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Name

Sunniva

/soon-NEE-vah/ FeminineOld English and Norwegian

Meaning

Sunniva is a feminine name of Old English and Norwegian origin meaning “sun gift”.

Sunniva is the Scandinavian form of the Old English Sunngifu, combining sun with gift. Legend holds that Saint Sunniva was an Irish princess who fled to Norway, where she became the patron saint of the country's western coast, and the name remains in use there today.

A familiar name in Norway; a rarity elsewhere.

At a glance

Origin
Old English and Norwegian
Gender
Feminine
Pronounced
/soon-NEE-vah/
Themes
SunLight

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Questions

  • Sunniva is a feminine name of Old English and Norwegian origin meaning “sun gift”. Sunniva is the Scandinavian form of the Old English Sunngifu, combining sun with gift.

  • Sunniva is traditionally a feminine (girl) name. It is a familiar name in Norway; a rarity elsewhere.

  • The name Sunniva comes from Old English and Norwegian. Sunniva is the Scandinavian form of the Old English Sunngifu, combining sun with gift. Legend holds that Saint Sunniva was an Irish princess who fled to Norway, where she became the patron saint of the country's western coast, and the name remains in use there today.

  • Sunniva is pronounced soon-NEE-vah.

More names that mean sun

Names that share this meaning.

  1. Agni MasculineSanskrit“fire”
  2. Áine FeminineIrish“radiance, brilliance”
  3. Apollo MasculineGreek“uncertain; god of the sun and light”
  4. Arun MasculineSanskrit“reddish glow of the rising sun”
  5. Cyrus MasculinePersian“traditionally linked to the sun”
  6. Elio MasculineItalian“sun”