Kjell is a Scandinavian male

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

. In Denmark, the

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...

is Kjeld or Keld. The name comes from the Old Norse word ''kętill'', which means " kettle" and probably also "helmet" or perhaps "cauldron". Examples of old spellings or forms are ''Ketill'' (Old Norse), ''Kjætil'' (Old Swedish) and ''Ketil'' (Old Danish). An equally likely meaning is a source, a hope that the boy will get ample resources to draw upon later in life. Kjell has a name day on July 11 in Norway and July 8 in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, and in Denmark with the variant ''Kjeld''.

Prevalence

In 2007, there were 59,011 men in Sweden with "Kjell" as their first name, making it the 42nd most common masculine name in Sweden. In Swedish and Norwegian it is pronounced with the

voiceless alveolo-palatal sibilant fricative The voiceless alveolo-palatal sibilant fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ("c", plus the curl also found in its voiced counterp ...

� There were 30,809 men in Norway with "Kjell" as their first name. This makes it the 5th most common masculine name in Norway. In Denmark, 8079 men were called "Kjeld" and 5491 "Keld". In Finland, the number of men called Kjell in 2008 was 1405. The name began to be widely used in the 1600s when it took over from the older name form ''Kætil'' or ''Ketill'', which were also precursors of the name

Kjetil Kjetil is a Norwegian masculine given name. It may refer to: *Kjetil Aleksander Lie (born 1980), Norwegian chess player, Norway's eighth International Grandmaster *Kjetil André Aamodt (born 1971), Norwegian former alpine ski racer *Kjetil Bang-Ha ...

, and a loan from Latin ''catillus'', which is the diminutive of ''catinus'' (= barrel, bowl). ''Kætil/Ketill'' was probably one of the most common male names in Old Norse times. In

Landnámabók (, "Book of Settlements"), often shortened to , is a medieval Icelandic written work which describes in considerable detail the settlement () of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries CE. is divided into five parts and over ...

, it is the male name that occurs most often - even more frequently than the most widely used compositions with ''Tor-''. There are 44 found runic inscriptions from the Viking era that contain the name ''Kætill'', which is why it is the 13th most used male name in this material. Five of the inscriptions are found in Denmark and three in Norway, most others have unknown sites. The name was most often written with runes like ᚲᛖᛏᛁᛚ (''ketil''), ᚲᛁᛏᛁᛚ (''kitil'') or ᚲᚨᛏᛁᛚ (''katil''). In Denmark the name appears in many village (''torp'') names, so there are nearly 20 places named Kelstrup or Kjelstrup. However, the name does not appear in compositions with ''-lev'', and it can only be explained that it was not used at the time when ''-lev'' names were formed. Consequently, we can date the period when ''Kætil/Ketill'' was used as a name, at the time between the end of the

Migration Period The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...

and the beginning of the Viking Age. But the reason that the name gained such tremendous prevalence within a few centuries, we do not know.Kristian Hald: ''Personnavne i Danmark – oldtiden'' (s. 63), Dansk historisk fællesforenings håndbøger, København 1974 The name ''Kjell'' is known in Norway from the 1400s. In recent times, the name was widely used in the 1940s and 50s, but is now rarely used for newborn boys. In Sweden, the name was most popular in the 1940s. ''Kjell'' is today a common name in Norway and Sweden, and ''Kjeld'' or ''Keld'' is common in Denmark. The following table provides a detailed overview of the popularity of the male name ''Kjell'' and its variants in some of the countries where statistics are available.

Name compositions

''Kjell'' is found in many name compositions, both of the old date, written in one word, or in new ones, which are written in two words. *Female names:

Kjellaug Kjellaug is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Kjellaug Nakkim (1940–2022), Norwegian politician *Kjellaug Nordsjö Astrid Kjellaug Nordsjö (November 14, 1926 – March 31, 2021) was a Swedish-Norwegian artist. Nordsjö is con ...

