Yukiko, K'ulutak and Frosti: 15 Winter Names from Around the World



Winter is one of my favorite seasons, runner up only to Autumn, and so I have a special affinity for names relating to winter, or snow, or frost! This year I've decided to list some of my favorites from around the world, just in time for Christmas. What are some of your favorite wintry names, and do you see any here?

Girls:

Aneira - This lovely Welsh name is pronounced "uh-NYE-ruh" and comes the elements an, an intensifying prefix, and eira, meaning "snow". To put it poetically it means "much snow" or "very snowy".

Bingbing - Comes from the Chinese bing, meaning "cold, ice". Actress Fan Bingbing is a famous bearer.

Drífa - In Norse mythology, Drífa is the daughter of king Snær. Her name means "snowdrift".

Flykra - A Faroese name meaning "snow flake".

Frostrós - From the Old Norse elements frost, meaning "frost" and rós, "rose". Used in Iceland.

Kaniehtiio - This name is of Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk) origin and means "beautiful snow". Kaniehtiio Horn is Canadian actress who sometimes goes by "Tiio". It's pronounced "gan-yeh-DEE-oh".

Yukiko - A Japanese name meaning "snow child".

Rjúpa - Old Norse name meaning "snow grouse".

Ishild - A Germanic name meaning "ice battle". Possibly the predecessor of Isolde.

Tengliu - The Goddess of Snow in Chinese Mythology.


Boys:

Akaitcho - A Tatsanottine (Yellowknife) name meaning "like a wolf with big paws, he can travel long distances over snow".

Fannar - Possibly comes from the Old Norse fǫnn, meaning "snow drift".

Frosti - The name of a dwarf in Norse Myth. It means "frost".

K'ulutak - A Greenlandic name meaning "snow bunting".

Vetle - From the Old Norse name Vetrliði, meaning "winter traveler".

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