Why They're Called Vikings: The Surprising Truth Behind the Name

The word "Viking" is instantly recognizable. For most people in the United States, it conjures a powerful image: a fierce, bearded warrior in a horned helmet, leaping from a longship with an axe in hand. We have Viking sports teams, Viking-themed TV shows, and Viking-inspired brands. The word is everywhere. But have you ever stopped to ask, why they’re called Vikings? What does the name actually mean, and did they even call themselves that?

The answer is a fascinating historical and linguistic detective story. The truth is, the word "Viking" has a complex, contested origin and has transformed dramatically over the centuries. It wasn't an ethnicity, a nationality, or the name of a people. To truly understand why they’re called Vikings, we must separate the modern, all-encompassing label from the more specific and nuanced reality of the Viking Age. This journey will take us from the quiet bays of ancient Scandinavia to the halls of 19th-century romantic poets, uncovering how a job description became the name for an entire era.

Deconstructing the Name: It's a Job, Not a People

The single most important concept to grasp when exploring why they’re called Vikings is that "Viking" was not an identity one was born with. You couldn't be a citizen of the "Kingdom of Viking." Instead, "Viking" was an activity, a profession, or a temporary pursuit.

Deconstructing the Name: It's a Job, Not a People

To "Go a-Viking" (fara í víking)

In Old Norse, the language of the Scandinavian people during this period, one would fara í víking—"to go a-Viking." This phrase referred to the act of undertaking an overseas expedition, usually for the purpose of raiding, piracy, or trading.

• A Person Who "Goes a-Viking" (víkingr): A man (or, rarely, a woman) who participated in these expeditions was known as a víkingr (plural: víkingar).
• A Seasonal Occupation: For many, this was a seasonal occupation. A man could be a farmer for most of the year, planting and harvesting crops. But in the summer, when the seas were calm, he might join a crew to "go a-Viking," returning in the autumn with silver, goods, or simply stories. This distinction is crucial to understanding the historical answer to why they’re called Vikings.

Story Vignette 1: Olaf's Decision

Olaf, a young Norse farmer, wiped the sweat from his brow as he looked over his family's small, rocky plot of land. It was a hard life, with barely enough to get through the long winters. His older brother would inherit the farm. His own future felt as constrained as the narrow fjord. That evening in the longhouse, his cousin, Erik, just returned from a voyage to the west, tossed a silver English coin onto the table. Erik was a víkingr. He spoke of rich, green lands, of monasteries filled with treasures, and of the thrill of adventure on the open sea. Olaf made a decision. Next spring, he would not be a farmer. He would join Erik's crew. He would "go a-Viking." He wasn't changing who he was—a Norseman from Hordaland—but he was changing what he did. This is the practical origin of why they're called Vikings.

The Etymological Detective Story: Tracing the Word's Origins

So, if being a víkingr was a job, where did the word itself come from? Scholars have debated this for centuries, and there are several compelling theories about the etymological roots of the word.

Theory 1: The Bay Dweller (from vík)

The most widely accepted theory is that the word víkingr is derived from the Old Norse word vík, which means "bay," "inlet," or "fjord."

• The Logic: According to this theory, a víkingr was a person who came from, or operated out of, the bays and fjords. These sheltered inlets were the natural launching points for their longships. The Vikings were, in essence, "men of the bays." This also works as a description from the perspective of their victims—they were the people who would suddenly appear from a coastal bay to raid.

Theory 2: The Men of Viken

A more specific geographical theory links the name to a particular region.

• The Logic: Viken was a historical region around the Oslofjord, the large inlet that leads to modern-day Oslo in Norway. This area was a bustling and influential center during the early Viking Age. It's plausible that the earliest raiders who became prominent in Europe hailed from this specific region, and their regional name, "men of Viken," was then generalized by others to refer to all Scandinavian seaborne raiders. This provides a very specific answer to why they're called Vikings.

Theory 3: A Verb of Movement (from víkja)

Another compelling theory suggests the name has a more active, verb-based origin.

• The Logic: This theory proposes that the word derives from the Old Norse verb víkja, which means "to turn aside," "to deviate," or "to travel." In this sense, a víkingr was a "person who travels," someone who leaves their homeland, or "turns away" from the beaten path. It describes the very act of the expedition itself.

While the "bay" theory remains the most popular, all of these possibilities paint a picture of a name rooted in either the geography or the activity of these seafaring people.

Table 1: Etymological Theories for "Viking"

What Did They Call Themselves? And What Did Others Call Them?

This is a crucial part of the puzzle of why they're called Vikings. If they didn't call themselves "Vikings" as a people, what did they use? And what did the people they encountered call them?

What Did They Call Themselves? And What Did Others Call Them?

Self-Identification: By Region and Kin

The people of the Viking Age primarily identified themselves by their kinship and their place of origin.

