Old Norse viking (n.) meant "freebooting voyage, piracy;" one would "go on a viking" (fara í viking). The name by which the pirates were at first distinguished was Vikingr, which perhaps originally meant kings of the bays.

Does Viking Mean pirate raid?

The word Viking means a pirate, and the noun Viking means a pirate raid. It's a Scandinavian word describing the seafaring raiders from Scandinavia, but has come to mean all Scandinavians in the viking age between 800 and 1050 AD.

Where does the name Viking come from?

Did you know? The name Viking came from the Scandinavians themselves, from the Old Norse word "vik" (bay or creek) which formed the root of "vikingr" (pirate).