Rune Translator: Write Your Name in Elder Futhark Runes

Runes were never one fixed alphabet. They changed across the centuries and from region to region, which is why the same name can be written three different ways. This converter lets you switch between the three best-known systems — here's what sets them apart, so you can pick the one that fits.

Elder Futhark – the oldest runes

The Elder Futhark is the earliest runic alphabet, used across Germanic Europe from roughly the 2nd to the 8th century. It has 24 runes, each with its own name and meaning, and it's the set most people picture when they think of runes. Choose Elder Futhark if you want the most widely recognised runes, or if the individual meaning behind each rune matters to you. This is the default in the converter above.

Younger Futhark – the Viking-Age runes

The Younger Futhark is the script of the Viking Age, used across Norway, Sweden and Denmark from about the 8th to the 11th century — the runes actually carved into the great Norse runestones. It was streamlined down to just 16 runes, so several sounds share a single symbol. That means a name written in Younger Futhark looks sparser and more angular than in Elder Futhark, and it's genuinely how the Vikings wrote. When people search for "Viking runes" or reach for a Norse rune translator, this is usually the alphabet they have in mind. Choose it if you want your name in the authentic Viking-Age script rather than the older Germanic one.

Anglo-Saxon Futhorc – the Old English runes

As Germanic settlers moved into Britain, they reshaped the runes to fit Old English, expanding the alphabet to around 29 runes. The Anglo-Saxon Futhorc — famous from carvings like the Franks Casket and the Ruthwell Cross — has extra letters for sounds the Viking set didn't cover, so it often maps a modern English name more completely than the other two. Choose the Old English runes if your name has sounds the shorter Viking alphabet struggles with, or if the English rune tradition speaks to you more than the Scandinavian one.

Whichever you choose, remember this is a transliteration — each letter is matched to its closest rune by sound, not a word-for-word translation. For a tattoo, a gift, or a custom piece, the right choice is simply the tradition that means the most to you: the ancient Elder runes, the Viking-Age Younger Futhark, or the Old English Futhorc.

This is a simple Elder Futhark-inspired rune translator. Type a name, copy the runes, and read the meaning behind each letter. It is meant for learning, personal designs, gifts, and inspiration — not as an academic transliteration.

People search for many names for this kind of tool: rune translator, rune name generator, Viking rune converter. What this page actually does is closer to a rune name converter — it keeps your real name and shows a rune-inspired spelling using the Elder Futhark alphabet. It does not invent a fantasy Viking name, and it does not translate your name into Old Norse.

Runes were written for older Germanic languages, not modern English, so some letters are approximate. Old runic writing also followed different sound rules than the alphabet most people use today. Use the result as a starting point, then read about the runes before committing to a tattoo or final design.

To go deeper, visit the Rune Library, the Rune Alphabet hall, and the Rune Meanings hall for a closer look at each symbol.