Who would say that looking at the Ikea catalog you can end up deciding what you will call your son? Well, apparently it is a trend that inspires some parents when choosing your baby's name.
The new parents, born after the nineties, and lovers of Scandinavian culture would be the most likely to have their children named after iconic Swedish furniture and products such as Malm, Billy, Tarva or Stig.
According to the Babycenter site "IKEA is known for the lovely Scandinavian names it gives to its products and many work surprisingly well as baby names." Some of them are gender neutral, so they would fit well for both boys and girls.
Where do Ikea product names come from?
If you've ever wondered who decides these names, where they come from, the naming formula Ikea deserves a separate chapter. The names are selected from a gigantic database, and their origin depends on the product category. For example:
To designate tables, chairs or shelves, the firm uses Scandinavian boy names like Alex, Tobias or Billy.
For curtains and other textile objects, girl names like Ophelia, Matilda, Sofia or Ritva.
For beds, sofas or armchairs, it is inspired by names of places like the Orje bed, a city near Oslo or the Melby armchair.
To designate bath items, Swedish lake and river names are used, such as the Bolmen stool, which is a lake located in southern Sweden.
For outdoor furniture, names of Scandinavian islands.
Although it may seem a lie, there is a dictionary, created by the Swedish Lars Petrus, which translates most of the store's names into English. If you are curious or if you lack inspiration for more names you can consult it.
Now, knowing the origin of the names, we see that many of them they are Scandinavian proper names, so it would not be so far-fetched for parents to choose names of Ikea items for their children, a rather rising trend after Scandinavian series such as Borgen or Vikings.
Ikea inspired boy names
Billy (bookshop): Swedish boy's own name, diminutive of Bill and William.
Malm (shelves): means "mineral"
Tarva (comfortable): means "ask for help", "call", "require"
Stefan (chairs): Swedish variant of Stephen, in ancient Greek means "victorious".
Ivar (closet, shelves): means "archer"
Tobias (chairs): of Hebrew origin, its meaning is "God is good"
Stig (stools): means "footprint"
Franklin (stool): it comes from an old English surname, used as a first name in homage to the famous American politician and scientist Benjamin Franklin.
Ingo (table): boy's name, means "wolf"
Fredde (work center): means "peace"
Sommar (carpets and textiles): means "summer"
Ikea inspired girl names
Norna (cushions): figure of Norse mythology
Cilla (cushions): Dutch and Swedish diminutive of Cecilia.
Malinda (cushions): female name, means "sweet, sweet".
Elly (tea towels): diminutive of Eileen, means "light."
Glimma (candles): means "shine, shine"
Henrika (cushion cover): feminine variant of Enrique which means "master of the house or Head of the country."
Johanne: variant of Juana, of Hebrew origin that means "the faithful one to God".
Mydal (litter): the word "dal" means "valley."
