ICELANDIC PLACE NAMES: WHY REYKJAVÍK MEANS “SMOKY BAY” AND WHAT OTHER NAMES MEAN
Icelandic place names may look like tongue twisters at first glance. But once you know a few basic Icelandic words, you quickly discover that they are often far from random. They describe mountains, glaciers, rivers, waterfalls and bays – sometimes with surprising literalness.
THE ICELANDIC MAP AS AN OPEN BOOK
Learn just a few words and you will start reading Icelandic place names in a completely different way as you travel around the country.
foss means waterfall, jökull glacier, fjall mountain, vík bay and fjörður fjord. Vatn means lake, á river, nes peninsula or headland, and gljúfur canyon or gorge.
Suddenly, for example, Skógafoss is no longer just a long Icelandic word. We know that its second part means waterfall. Likewise, Vatnajökull immediately tells us that we are dealing with a glacier.
There is one catch, though. Icelandic uses different grammatical forms when words are combined, so some words change slightly in place names. Jökull, for example, appears in the name Jökulsárlón as jökuls. The basic principle, however, remains the same.
REYKJAVÍK: SMOKY BAY
Reykjavík
Meaning: Smoky Bay
Pronunciation: rayk-ya-vik
The name of Iceland's capital comes from the words reykur – smoke – and vík – bay.
When the first settlers saw the area, they noticed steam rising from the hot springs. The bay was therefore given the name Reykjavík, literally meaning “Smoky Bay”.
Of course, nothing was actually burning. What looked like smoke from a distance was geothermal steam.
And vík is one of those words worth knowing when reading an Icelandic map. It also appears, for example, in the name Vík í Mýrdal.
KEFLAVÍK: BAY OF DRIFTWOOD
Keflavík
Meaning: Bay of Driftwood
Pronunciation: kep-la-vik
Keflavík is also made up of relatively simple elements. Vík once again means bay. The first part of the name is related to the word kefli, used for a piece of wood or a stick that could be washed ashore.
Keflavík therefore refers to a coastline where the sea brought driftwood.
For visitors, it is particularly interesting that driftwood was extremely important in Iceland for centuries. Very few trees grew naturally on the island, so wood carried in by the sea was an important source of building material.
KIRKJUBÆJARKLAUSTUR: A NAME THAT TELLS A STORY
Kirkjubæjarklaustur
Meaning: Church farm and monastery
Pronunciation: approximately kirk-yu-bye-yar-kloy-stur
Here, the name describes not only the landscape but also the history of the place.
Kirkja means church, bær means farm or settlement, and klaustur means monastery. The name therefore refers to Kirkjubær, the original farm, and the monastery that was later established there.
A Benedictine convent for women operated here from 1186 until the Reformation in the 16th century. The monastery is still remembered in the names of places in the surrounding area, including Systrafoss and Systravatn.
And if the full name seems far too long, you are not alone. Locals commonly call the place simply Klaustur.
FJAÐRÁRGLJÚFUR: THE CANYON OF FEATHERS
Fjaðrárgljúfur
Meaning: The canyon of the Fjaðrá River, literally “canyon of feathers”
Pronunciation: approximately fyath-raur-glyu-vur
Fjaðrárgljúfur is one of those names that looks much harder than it actually is to pronounce.
Gljúfur means canyon or gorge. Fjaðrá is the name of the river that flows through the canyon. The second part of the name therefore says exactly what we would expect: it is the canyon of the Fjaðrá River.
The word fjaðra itself is related to feathers.
This is no coincidence. Icelandic place names often originated from what people saw in the landscape, what a place looked like, or what it reminded them of. A name can therefore be a tiny description of the landscape hidden inside a single word.
AKUREYRI: THE TOWN ON THE SANDY SPIT
Akureyri
Meaning: roughly “field spit”
Pronunciation: ah-koo-ray-ri
Akur means field, while eyri refers to a gravelly or sandy spit of land formed by a river or the sea.
Akureyri therefore refers to a field landscape and a spit of land beside the water. Unlike Reykjavík or Keflavík, you do not need to understand the entire name – recognizing its individual parts is enough.
And eyri appears quite frequently in Icelandic place names.
VATNAJÖKULL: GLACIER OF LAKES
Vatnajökull
Meaning: Glacier of Lakes
Pronunciation: vat-na-yoh-kutl
Vatnajökull is one of the best examples of how Icelandic place names work.
Vatn means lake. Vatna is its plural genitive form – “of lakes”. And jökull means glacier.
Literally, therefore, “Glacier of Lakes.”
The name refers to the many lakes and bodies of water in the area. Once you learn jökull, you will start recognizing it immediately: Snæfellsjökull, Eyjafjallajökull, Sólheimajökull…
EYJAFJALLAJÖKULL: GLACIER OF THE ISLAND MOUNTAINS
Meaning: Glacier of the Island Mountains
Pronunciation: approximately ay-ya-fyat-la-yoh-kutl
The name of the famous volcano and glacier that disrupted air traffic across Europe in 2010 can be divided into three parts:
eyja – islandsfjalla – mountainsjökull – glacier
Literally, therefore, “Glacier of the Island Mountains.”
