Where did most of Iceland’s early settlers come from?

Most of Iceland’s early settlers arrived during the Viking Age, beginning in 874 CE. While historians note that the population was a mix of Norse and Celtic peoples, the vast majority—estimated between 60 and 80 percent—were of Nordic stock from Norway.123

The remaining settlers originated from other Nordic countries and from Norse settlements located in the British Isles, specifically Scotland and Ireland. These early groups eventually merged into a homogeneous population, with the Old Norse language of the Norwegian settlers serving as the foundation for modern Icelandic.12