, Kjellrun, Kjellfrid, Audkjell, Kjella, Kjellbjørg *Male names:

Torkel Torkel is a Nordic masculine given name that may refer to *Torkel Andreas Trønnes (born 1925), Norwegian automobile advocate *Torkel Franzén (1950–2006), Swedish academic *Torkel Halvorsen Aschehoug (1822–1909), Norwegian philosopher of law, e ...

, Arnkjell, Askjell, Finnkjell, Grimkjell, Hallkjell, Kjellbjørn, Kjellfred, Torkjell :Newer: Kjell Inge, Kjell

Magne Magne may refer to: * Magne (given name), origin of and people with the given name * Magne (surname), origin of and people with the surname * , several ships of the Swedish Navy * Magne Charge, an inductive charging system * Magne (My Hero Academi ...

, Kjell Einar osv. ''Kjell'' is also present in at least one notable Swedish surname: Kjellberg.

People

A–F

* Kjell Almskog (born 1941), Norwegian businessman *

Kjell Askildsen Kjell Askildsen (30 September 1929 – 23 September 2021) was a Norwegian writer probably best known for his minimalistic short stories. Personal life Askildsen was born in Mandal as a son of bailiff and politician Arne Askildsen (1898–1982) ...

(1929–2021), Norwegian writer *

Kjell Aukrust Kjell Aukrust (19 March 1920 – 24 December 2002) was a Norwegian author, poet, artist and humorist. Aukrust is principally known for his Flåklypa stories and Flåklypa drawings. Personal life Aukrust was born in Alvdal in Hedmark, Norway as ...

(1920–2002), Norwegian poet, author and artist *

Kjell Bækkelund Kjell Bækkelund (6 May 1930 – 13 May 2004) was a Norwegian classical pianist. Biography Bækkelund was born in Oslo, Norway. He was the son of Martin Bækkelund (1903–66) and Rallik Antonette Hansen (1904–94). He was a student at the O ...

(1930–2004), Norwegian classical pianist *

Kjell Bäckman Kjell Hilding "Tjalle" Bäckman (21 February 1934 – 9 January 2019) was a Swedish speed skater. He competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics The 1960 Winter Olympics (officially the VIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Squaw Valley ...

(1934–2019), Swedish speed skater * Kjell Berg (born 1962), Norwegian curler *

Kjell Bergqvist Kjell Bertil Leonard Bergqvist (born 23 February 1953 in Enskede, Stockholm County) is a Swedish actor. Bergqvist finished the Royal Dramatic Training Academy in 1973 and made his debut in '' En enkel melodi'' and ''Jack''. He has since coope ...

(born 1953), Swedish actor *

Kjell Bjartveit Odd Kjell Bjartveit (14 August 1927 – 22 February 2011) was a Norwegian physician and politician for the Christian Democratic Party. He was born in Flekkefjord, took the cand.med. degree at the University of Oslo in 1951, and the dr.med. degree ...

(1927–2011), Norwegian physician and politician *

Kjell Bohlin Kjell Gotfred Bohlin (27 September 1928 – 17 June 2011) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was born in Røros. He was elected to the Parliament of Norway from Telemark in 1977, and was re-elected on two occasions. He had previ ...

(1928–2011), Norwegian politician *

Kjell Bondevik Kjell Bondevik (11 March 1901 – 21 December 1983) was a Norwegian politician for the Christian Democratic Party. He was born in Leikanger. He graduated with the cand.philol. and mag.art. (PhD equivalent) degrees in 1927. He worked as a tea ...

(1901–1983), Norwegian politician and uncle of Kjell Magne * Kjell Magne Bondevik (born 1947), former Norwegian prime minister and nephew of Kjell *

Kjell Borgen Kjell Borgen (21 October 1939 – 22 August 1996) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He served as Minister of Transport and Communications from 1986 to 1988, Minister of Local Government from 1988 to 1989 and again from 1990 to 19 ...

(1939–1996), Norwegian politician * Kjell Carlström (born 1976), Finnish cyclist *

Kjell Colding Kjell Colding (20 March 1931 – 28 July 2009) was a Norwegian diplomat and politician for the Conservative Party. He was born in Oslo, and took the cand.jur. degree in his education. He started working for the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affair ...

