Street names in Iceland

Street names in Iceland typically consist of two elements. The first element is chosen in alphabetical order and conforming to the neighborhood's theme (usually nature-related), and the second element is shared by all the streets in a neighborhood. The ending is also usually used to denote the neighbourhood; for example, a neighborhood whose streets all end in –salir (hall) is called Salahverfi (neighbourhood of the halls).

Some older neighborhoods do not follow the alphabetical order for streets. Exceptions do exist but the general rule is as above.

Common endings

In alphabetical order:

• -ás (ridge)
• -bakki (river bank)
• -barð (embankment)
• -baugur (ring)^[1]
• -berg (rock)
• -borg (town, butte)
• -borgir (towns, buttes)
• -braut (runway)
• -brekka (escarpment)
• -brún (embankment)
• -bryggja (pier)
• -búð (smallholding)
• -byggð (settlement)
• -bær (farm, town)
• -endi (end)
• -fell (mount)
• -flöt (grassland)
• -garðar (gardens)
• -garður (garden)
• -gata (street)
• -geisli (ray)
• -gerði (hedge)
• -gil (canyon)
• -grandi (isthmus)
• -grund (ground)
• -hagi (pasture)
• -háls (ridge)
• -heiði (heath)
• -heimar (worlds)
• -hjalli (terrace)
• -hlíð (hillside)
• -holt (hill, older meaning: forest)
• -hólar (hillocks)
• -hólmi (islet)
• -hraun (lava)
• -hús (houses)
• -hvammur (grassy dell)
• -hvarf (varve)
• -hylur (pool)
• -hæð (mount)
• -höfði (cape)
• -kinn (mountain slope)
• -klöpp (rock)
• -kór (quire)
• -kvísl (river fork)
• -land (land)
• -leiti (hill)
• -lind (spring)
• -lundur (grove)
• -melur (gravel bed)
• -móar (moorland)
• -múli (cape)
• -mýri (marsh)
• -nes (promontory)
• -rimi (ridge)
• -salir (hall)
• -sel (lodge)
• -síða (side)
• -slóð (path)
• -smári (clover)
• -skjól (shelter)
• -skógar (woods)
• -stekkur (grove)
• -stígur (trail)
• -stræti (street)
• -strönd (coast)
• -teigur (small grassland)
• -torg (square)
• -tröð (path)
• -tunga (tongue of land)
• -tún (grassland), such as Borgartún
• -vangur (open area)
• -vegur (road), such as Kaldidalsvegur and Laugavegur
• -vellir (fields)
• -vogur (cove)
• -vík (bay)
• -vör (landing)

Example of neighbourhood naming

Salahverfi is a recent neighbourhood in Kópavogur. It has a main street, Salavegur (Halls Road), from which various culs-de-sac spread out, in an alphabetical order as follows:

• Ársalir (River Halls)
• Björtusalir (Brightness Halls)
• Blásalir (Blue Halls)
• Dynsalir (Thunder Halls)
• Fensalir (Marsh Halls; this is the name of the home of Frigg)
• Forsalir (Entry Halls)
• Glósalir (Glow Halls)
• Goðasalir (Halls of the Gods)
• Hásalir (Height Halls)
• Hlynsalir (Maple Halls)
• Jórsalir (Yor Halls, old name for Jerusalem)
• Jötunsalir (Jotun Halls)
• Logasalir (Flame Halls)
• Lómasalir (Loon Halls)
• Miðsalir (Middle Halls)
• Rjúpnasalir (Ptarmigan Halls)
• Roðasalir (Redness Halls)
• Skjólsalir (Shelter Halls)
• Sólarsalir (Halls of the Sun)
• Straumsalir (Current Halls)
• Suðursalir (South Halls)

See also

• List of roads in Iceland

References

Icelandic language
Features	Braille Grammar Orthography N-rule Phonology Vocabulary
Names	Patronymic names Street names List of exonyms
History and literature	History Old Icelandic Literature Proverbs Sagas Poetic Edda Skaldic poetry
Promotion and purism	Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies Icelandic Language Day Icelandic Language Council Icelandic Language Fund Icelandic Language Institute Icelandic Naming Committee Linguistic purism
Related topics	Icelandic Sign Language