Origination of
Scandinavian
Family Names
Scandinavian
Family Names
Scandinavia
In Scandinavia family names often, but certainly not always, originate from a patronymic. In Sweden, the
patronymic ending is -sson, e.g. Karlsson ("Karl's son"). In Denmark and Norway, the corresponding
ending is -sen, as in Karlsen. Names ending with dotter/datter (daughter), such as Olofsdotter, are rare
but occurring, and only apply to females. Today, the patronymic names are passed on similarly to family
names in other Western countries, and a person's father doesn't have to be called Karl if he or she has
the surname Karlsson.
Before the 19th century there was the same system in Scandinavia as in Iceland today. Noble families,
however, as a rule adopted a family name, which could refer to a presumed or real forefather (e.g. Earl
Birger Magnusson Folkunge) or to the family's coat of arms (e.g. King Gustav Eriksson Vasa). In many
surviving family noble names, such as Cederqvist ("cedar-twig") or Stiernhielm ("star-helmet"), the
spelling is obsolete, but since it applies to a name, remains unchanged.
Later on, people from the Scandinavian middle classes, particularly artisans and town dwellers, adopted
names in a similar fashion to that of the nobility. Family names such as the Swedish Bergman, Holmberg,
Lindgren, Sandström and Åkerlund were quite frequent and remain common today. The same is true for
similar Norwegian and Danish names.
These names often indicated the place of residence of the family. For this reason, Denmark and Norway
have a very high incidence of names derived from those of farms, many signified by the suffixes like -bø,
-stuen, -løkken or even more predominantly -gaard -- the modern spelling is gård in Danish and has
changed to gard in Norwegian, but as in Sweden, archaic spelling persists in surnames.
The most well-known example of this kind of surname is probably Kierkegaard (original meaning: the
farm located by the Church or also churchyard and cemetery [although this is unlikely in the context]
which, with kierke, actually includes two archaic spellings), but many others could be cited. It should also
be noted that, since the names in question are derived from the original owners' domiciles, the
possession of this kind of name is no longer an indicator of affinity with others who bear it.
In many cases, names were taken from the nature around them. In Norway, for instance, there is an
abundancy of surnames based on coastal geography, with suffixes like -strand, -øy, -holm, -vik, -fjord or
-nes. A family name such as Dahlgren is derived from "dahl" meaning valley and "gren" meaning branch;
or similarly Upvall [4] meaning "upper-valley"; It depends on the Scandinavian country, language, and
dialect.
In Scandinavia family names often, but certainly not always, originate from a patronymic. In Sweden, the
patronymic ending is -sson, e.g. Karlsson ("Karl's son"). In Denmark and Norway, the corresponding
ending is -sen, as in Karlsen. Names ending with dotter/datter (daughter), such as Olofsdotter, are rare
but occurring, and only apply to females. Today, the patronymic names are passed on similarly to family
names in other Western countries, and a person's father doesn't have to be called Karl if he or she has
the surname Karlsson.
Before the 19th century there was the same system in Scandinavia as in Iceland today. Noble families,
however, as a rule adopted a family name, which could refer to a presumed or real forefather (e.g. Earl
Birger Magnusson Folkunge) or to the family's coat of arms (e.g. King Gustav Eriksson Vasa). In many
surviving family noble names, such as Cederqvist ("cedar-twig") or Stiernhielm ("star-helmet"), the
spelling is obsolete, but since it applies to a name, remains unchanged.
Later on, people from the Scandinavian middle classes, particularly artisans and town dwellers, adopted
names in a similar fashion to that of the nobility. Family names such as the Swedish Bergman, Holmberg,
Lindgren, Sandström and Åkerlund were quite frequent and remain common today. The same is true for
similar Norwegian and Danish names.
These names often indicated the place of residence of the family. For this reason, Denmark and Norway
have a very high incidence of names derived from those of farms, many signified by the suffixes like -bø,
-stuen, -løkken or even more predominantly -gaard -- the modern spelling is gård in Danish and has
changed to gard in Norwegian, but as in Sweden, archaic spelling persists in surnames.
The most well-known example of this kind of surname is probably Kierkegaard (original meaning: the
farm located by the Church or also churchyard and cemetery [although this is unlikely in the context]
which, with kierke, actually includes two archaic spellings), but many others could be cited. It should also
be noted that, since the names in question are derived from the original owners' domiciles, the
possession of this kind of name is no longer an indicator of affinity with others who bear it.
In many cases, names were taken from the nature around them. In Norway, for instance, there is an
abundancy of surnames based on coastal geography, with suffixes like -strand, -øy, -holm, -vik, -fjord or
-nes. A family name such as Dahlgren is derived from "dahl" meaning valley and "gren" meaning branch;
or similarly Upvall [4] meaning "upper-valley"; It depends on the Scandinavian country, language, and
dialect.
NOTE: Not sure where I got this, but it sure is interesting!