(1931–2009), Norwegian diplomat and politician *

Kjell Dahlin Kjell Håkan Dahlin (born 2 March 1963) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward. He played for the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL in the mid-1980s. NHL Dahlin was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1981 in the fourth round as the 8 ...

(born 1963), Swedish ice hockey player *

Kjell Elvis Kjell Henning Bjørnestad (born March 12, 1968), known as Kjell Elvis (or K. Elvis), is a Norwegian professional Elvis impersonator: He is an Elvis look alike and has had plastic surgery to look more like Elvis. He is also a sound alike and has r ...

(born 1968), Norwegian Elvis impersonator *

Kjell Engebretsen Kjell Engebretsen (born 29 April 1941 in Oslo) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Akershus in 1993, and was re-elected on two occasions. Engebretsen was a member of Frogn Frogn is a ...

(born 1941), Norwegian politician * Kjell Eriksson (born 1953), Swedish author * Kjell Espmark (1930–2022), Swedish author *

Kjell-Olof Feldt Kjell-Olof Feldt (born 18 August 1931) is a Swedish Social Democratic politician who was minister of finance between 1983 and 1990. Previously, Feldt was assistant minister of finance from 1975 to 1976 and minister of commerce and industry f ...

(born 1931), Swedish politician *

Kjell Fjalsett Kjell Sigurd Fjalsett (born 1952) is a Norwegian singer and musician. He made a name for himself in the Norwegian gospel and Christian pop scene as a teenager in the choir Believe, covering the song "Oh Happy Day" among other things. He later form ...

(born 1952), Norwegian musician *

Kjell Fjørtoft Kjell Fjørtoft (5 March 1930 – 14 May 2010) was a Norwegian journalist, non-fiction writer, photographer and film maker, born in Tromsø. Fjørtoft wrote books about themes such as World War II, espionage and hunters. Among his books are ''Spio ...

(1930–2010), Norwegian journalist and writer

G–M

Kjell Grede Kjell Birger Grede (12 August 1936 – 15 December 2017) was a Swedish film director.Kjell Grengmark Kjell Ivan Konrad Grengmark (January 25, 1935 - March 6, 2022) was a Swedish curler. (look for "Grengmark, Kjell") He was a two-time Swedish men's curling champion (1968, 1971) and played for Sweden in two . In 1972 he was inducted into the S ...

(1935–2022), Swedish curler *

Kjell Håkonsen Kjell Håkonsen (23 December 1935 – 18 April 2011) was a Norway, Norwegian harness racing coach and coachman. During his career, he had 5531 starts and won 1094 races. He is best known for having trained and coached Spikeld and Rex Rodney who hav ...

(1935–2011), Norwegian harness racing coach *

Kjell Hallbing Kjell Hallbing (5 November 1934, in Bærum – 6 May 2004, in Tønsberg) was a Norwegian author of Western books. Under the pseudonym Louis Masterson, he wrote a series of books about the fictitious Texas Ranger (and later U.S. Marshal) '' ...

(1934–2004), Norwegian author * Kjell Heggelund (1932–2017), Norwegian literary researcher and lecturer *

Kjell Helland Kjell Edvard Helland (born 29 May 1940 in Melhus) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Sør-Trøndelag in 1973, and was re-elected on three occasions. On the local level he was a deputy ...

(born 1940), Norwegian politician *

Kjell Henriksen Kjell Henriksen (1 February 1938 – 3 April 1996) was a Norwegian scientist, professor at the University of Tromsø and researcher with a special interest in the polar lights. For his effort in researching the polar lights a new observatory h ...

(1938–1996), Norwegian scientist *

Kjell Höglund Kjell Höglund (born 8 December 1945 in Östersund, Sweden) is a Swedish singer-songwriter. Höglund, who found his musical breakthrough in the 1970s, is in his native country renowned for his mixture of Realism (arts), realism, absurdism and su ...

(born 1945), Swedish singer *

Kjell Holler Kjell Torbjørn Holler (29 June 1925 – 1 November 2000) was a Norwegian economist and politician with the Norwegian Labour Party. Biography Holler was born at Tinn in Telemark, Norway. He graduated with a degree in economics at the Universi ...

