| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Language | Swedish, Norwegian |
| Name day | April 11 (Sweden, Norway) September 13 (Finland (Swedish language)) |
| Other gender | |
| Masculine | Ulf |
| Origin | |
| Language | Swedish |
| Meaning | she-wolf |
Ylva is a Swedish female given name meaning "she-wolf". It is the feminine form of the masculine given name Ulf.12 The name is also used in Norway.3
Notable bearers
- Ingrid Ylva (c. 1180s–1250s), Swedish noblewoman
- Ylva Eggehorn (born 1950), Swedish poet and writer
- Ylva Ivarsson (born 1964), Swedish archer
- Ylva Johansson (born 1964), Swedish politician
- Ylva Lindberg (born 1976), Swedish ice hockey player
- Ylva Lööf (born 1958), Swedish actress
- Ylva Nowén (born 1970), Swedish former alpine skier
- Ylva Thörn (born 1954), Swedish politician and former trade unionist
In fiction
- Ylva, mother of Vicke Viking
- Ylva Haraldsdotter is a character in The Long Ships (original Swedish: Röde Orm) by Frans Gunnar Bengtsson
- A character in Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura
- In the American movie Alex and Emma, Alex (a novelist) and Emma (his paid stenographer) get into an argument about whether Ylva (a character in his story) is a real name or not (which sends some American viewers to the internet to see whether it really is a name).
References
References
- "Namnens ursprung och betydelse" [The origin and meaning of the name] (in Swedish). Swedish Academy. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
- "Vad betyder namnet?". Historiska museet. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- "Ylva". Behind the Name. Retrieved 2025-08-09.