Embla

Less popular than Emma and not as “trendy” as Ember, this Norse name feels as gentle as it does spirited, as earthy as it does fiery. Theorized to mean “elm”, in Norse mythology, Embla and her husband Ask (“ash tree”) were the first humans created by the gods.

I first discovered this name when blogger Amber Wilde featured in a news article which mentioned that one of her daughters was called Embla — a twin to Olympia, and sister to Lysander, Balthazar and Vita. Embla stood out to me as a simple yet magical choice, reminiscent of glowing embers and memorable emblems.

Popular in Iceland (where it would be pronounced EHM-pla), in Norway (where it would be said as EM-blah) and Sweden (EHM-bla), it remains rare yet approachable elsewhere.

A bit of trivia: it coincides with ëmbla, an Albanian word meaning “sweet, pleasant”.

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