Kjell


Kjell is a Scandinavian usually male given name. In Denmark, the cognate 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, Kjætil and Ketil. 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, 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 . 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, and a loan from Latin catillus, which is the diminutive of catinus. Kætil/Ketill was probably one of the most common male names in Old Norse times. In Landnámabók, 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, ᚲᛁᛏᛁᛚ or ᚲᚨᛏᛁᛚ.
In Denmark the name appears in many village 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 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.
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, Kjellrun, Kjellfrid, Audkjell, Kjella, Kjellbjørg
  • Male names: Torkel, Arnkjell, Askjell, Finnkjell, Grimkjell, Hallkjell, Kjellbjørn, Kjellfred, Torkjell
Kjell is also present in at least one notable Swedish surname: Kjellberg.

People

A

  • Kjell Almskog, Norwegian businessman
  • Kjell Anneling, Swedish diplomat
  • Kjell Askildsen, Norwegian writer
  • Kjell Aukrust, Norwegian poet, author and artist

    B

  • Kjell Bækkelund, Norwegian classical pianist
  • Kjell Bäckman, Swedish speed skater
  • Kjell Berg, Norwegian curler
  • Kjell Bergqvist, Swedish actor
  • Kjell Bjartveit, Norwegian physician and politician
  • Kjell Bohlin, Norwegian politician
  • Kjell Bondevik, Norwegian politician and uncle of Kjell Magne
  • Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Norwegian prime minister and nephew of Kjell
  • Kjell Borgen, Norwegian politician

    C

  • Kjell Carlström, Finnish cyclist
  • Kjell Colding, Norwegian diplomat and politician

    D

  • Kjell Dahlin, Swedish ice hockey player

    E

  • Kjell Elvis, Norwegian Elvis impersonator
  • Kjell Engebretsen, Norwegian politician
  • Kjell Eriksson, Swedish author
  • Kjell Espmark, Swedish author

    F

  • Kjell Fjalsett, Norwegian musician
  • Kjell Fjørtoft, Norwegian journalist and writer

    G

  • Kjell Gjerseth, Norwegian novelist and journalist
  • Kjell Grede, Swedish film director
  • Kjell Grengmark, Swedish curler

    H

  • Kjell Håkonsen, Norwegian harness racing coach
  • Kjell Hallbing, Norwegian author
  • Kjell Heggelund, Norwegian literary researcher and lecturer
  • Kjell Helland, Norwegian politician
  • Kjell Henriksen, Norwegian scientist
  • Kjell Höglund, Swedish singer
  • Kjell Holler, Norwegian politician
  • Kjell Holmström, Swedish bobsledder
  • Kjell Hovda, Norwegian biathlete

    I

  • Kjell Isaksson, Swedish pole vault world record holder

    J

  • Kjell Jennstig, Swedish musician
  • Kjell Johansson
  • Kjell Jonevret, Swedish football manager and former player

    K

  • Kjell Kaspersen, Norwegian footballer
  • Kjell Kjær, Norwegian actor, puppeteer, director, and program host
  • Kjell Knudsen, Norwegian politician
  • Kjell Koserius, Swedish Air Force major general

    L

  • Kjell Larsson, Swedish politician
  • Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García, President of Guatemala
  • Kjell Lauri, Swedish orienteer
  • Kjell N. Lindgren, US astronaut
  • Kjell Lönnå, Swedish choir leader and composer

    N

  • Kjell Nilsson
  • Kjell Nordström , Swedish politician
  • Kjell A. Nordström, Swedish economist, writer and public speaker

    O

  • Kjell Olofsson, Swedish footballer
  • Kjell Opseth, Norwegian politician
  • Kjell Oscarius, Swedish curler
  • Kjell Øvergård, Norwegian politician
  • Kjell Qvale, Norwegian-American business executive

    R

  • Kjell Risvik, Norwegian translator
  • Kjell Rodian, Danish cyclist
  • Kjell Inge Røkke, Norwegian investor
  • Kjell Roos, Swedish musician

    S

  • Kjell Samuelsson, Swedish hockey player
  • Kjell Bloch Sandved, Norwegian author and lecturer
  • Kjell Scherpen, Dutch footballer
  • Kjell Schneider, German beach volleyball player
  • Kjell Sjöberg, Swedish ski jumper
  • Kjell Søbak, Norwegian biathlete
  • Kjell-Erik Ståhl, Swedish long-distance runner
  • Kjell Storelid, Norwegian speed skater
  • Kjell Stormoen, Norwegian actor and theatre director
  • Kjell Storvik, Norwegian economist and former Governor of the Central Bank of Norway
  • Kjell Sundvall, Swedish director
  • Kjell Svindland, Norwegian politician

    W

  • Kjell Westö, Finnish author