Every date in a Swedish calendar carries a name or two, and Swedes notice when it’s theirs. Here is what a name day is, who decides the dates, why the flag goes up for three of them, and how much fuss a visitor should make.
When you need this
A colleague or host mentions it’s their namnsdag (name day) and you wonder whether you should have brought something. You see the Swedish flag on public buildings on an ordinary weekday in January, March or August. You spot two first names printed under each date in a Swedish calendar. Or a Finnish-Swedish friend celebrates on a different date than a Swede with the same name.
What a name day is
Each day of the Swedish almanac is paired with one or two first names, and the day your name appears is your name day. The custom comes from the medieval church calendar, which gave every day a saint. After the Reformation, Sweden and Finland kept the names but dropped the saints, and royal and other non-saint names were added.
For a long time Swedes celebrated name days far more than birthdays. Royal name days were public occasions into the late 1800s, when towns held “Oscar balls” and “Karl balls”. Many dates also carry old weather and harvest lore from the farming calendar.
Today the balance has flipped: the birthday is the big day and the name day a small one. Nothing about it is religious anymore — it is simply calendar custom.
Who sets the list
The names in most Swedish almanacs come from the list introduced in 2001. It is kept by the Namnlängdskommittén (Name List Committee), whose members come from four institutions:
| Institution | Swedish name |
|---|---|
| Swedish Academy | Svenska Akademien |
| Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences | Kungl. Vetenskapsakademien |
| Royal Academy of Letters | Kungl. Vitterhetsakademien |
| Institute for Language and Folklore | Institutet för språk och folkminnen (Isof) |
The list is often called the Swedish Academy’s list because the Academy publishes it and lets you search it by name on its website. It holds just over 600 names.
It is not law. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences once had a monopoly on almanacs, but that ended in 1972, and since then anyone may publish their own. Competing lists followed — one with three names per day, another with two — until the 2001 list became the shared standard. Most almanacs use it, but not all.
New names from 2027
The committee adds names only occasionally, and the latest change takes effect in 2027. Six names join the main list, each sharing its date with an existing name it is linked to linguistically or culturally:
| Name | Date | Shares the day with |
|---|---|---|
| Eira | 24 January | Erika |
| Mio | 5 June | Bo |
| Vilgot | 30 July | Algot |
| Cassandra | 20 October | Sibylla |
| Flora | 29 October | Viola |
| Zackarias | 19 December | Isak |
A further 25 names joined the extended list, which covers around 800 less common names. That list exists for people whose name is not in the almanac; ordinary printed calendars don’t include it.
Royal name days and flags
Three royal name days are general flag days under Sweden’s flag-day regulation, Förordning (1982:270) om allmänna flaggdagar (general flag days):
- 28 January — King Carl XVI Gustaf’s name day
- 12 March — Crown Princess Victoria’s name day
- 8 August — Queen Silvia’s name day
They are flag days, not holidays. Shops, offices and public transport run as normal, so don’t plan around closures that won’t happen. Other members of the royal family do not have their name days in the regulation.
How Swedes mark it
Keep it small. The standard response is a spoken “Grattis på namnsdagen!” — “Happy name day!” — and between colleagues and acquaintances that is all anyone expects.
| Situation | What fits |
|---|---|
| Colleague or acquaintance | “Grattis på namnsdagen!” |
| Close friend or host family | A card, flowers or a cake to share |
| A child | A small treat |
| Colleague brings cake | Join in — it doubles as a fika |
Don’t treat a name day like a birthday. A large present or a party reads as odd and can embarrass the person. If you want a quick way to win a Swedish host over, though, noticing their name day is a friendly, cheap opener.
Sweden versus Finland
Name days are alive mainly in Sweden and Finland among Protestant countries, but the two countries don’t share a list. Finland’s Finnish and Finland-Swedish lists belong to the University of Helsinki, which holds the copyright and renews them every five years — most recently in 2025. Sweden’s list is kept by the separate committee above.
The practical result: the same name can fall on different dates. Take your date from the right country’s almanac, and don’t trust a pre-2001 Swedish calendar or another country’s list either.
Practical information
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name list in use | 2001 list, kept by the Namnlängdskommittén |
| Additions | Cassandra, Eira, Flora, Mio, Vilgot, Zackarias from 2027 |
| Look up a name | Svenska Akademien website (free search) |
| Royal flag days | 28 January, 12 March, 8 August |
| Royal flag days in 2027 | Thursday 28 January, Friday 12 March, Sunday 8 August |
| Closures on royal name days | None — flag days are not public holidays |
| Expected gift | None; a congratulation is enough |
| Finland’s lists | University of Helsinki; renewed every five years, last in 2025 |
FAQ
What is a name day in Sweden?
A name day, namnsdag, is the date the Swedish almanac links to a first name; each day carries one or two names. The custom comes from the medieval saints’ calendar, and for a long time Swedes celebrated name days more than birthdays. Today it is a small occasion: a “Grattis på namnsdagen!”, sometimes a card or cake.
Who decides the Swedish name day list?
The Namnlängdskommittén, a committee with members from the Swedish Academy, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Royal Academy of Letters and Isof. It keeps the list introduced in 2001, used in most almanacs, and adds names occasionally; six join from 2027. No law forces almanacs to use it.
Which new names get a name day from 2027?
Six: Cassandra on 20 October, Eira on 24 January, Flora on 29 October, Mio on 5 June, Vilgot on 30 July and Zackarias on 19 December. Each shares its day with an existing name it is linked to, such as Vilgot with Algot. A further 25 names joined the extended list, which ordinary almanacs do not print.
Are royal name days flag days in Sweden?
Yes, three of them. The King’s name day on 28 January, Crown Princess Victoria’s on 12 March and Queen Silvia’s on 8 August are general flag days under the flag-day regulation, Förordning 1982:270. They are not public holidays: shops, offices and transport run as normal. Other royal family members’ name days are not flag days.
Should I give a gift on a Swede’s name day?
Not usually. A spoken “Grattis på namnsdagen!” is enough between colleagues and acquaintances. With close friends or a host family, a card, flowers or a cake to share is a kind touch, and children may get a small treat. A large present treats the day like a birthday, which it is not.
Is the name day the same in Sweden and Finland?
Not always. Finland keeps its own Finnish and Finland-Swedish name day lists, owned by the University of Helsinki and renewed every five years, most recently in 2025. Sweden’s list is kept by a separate committee. The same name can therefore fall on different dates in the two countries, so check the right country’s almanac.
Related guides
- Swedish etiquette — gifts, home visits and the other unwritten rules
- Swedish fika — where the name-day cake usually gets eaten
- Swedish public holidays — the days that actually close shops, unlike flag days
- Swedish Christmas traditions — the calendar’s biggest custom
- Valborg — a spring festival named after a name day
Facts verified 2026-10-01. Sources: Svenska Akademien, Institutet för språk och folkminnen (Isof), Vitterhetsakademien, Riksdagen (Förordning 1982:270), University of Helsinki Almanac Office — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.