Þórbjrn

Þórbjörn is a masculine given name of Old Norse origin. It is formed from two elements: Þór, the name of the god Thor, and bjǫrn, meaning “bear.” The combined meaning is often rendered as “Thor’s bear” or “bear of Thor.” In modern Icelandic, the form is typically written as Þórbjörn, with the vowels adjusted to contemporary orthography; an older scholarly form is Þórbjǫrn.

In historical sources, Þórbjörn appears in medieval Norse and Icelandic writing and reflects a broader Norse naming practice of creating compound names from divine or mythic elements and animals or attributes. While not among the most common names, it is attested as part of the traditional onomastic repertoire of Scandinavian peoples.

Today the name survives mainly as a historical or literary form and is occasionally encountered in Iceland and other Nordic contexts. Its usage is limited in contemporary naming practices, but it remains recognizable to readers of Norse-era literature and scholarship.

Cognate forms exist across North Germanic languages. In Norwegian the equivalent is Torbjørn; in Swedish it is Torbjörn. These forms share the same etymology and meaning, reflecting regional spelling and pronunciation developments while preserving the Thor-bear compound.