(1925–2000), Norwegian politician *

Kjell Holmström Kjell Albrekt Oliver Holmström (July 8, 1916 – March 14, 1999) was a Swedish bobsledder who competed in the 1950s and in the 1960s. He won a bronze medal in the four-man event (tied with West Germany) at the 1953 FIBT World Championsh ...

(1916–1999), Swedish bobsledder *

Kjell Hovda Kjell Hovda (born 27 October 1945 in Veggli) is a former Norwegian biathlete. He participated on the Norwegian team that received silver medals in 4 × 7.5 km relay in the 1973 Biathlon World Championships 1973 in Lake Placid.

(born 1945), Norwegian biathlete *

Kjell Isaksson Kjell Gunnar Isaksson (born 28 February 1948) is a retired pole vaulter from Sweden, who broke the world record several times in 1972. Pole vaulting First he broke the record set by Christos Papanikolaou of Greece and San Jose State University ...

(born 1948), Swedish pole vault world record holder *

Kjell Inge Røkke Kjell Inge Røkke (born 25 October 1958) is a Norwegian billionaire businessman. Røkke launched his business career with the purchase of a trawler in the United States in 1982, and gradually built a leading worldwide fisheries business. In 1 ...

(born 1958), Norwegian investor *

Kjell Jennstig Kjell Jennstig (born February 17, 1960) is a Swedish musician and composer/songwriter. As a musician he is mostly known as guitarist in Swedish motorcycle group, Kenneth & the Knutters. As a composer/songwriter, he has written for a number of Swed ...

(born 1960), Swedish musician *

Kjell Johansson (disambiguation) Kjell Johansson may refer to: *Kjell Johansson (referee) (active 1978–1982), Swedish football referee *Kjell Johansson (table tennis) (1946–2011), Swedish table tennis player *Kjell Johansson (tennis) Kjell Johansson (born 12 February 1951) i ...

, various people * Kjell Jonevret (born 1962), Swedish football manager and former player *

Kjell Kaspersen Kjell Kaspersen (born 7 April 1939) is a former footballer from Norway. For many years he was goalkeeper for Skeid and the Norwegian national team. He was league champion in 1966, and was elected Player of the Year by ''Verdens Gang'' in 1964. K ...

(born 1939), Norwegian footballer * Kjell Koserius (1943–2002), Swedish Air Force major general *

Kjell Knudsen Kjell Knudsen (23 March 1931 – 2022) was a Norwegian civil servant and politician for the Labour Party. He was born in Jevnaker. He spent his working career from 1948 to 1973 in the Norwegian State Railways, before embarking on a political car ...

(born 1931), Norwegian politician *

Kjell Larsson Kjell Larsson (26 March 1943 – 21 December 2002) was a Swedish social democrat politician. He held many positions in the social democratic party and was one of the advisors to leading Swedish social democrats, namely Olof Palme and Ingvar Carls ...

(1943–2002), Swedish politician * Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García (1930–2009), President of Guatemala *

Kjell Lauri Kjell Lauri (born 29 June 1956) is a Swedish orienteering competitor. He was a Relay World Champion in 1979, as a member of the Swedish winning team.

, Swedish orienteer *

Kjell N. Lindgren Kjell Norwood Lindgren (born January 23, 1973) is an American astronaut who was selected in June 2009 as a member of the NASA Astronaut Group 20. He launched to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of Expedition 44/ 45 on July 22, 201 ...

(born 1973), US astronaut *

Kjell Lönnå Kjell Olov Lönnå (13 July 1936 – 10 May 2022) was a Swedish choir leader, composer, and TV host. Lönnå was one of the national conductors for the National Swedish Choir Association (Svenska körförbundet). He is best known for his hosti ...

(1936–2022), Swedish choir leader and composer

N–Z

* Kjell Nilsson (born 1949), Swedish weightlifter and actor * Kjell Nordström (born 1949), Swedish politician *

Kjell A. Nordström Kjell Anders Nordström (born 26 February 1958) is a Swedish economist, writer and public speaker. Biography Born in Skärholmen, a suburban district in southern Stockholm, Nordström grew up on a small island in the Finland, Finnish Åland ...

