An 18th century Icelandic manuscript depicting...It’s a mischievous Norse name for All Hallow’s Eve.

Thanks to Angela for suggesting Loki as our Baby Name of the Day.

Loki has never been a good guy.

But he wasn’t always an irredeemable villain, either.

In Norse mythology, he’s a trickster, a disobedient god.  He ranges from troublesome to downright malicious – but he always keeps you guessing.  In some stories, he travels with ravening hordes bent on destruction.  In others, he’s more benign – even occasionally helpful.

Loki is associated with air and magic and fire, but the origin of his name is a riddle.  Some connect him with the Old Norse word luka – close.  Others suggest that he comes from lopt – air.  Or maybe a word meaning to break.

He survived in folk sayings like “Loki is driving his goats” to explain the shimmering effect when heat rises from the ground in sunlight.

You might also recognize Loki from:

  • Richard Wagner called him Loge in his masterwork series of operas, known as the Ring Cycle.
  • In Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, Loki and Odin are in cahoots – though this is no folk tale.
  • Then there’s Dogma, the 1999 Kevin Smith movie starring a pair of fallen angels – Ben Affleck as Bartleby and Matt Damon as Loki.  After a long banishment in Wisconsin, the duo are traveling to New Jersey in a bid to get back into God’s good graces.  Their scheme could potentially destroy mankind, and plenty goes wrong along the way.

Chances are that the Loki you picture is borrowed from the big screen and looks something like Tom Hiddleston.

He’s been a classic comic book baddie since Marvel introduced him in 1949.  His origin story is close to the original myth.  Odin, ruler of Asgard, killed the King of the Frost Giants in battle.  Loki was the orphaned son of the defeated king.  Odin took him home to raise alongside his own son, Thor.

The foster brothers were competitive, with Loki’s jealousy growing year by year.  They eventually became open enemies, as Loki schemed to usurp power from Thor, resorting to sorcery and manipulation.  Eventually he decided to take over Earth.

Loki was exiled to the underworld for some of his schemes, but he kept coming back.  He and Thor are sometimes reluctant allies – they jointly defeated fire demons in one storyline.  But mostly Loki is a scene-stealing troublemaker.  The same is true in the movies – 2011’s Thor, followed by 2012’s The Avengers.  The next Marvel flick about Thor will see the return of Loki, keeping him very much in our imagination.

So where does that leave the name?

While Loki is a villain in the movies, he’s not the devil – not an unambiguous force of evil.  It’s not like naming your child Lucifer.  Some suggest that Loki represented chaos – not evil – in Norse myth.  If we can borrow the names of gods like Jupiter and Hera for children, why not Loki?

In 1996, five newborn boys received the name.  By 2006, that number was 39.  With the big screen exposure of recent years, we’re up to 77 in 2012.  How far will he climb?  I don’t see Loki in the US Top 1000, or bumping names like Liam and Levi out of consideration.

But for truly daring parents after an unusual name, Loki is an intriguing option.

About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

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What do you think?

4 Comments

  1. I see quite a lot of Australian boys named Loki – apart from the Norse god cool factor, the sound of it is similar enough to popular Lachlan and its short form Lachie not to raise too many eyebrows.

  2. I’m seeing the new Thor movie tonight!! I love the name Loki (and the movie character) and I think it could make a cool nickname for Lachlan.

  3. Years ago I had a job application cross my desk for guy named Loki… there were numerous reasons why I didn’t hire him… but a part of me was uncomfortable letting someone named after the trickster god anywhere near a forklift.

    I grew up with a boy named Thor and I’ve known several people (plus a couple of dogs) named Odin, so those both feel like “names.” But to me, Loki still feels like a character. Loke, the modern form has been gaining popularity in Sweden (#70), so maybe I just need to give it more time.