The reference to islands points to Vestmannaeyjar, the Westman Islands located south of Iceland.
SNÆFELLSNES: THE SNOW MOUNTAIN PENINSULA
Snæfellsnes
Meaning: Peninsula of the Snow Mountain
Pronunciation: snai-fetls-nes
Here, the final part of the name is the most useful clue.
Nes means peninsula or headland. Snæfell means “snow mountain”.
Snæfellsnes is therefore the peninsula named after Snæfellsjökull, the glacier-covered mountain at the tip of the peninsula.
Once you know nes, you will start spotting it elsewhere too – for example in the name Reykjanes.
LANDMANNALAUGAR: THE PEOPLE'S BATHS
Landmannalaugar
Meaning: The People's Baths
Pronunciation: approximately land-ma-na-loy-gar
The name Landmannalaugar refers to the area's hot springs, where people have bathed for centuries. Landmaður refers to a person from a particular area or district, while laug means a hot bath or bathing pool. The plural laugar therefore refers to baths or places for bathing.
Today, Landmannalaugar is best known as one of the most spectacular areas in Iceland's Highlands.
And laug appears in many other Icelandic place names. It refers to a place where natural hot water can be used for bathing.
ICELANDIC PLACE NAMES: FOSS, THE WORD YOU WILL SEE EVERYWHERE
And now for one of the most useful words for anyone travelling around Iceland:
FOSS = WATERFALL
Pronunciation: fos
You will come across it practically everywhere in Iceland. And no wonder – there are thousands of waterfalls across the country.
Just remember foss, and suddenly some Icelandic place names start making sense.
GULLFOSS
Gullfoss
Gull means gold and foss means waterfall.
Gullfoss = Golden Waterfall.
It is one of Iceland's best-known attractions and one of the stops on the famous Golden Circle.
SKÓGAFOSS
Skógafoss
Skógur means forest and foss means waterfall.
Skógafoss = Forest Waterfall.
The name refers to the landscape around the Skógá River.
GOÐAFOSS
Goðafoss
Goð means gods and foss means waterfall.
Goðafoss = Waterfall of the Gods.
It is one of the best-known waterfalls in northern Iceland.
SVARTIFOSS
Svartifoss
Svartur means black and foss means waterfall.
Svartifoss = Black Waterfall.
Here, the name perfectly matches the appearance. The waterfall is surrounded by dark basalt columns that resemble a gigantic organ.
A FEW MORE WORDS WORTH KNOWING
If you are driving around Iceland, these words can make navigating the map and understanding place names much easier:
Icelandic | Meaning | Approximate pronunciation | Example |
foss | waterfall | fos | Gullfoss, Skógafoss |
jökull | glacier | yoh-kutl | Vatnajökull |
fjall | mountain | fyatl | Eyjafjall |
fell | mountain, hill | fetl | Kirkjufell |
vík | bay | vik | Reykjavík, Keflavík |
fjörður | fjord | fyor-dur | Ísafjörður |
nes | peninsula, headland | nes | Snæfellsnes |
vatn | lake | vatn | Mývatn |
á | river | ow | Jökulsá |
gljúfur | canyon, gorge | glyu-vur | Fjaðrárgljúfur |
lón | lagoon | lone | Jökulsárlón |
hver | hot spring | kver | Hverir |
laug | pool, bath | loy | Landmannalaugar |
ey | island | ay | Heimaey |
HOW TO READ AN ICELANDIC PLACE NAME
The best trick is to look at the end of the word.
When you see:
foss → probably a waterfall
jökull → glacier
fjörður → fjord
vík → bay
nes → peninsula
gljúfur → canyon
vatn → lake
á → river
Then look at the first part of the name and see what it tells you about the place.
The Icelandic map starts to change. Long words that once seemed impossible to pronounce become little descriptions of the landscape.
Reykjavík is Smoky Bay. Vatnajökull is Glacier of Lakes. Skógafoss is Forest Waterfall. Fjaðrárgljúfur is the canyon of the Fjaðrá River.
And when you see another name ending in -foss on the map as you travel around Iceland, you will already know what to look for.
About the Author
Iceland has fascinated me for many years. Over the course of numerous journeys across the island, I have driven tens of thousands of kilometers, experienced storms that changed travel plans within minutes, and witnessed days when choosing the right route meant discovering places that most visitors never see. I documented many of these experiences in my documentary film Island in the North.
Through this website, I share practical travel advice, up-to-date information, and firsthand experiences from the field to help others explore Iceland more safely and gain a deeper understanding of its unique landscapes and ever-changing nature.
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