navn

Navn is the word used in Norwegian and Danish to denote the term by which a person, place, organization, or thing is identified. In Norwegian Bokmål, the standard word is navn; in Danish it is navn; a closely related term in Swedish is namn. Names function as proper nouns, distinguishing particular entities in speech and writing. The concept includes given names, family names, place names, and brand names, and they are used to refer to and identify something in everyday language, official documents, maps, and databases.

Etymology and cognates: The term derives from Old Norse nafn, part of a broader Germanic family of terms for name. Cognates appear across the Germanic languages, including English name, Swedish namn, Danish navn, and Icelandic nafn. This shared heritage reflects a long-standing linguistic practice of designating individuals and places with specific identifiers.

Usage and forms: Names are essential for social interaction, record-keeping, and navigation. In Norwegian, compounds such as fornavn (given name) and etternavn (family name) are common, and navn is often used as a label in forms and interfaces for labeling a person’s name. Names may be written with capitalization rules appropriate to their use in sentences and proper nouns, and they can be modified in plural or definite forms according to general noun inflection in the language.

Variants and related terms: Similar terms exist across Nordic languages—namn in Swedish, navn in Danish and Norwegian, nafn in Icelandic—sharing a common function and etymology as identifiers of entities. See also personal name, place name, and brand name.