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Famous Nordic People

Can you name these famous Nordic people, from history and the present?
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Last updated: February 27, 2026
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First submittedJanuary 12, 2013
Times taken20,063
Average score55.0%
Rating4.34
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Clue
Person
Icelandic singer known by her first name
Björk
Inventor of dynamite who established a prize which bears his name
Alfred Nobel
Sweden's top football goalscorer, known for his gigantic ego
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Fairy tale author who wrote "The Little Mermaid"
Hans Christian Andersen
Swede who won Wimbledon every year from 1976–1980
Björn Borg
Creator of the temperature scale most commonly used today
Anders Celsius
He holds the record for the highest chess rating in history
Magnus Carlsen
First person to reach the South Pole and also the North Pole
Roald Amundsen
Viking leader who raided the British Isles and is featured in the TV show "Vikings"
Ragnar Lothbrok
Creator of the Linux operating system
Linus Torvalds
DJ who recorded "Wake Me Up" and died in 2018 at age 28
Avicii
Female lead in "Casablanca"
Ingrid Bergman
Founder of the first European settlement on Greenland
Erik the Red
Son of the above who founded Vinland
Leif Ericson
Painter of "The Scream"
Edvard Munch
Composer of "Finlandia"
Jean Sibelius
Figure-skater who won Olympic gold at age 15, in 1928
Sonja Henie
Helped to craft the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics
Niels Bohr
Teenage climate change activist who said "how dare you!"
Greta Thunberg
King who made Sweden into a great military power during the Thirty Years War
Gustavus Adolphus
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41 Comments
+2
Level 57
Aug 30, 2015
I'd say "Leif" would be a better answer than "Erikson" when searching for Leif Ericson. I had tried all kinds of things (Leif, Leifur, Leif the Lucky, Leif Eriksson...) before going for Erikson and getting it.
+5
Level 80
Oct 7, 2016
Everything was going well until I got to figure skating. I wouldn't know who won figure skating gold in 2014, let alone 1928.
+4
Level 65
Dec 3, 2018
Heinie is not that obscure; she became a well known Hollywood actress. Most, if not all, of her roles, however, did include her skating.
+2
Level 80
Jun 27, 2022
Watch some MASH. Colonel Potter was a big fan of hers.
+6
Level 39
Jun 6, 2017
Leif Ericsson is usually spelled Eriksson in Scandinavia. Both spellings should be ok.
+5
Level 87
Aug 19, 2017
Kicking myself for missing Hans Christian Andersen. Surprised not to see Max von Sydow on here. Tremendous actor.
+2
Level 74
Jan 28, 2020
the first time I can use my Sibelius knowledge for something..
+1
Level 61
Mar 10, 2026
and yet, he scores half as often as the DJ answer???
+1
Level 51
Dec 7, 2020
Always thought is was Ronald Amundsen.
+11
Level 86
Apr 19, 2021
Nah mate, it's Roald, as in McDoald :)
+6
Level 86
Feb 28, 2026
Also Roald Dahl
+4
Level 63
Feb 10, 2022
What about Edvard Grieg?
+1
Level 76
Mar 25, 2026
I agree, sort of was expecting him and think he would score better, but maybe that is just me. Listening to Sibelius Finlandia now and not sure I have heard the music before
+3
Level 51
Apr 25, 2022
Where is Felix?
+1
Level 67
Oct 11, 2022
Spent ages on Munch as I couldn't get two names out of my head: Gustav Klimt and Jon Voight...
+1
Level 82
Feb 28, 2026
That's strange. I had Klimt stuck in my head as well, even though I knew he had nothing to do with it.
+1
Level 89
Mar 2, 2026
You don't see those two names in the same sentence often.
+4
Level 72
Jan 3, 2023
Nice quiz. The World Chess Champion could be a good addition to this.
+1
Level ∞
Feb 27, 2026
Added
+1
Level 65
Feb 28, 2026
By that I assume QM added the former WC, seeing as the current one isn't Nordic
+1
Level 65
Feb 28, 2026
Barely half got him? I'm disappointed, but as a regular player I may be slightly biased
+2
Level 91
Mar 2, 2026
I should have gotten him but I mixed up his first and last names, kept trying variations on Carl Magnusson.
+2
Level 66
Aug 18, 2023
Grieg should REALLY be included here. Just compare his music to ABBAs!

Thanks for an interesting quiz.

+8
Level 88
Feb 27, 2026
Celsius isn't accepted. Also, typing the "bor" of Borg gives you Bohr. Maybe they should be reversed.
+2
Level ∞
Feb 27, 2026
Type-ins have been corrected. Thank you!
+1
Level 88
Feb 27, 2026
Wikipedia: "also known in English as Gustav II Adolf or Gustav II Adolph".
+1
Level ∞
Feb 27, 2026
Gustav and Adolf/ph will work now.
+1
Level 95
Feb 28, 2026
Is Ibrahimovic really that famous for his ego? I knew he was an excellent footballer, but was unaware of his personal failings…
+2
Level 89
Mar 2, 2026
Zlatan was hilarious. I think some of it was tongue in cheek.

"I can't help but laugh at how perfect I am"

"We usually say that you cannot become a legend before death. But I am a living legend."

"A World Cup without Zlatan is not worth watching."

"I came like a king, left like a legend."

"Come to my house and you'll see if I am gay. And bring your sister."

"Only God knows you're talking to him now."

+1
Level 81
Mar 5, 2026
Well, he did say in some interviews that "the ego" is his "public persona". But then... only team Sweden truly knows.
+1
Level 95
Feb 28, 2026
If you think about it, the Balkans are just Scandinavia of the south.
+1
Level 65
Feb 28, 2026
If you interpret that sentence as meaning the Balkans are "further south than the Nordics and the complete opposite of the Nordics in almost every way" then yeah
+3
Level 65
Mar 2, 2026
Simo Häyhä would be a good add
+5
Level 84
Mar 2, 2026
Doesn't Laufey also fit the first clue
+2
Level 22
Mar 9, 2026
I thought this too!
+1
Level 71
Mar 9, 2026
Agreed!!!
+1
Level 70
Mar 9, 2026
Karlsson not accepted. Harsh.
+1
Level 66
Mar 9, 2026
Wrote Carlus Magsen. Could not figure out what was wrong. Moved on. 🤓
+1
Level 56
Mar 10, 2026
Is it not up to debate whether or not Ragnar Lothbrok was actually a real person?
+1
Level 28
Mar 12, 2026
where bladee
+1
Level 62
Mar 14, 2026
I think Tim Bergling should be accepted for Avicii.