid took a while to develop a modest amount of popularity, history is full of Astrids with various and interesting careers. Here are some examples of famous Astrids:

• Estrid: 11th-century woman whose story is caved in Norse runestones.
• Astrid Cleve: Swedish researcher and scientist with expertise in botany, chemistry, and geology.
• Astrid Lindgren: Children’s author famous for Pipi Longstocking.
• Astrid Lødemel: Norwegian alpine skier.
• Astrid Olofsdotter: Consort and queen to Olaf II of Norway.

Astrid in Popular Culture

Astrid isn’t a name relegated to history. It also makes a respectable showing in today’s pop culture. Some fictional Astrids include:

• Astrid: Character on Vikings.
• Astrid Farnsworth: Character from sci-fi tv series Fringe.
• Astrid Hofferson: Character in How to Train Your Dragon.
• Astrid Finch: Character in The Tomorrow People.
• Astrid Magnussen: Teenage protagonist in the novel White Oleander.