Americans Have An Odd Way Of Pronouncing His Name

Leif Erikson's name appears in numerous variants in both medieval chronicles and online sources. Eriksson, Erikson, or Ericson are examples of such variations. However, it is necessary to point out that his last name is a patronymic. Thus, the meaning of his last name, Erikson, is "son of Erik." The last six, which start with a Latin "c," are the furthest from Norse and the least genuine. German is used in the final two, specifically. Keeping in mind that his father, the exiled Erik the Red, was Norwegian, Leif was born an Icelander. Leif's well-deserved claim to fame requires that we settle on a single, reasonable spelling so that everyone may always understand who we are referring to.

Leif typically rhymes with the English word safe (or like "life" depending on the region) and is pronounced "Layf" in Iceland and Scandinavia. However, in America, "Leef" is frequently used instead. You might recall Spongebob Squarepants praising "Leef" Erikson Day in a season two episode if you watched Nicktoons as a child.

Leif's name is also spelled in a variety of ways. The name "Leif Erikson" is spelt "Leifr Eirksson" in Old Norse. However, it is written Leiv Eiriksson in Nynorsk, a more modern form of Norwegian writing. Just the top of the iceberg, really. Some authors use alternative spellings like Ericson, Eriksson, and Erikson, which might further complicate matters. Leif Erikson is the variant that is most frequently used in the United States, so we'll stick with it.