Baby name
Tjorven
/TYOR · fen/
Meaning
“Possibly a flighty little spirit”
Invented by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren as the name of a girl character in her novel Vi på Saltkråkan (published in German as Ferien auf Saltkrokan); used in Germany today for both girls and boys, though more often for girls. In German, the name is translated as 'Irrwisch', a will-o'-the-wisp or flighty, erratic spirit, possibly linking it to the Swedish word 'tjorv', meaning a tangled ball of wool. In Sweden itself the name is rare, and postal vans there are informally nicknamed 'Tjorven'.
Nicknames
tjorvi · tjory · toto · tia
Vibe
How it ages.
A quirky literary name from Astrid Lindgren's world; likely to stay a rare, characterful pick rather than a mainstream choice.
The cultural moment.
Very rare as a given name, recognized mostly through Astrid Lindgren's Ferien auf Saltkrokan character rather than everyday use.