Norwegian name sounds

I was contemplating today how a lot of Nordic names that sounds tough and masculine in English are wimpy sounding to English ears in their proper inflection. And the reverse is true as well. Take two examples:

• Magnus. In English, "mag-nes." It sounds tough and burly. But it's usually spoken as "muhn-yus" by Norwegians. To my American ears, this sounds fruity, especially compared to "mag-nes."
• Olaf. To us, "Oh-laaf." Kinda silly sounding - it makes me think of Rose Nylund on the Golden Girls who was from St. Olaf, Minnesota. But it's really pronounced "O-leff," almost as one syllable, which is much more dignified.