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ArchivesRe: surname query
in reply to a message by Nanaea
Hi Nanaea,
I don't know anything about this family, but it's very common to get a new surname for the family in Sweden.
The reason is that because of this surname tradition (using their father's first name with a -son or -dotter suffix as a surname) which stopped about 100 years ago, very many people have got the same surname. If you have a look at a telephone register of a small town, you'll find hundreds of Andersson and hundreds of Svensson etc.
Other names without the -son suffix are more special and much nicer in many people's point of view, so many families decide to change surnames. On the Patent- and Registrationsoffice there are long lists with vacant surnames:
http://www.prv.se/guiden/namnguiden/index.html
Popular examples are:
Per Gessle (artist/"Roxette") - Johansson -> Gessle
Stellan Skarsgård (actor) - Nilsson -> Skarsgård
In both cases they are allready generation no. 2 with that new name (their fathers did the change). If you change to one of these new names, you can be sure, that you're family is the only one with that name.
Regards, Satu
I don't know anything about this family, but it's very common to get a new surname for the family in Sweden.
The reason is that because of this surname tradition (using their father's first name with a -son or -dotter suffix as a surname) which stopped about 100 years ago, very many people have got the same surname. If you have a look at a telephone register of a small town, you'll find hundreds of Andersson and hundreds of Svensson etc.
Other names without the -son suffix are more special and much nicer in many people's point of view, so many families decide to change surnames. On the Patent- and Registrationsoffice there are long lists with vacant surnames:
http://www.prv.se/guiden/namnguiden/index.html
Popular examples are:
Per Gessle (artist/"Roxette") - Johansson -> Gessle
Stellan Skarsgård (actor) - Nilsson -> Skarsgård
In both cases they are allready generation no. 2 with that new name (their fathers did the change). If you change to one of these new names, you can be sure, that you're family is the only one with that name.
Regards, Satu
1
Replies
Thanks for that fascinating bit of Scandinavia surname trivia, Satu. Yes, I can see how people might get bored with so many "-sons".
I wonder how many of these newly created surnames reflect New Age ideals? Are you finding many combined nature names among them, Satu? As in Scandinavian equivalents of, say, "Starhawk" and "Wolfmoon"?
-- Nanaea
I wonder how many of these newly created surnames reflect New Age ideals? Are you finding many combined nature names among them, Satu? As in Scandinavian equivalents of, say, "Starhawk" and "Wolfmoon"?
-- Nanaea
1
Stiernhöök exists since 1649. Johan Olsson, jurist scholar, became nobilitated in that year and took the name Stiernhöök. There is nothing of new-age-nonsense to it, though. It is a typical nobility-name.
Stjärna = 'star'
Hök = 'hawk'
Names that nobilitated persons took often contained elements like:
Krona = 'crown'
Lejon = 'lion'
Lilje = 'lily'
Gyllen = 'golden'
Sparre = 'spar'
Svärd = 'sword'
Stjärna 'star'
Örn = 'eagle'
etc, etc,
and this style was frequently imitated by others, non nobilitated persons.
http://www.lysator.liu.se/runeberg/sbh/b0530.html
Stjärna = 'star'
Hök = 'hawk'
Names that nobilitated persons took often contained elements like:
Krona = 'crown'
Lejon = 'lion'
Lilje = 'lily'
Gyllen = 'golden'
Sparre = 'spar'
Svärd = 'sword'
Stjärna 'star'
Örn = 'eagle'
etc, etc,
and this style was frequently imitated by others, non nobilitated persons.
http://www.lysator.liu.se/runeberg/sbh/b0530.html
1
Hi Nanaea,
Yes, most of these invented names are combined nature names. Beside those -son names combined nature names is the most common surname-group. You'll find lots of "real" (I mean "not-invented") names there like e.g.
Granqvist (spruce + branch)
Sjöholm (lake/sea + island)
Malmsten (ore + stone)
Ekström (oak + river, stream)
etc.
The invented names very often follow that model, but there are many invented names which are combinations of a "made-up"-word and a real word like:
Plejblom ("plej" [which doesn't mean anything!] + blossom)
Plejbris ("plej" + breeze)
Plejbygd ("plej" + district, countryside)
Plejhav ("plej" + sea, ocean)
Plejkullen ("plej" + the hill)
Plejrönn ("plej" + mountain ash)
Plejskog ("plej" + forest, wood)
Regards, Satu
Yes, most of these invented names are combined nature names. Beside those -son names combined nature names is the most common surname-group. You'll find lots of "real" (I mean "not-invented") names there like e.g.
Granqvist (spruce + branch)
Sjöholm (lake/sea + island)
Malmsten (ore + stone)
Ekström (oak + river, stream)
etc.
The invented names very often follow that model, but there are many invented names which are combinations of a "made-up"-word and a real word like:
Plejblom ("plej" [which doesn't mean anything!] + blossom)
Plejbris ("plej" + breeze)
Plejbygd ("plej" + district, countryside)
Plejhav ("plej" + sea, ocean)
Plejkullen ("plej" + the hill)
Plejrönn ("plej" + mountain ash)
Plejskog ("plej" + forest, wood)
Regards, Satu
1