• Regional Identity: A man from what is now Denmark was a Danr (a Dane). A man from Norway was a Norðmaðr (a Northman). A man from Sweden was a Svír (a Swede). They also identified by more local regions, like the name of their fjord or settlement.
• Collective Term: The most common collective term they used for themselves was Norrœnir menn, or Norsemen. This simply meant "Northmen."

They would never have introduced themselves by saying, "We are Vikings." They would have said, "We are Norsemen from Hordaland," or "We are Danes in the service of King Gorm." The concept of a unified "Viking" identity did not exist.

The View from Abroad: A Rogues' Gallery of Names

The people who were raided, traded with, and conquered by the Norsemen had many different names for them. The fact that none of them used the word "Viking" as a general term is very telling. Exploring these names gives us a clearer picture of why they're called Vikings only in the modern era.

• In England (Anglo-Saxons): They were most often called Dene (Danes), as many of the early and largest groups of raiders came from Denmark. They were also referred to as Norðmenn (Northmen) or, more pejoratively, hæðen (heathens).
• In Ireland (Irish Gaels): The Irish had specific names to distinguish different groups. They called the Norwegian Vikings Finn-gaill ("White Foreigners," possibly referring to their fairer appearance or older presence) and the Danish Vikings Dubh-gaill ("Dark Foreigners").
• In Francia (The Franks): They were almost universally known as Nortmanni, "Northmen." The region they famously settled, Normandy, literally means "Land of the Northmen."
• In the East (Slavs, Byzantines, and Arabs): The Swedish Vikings who traveled the eastern rivers were known as the Rus' (from which the name "Russia" derives) or as Varangians (Væringjar), a term that came to mean Norse mercenaries, especially those in the elite bodyguard of the Byzantine Emperor.

Table 2: What the World Called the Vikings

As this table shows, the world had many names for the Scandinavians of this era, but the term "Viking" was not used as a general name for the people. This is central to understanding why they're called Vikings today.

The Long Sleep and Reawakening of the Word "Viking"

After the Viking Age ended around the 11th century, the word "Viking" and its original meaning as an activity largely fell out of use and into obscurity for hundreds of years. So how did it become the all-encompassing term we use today?

The 19th Century Romantic Revival

The word was rediscovered and completely reinvented during the "Viking Revival" of the late 18th and 19th centuries.

• A New National Identity: In Scandinavia, as modern nations formed, people looked to the past for heroic origin stories. The Viking Age provided the perfect material.
• Romanticism in Britain: In Britain, there was a surge of interest in Old Norse literature and sagas. Writers, poets, and artists were captivated by the tales of adventure, heroism, and a wild, pre-industrial past.
• A New, Broader Meaning: During this revival, the word "Viking" was transformed. It was no longer a specific job description for a raider. Instead, it was romanticized and expanded to become a blanket term for the entire people, culture, and historical period of medieval Scandinavia. This is the single most important reason why they're called Vikings in the modern, all-encompassing sense.

Story Vignette 3: The Poet's Creation

Imagine a 19th-century poet in a gas-lit London study, his desk piled high with newly translated Icelandic Sagas. He is not reading about a víkingr; he is reading about a "Viking," a concept he and his contemporaries are actively creating. He writes a stirring poem, not about a farmer who goes raiding for a summer, but about "The Viking" – a heroic, noble, and fiercely independent figure who embodies the spirit of adventure. His poem, filled with dramatic imagery of horned helmets and epic voyages, becomes immensely popular. He, and others like him, are transforming a historical occupation into a powerful cultural archetype.

The Modern "Viking": From History to Pop Culture

Today, the romanticized, 19th-century definition of "Viking" is the one that has triumphed. The word has become a powerful brand and a symbol of a specific aesthetic.

• A Cultural Shorthand: In the United States, "Viking" is instantly understood to mean Norse, medieval Scandinavian, strong, and adventurous.
• A Symbol of Strength: We see this in the naming of sports teams, like the Minnesota Vikings, who use the image to project toughness and a northern identity.
• A Pop Culture Phenomenon: The massive success of TV shows like Vikings and The Last Kingdom, and video games like God of War and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, has cemented this broad, modern understanding of the word. These stories are not about "Norsemen who sometimes went on raids"; they are about "Vikings," and this is the lens through which millions now view the entire period. This is the final chapter in the story of why they're called Vikings.

Conclusion

So, why they're called Vikings? The answer is a story of transformation. The name likely began as a simple Old Norse word for a person from a "bay" (vík) or for the act of "traveling" (víkja). During the Viking Age, it was a specific job title for a seaborne raider or trader—a profession, not a people. After the era ended, the word fell into obscurity for centuries.

It was only in the 19th century that the term was revived, romanticized, and repurposed to describe not just the raiders, but the entire culture and people of Viking Age Scandinavia. The "Viking" we know today is a modern construct, a powerful and evocative label for a fascinating historical period. Understanding the journey of this word is key to separating the myth from the reality and appreciating the true complexity of the Norse people and the world they inhabited.