(born 1958), Swedish economist, writer and public speaker * Kjell Olofsson (born 1965), Swedish footballer *

Kjell Opseth Kjell Olav Opseth (2 January 1936 – 3 December 2017) was a Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group nati ...

(1936–2017), Norwegian politician *

Kjell Oscarius Kjell Oscarius (born 1 May 1943 in Stockholm) is a Swedish curler and World Champion. He won a gold medal at the . In 1973 he was inducted into the Swedish Curling Hall of Fame Swedish Curling Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is ...

(born 1943), Swedish curler * Kjell Qvale (1919–2013), Norwegian-American business executive * Kjell Risvik (1941–2021), Norwegian translator * Kjell Rodian (1942–2007), Danish cyclist *

Kjell Roos Kjell Roos (born 11 March 1956), is a Swedish guitarist and singer. Roos leads the Swedish dansband ''Kjell Roos Band'', earlier known as ''Roosarna''. He has done duets with Swedish singer Kikki Danielsson such as '' I juletid (Save Your Love)'' ...

(born 1956), Swedish musician ** Kjell Roos Band, a Swedish band led by Roos *

Kjell Samuelsson Kjell William Alf Samuelsson (born 18 October 1958) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Ba ...

(born 1958), Swedish professional hockey player * Kjell Bloch Sandved (1922–2015), Norwegian author and lecturer * Kjell Scherpen (born 2000), Dutch footballer * Kjell Schneider (born 1976), German beach volleyball player *

Kjell Sjöberg Kjell Allan Sjöberg (11 May 1937 – 10 September 2013) was a Swedish ski jumper. Career He competed at the 1960, 1964 and 1968 Olympics in the normal hill and large hill events with the best result of fifth place in the large hill in 1964. H ...

(1937–2013), Swedish ski jumper *

Kjell Søbak Kjell Søbak (born 21 June 1957) is a Norwegian former biathlete. At the 1984 Olympics of Sarajevo, Søbak finished second with the Norwegian relay team, which consisted of himself, Eirik Kvalfoss, Rolf Storsveen, and Odd Lirhus. In addition, he ...

(born 1957), Norwegian biathlete *

Kjell-Erik Ståhl Kjell-Erik Bertil Ståhl (born 17 February 1946 in Killeberg, Skåne) is a retired long-distance runner from Sweden. He represented his native country twice at the Summer Olympics (1980 and 1984) in the men's marathon, finishing in 19th place in ...

(born 1946), Swedish long-distance runner *

Kjell Storelid Kjell Storelid (born 24 October 1970) is a former speed skater from Norway. Storelid's best achievement on the ice was two silver medals on 5,000 m and 10,000 m at the Winter Olympics 1994 in Lillehammer - behind Johann Olav Koss J ...

(born 1970), Norwegian speed skater * Kjell Stormoen (1921–2010), Norwegian actor and theatre director *

Kjell Storvik Kjell Storvik (born 20 November 1930) is a Norwegian economist and former Governor of the Central Bank of Norway. He is a cand.oecon. by education. From 1977 to 1981 he was the vice president of the Norwegian Shipowners' Association. He was then ...

(born 1930), Norwegian economist and former Governor of the Central Bank of Norway *

Kjell Sundvall Kjell Gösta Sundvall (born 31 March 1953) is a Swedish director/producer. Sundvall has directed a series of films about the police officer Martin Beck (played by Peter Haber). Selected filmography *2015 - ''Prästen i paradiset'' *2015 - ''I ...

(born 1953), Swedish director *

Kjell Westö Kjell Westö (born 6 August 1961 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish author and journalist. Westö writes in Swedish. Best known for his epic novels set in Helsinki, he has also written short stories, poetry, essays and newspaper columns. Biogr ...

(born 1961), Finnish author

References

External links

Behind the Name: KjellThink Baby Names: Kjell
{{given name, Kjell, nocat Norwegian masculine given names Swedish masculine given names

Prevalence

Name compositions

People

A–F

G–M

N–Z

See also

References

External links