How do you research names from Norway? I can't even guess who to search for. Pedersen / Olsdatter?

Question

 

Christian Pedersen b.1834  in Vangs Prgj.Hedemarken, Norway married Dorthea Olsdatter b. 1836 in Borge Prgj.  I'm looking for their parents; the next generation back for each.

How on earth do you research in Norway with the names done so differently?  I'm at a loss.  Any help is appreciated.

I doubt either of them is connected to AJ up the tree.  That would be incredible if they were.

I do have acces to searches, I just don't know what names to look for.

Comments

Hi Robert,

Have you found the marriage of Christian and Dorthea in the Norwegian parish registers?

http://www.arkivverket.no/eng/Digitalarkivet

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I did not.  But I will look.

Answer 1

Prior to the 20th century (and partially even until 1923) "last" names were patronymics. If you know where Christian Pedersen was born you need to search for a child Christian with a father named Peder whose patronymic will give you the grandfather's name. Women kept their patronymic after marriage.  

Some people added a farm name after their patronymic, but that would change if they moved from one farm to another.

Very few, mostly with foreign ancestry or upper class people in the cities had regular hereditary last names.

Comments

Thank you for the information Helmut.

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This answer is excellent!  I would add that you can try name variations, endings of sson, sen, son and datter, dater, dottir, dotir, dr, dtr. Church records are hard to read, but Scandinavian countries began doing censuses in the 1800'S.  Usually, only landowners were shown as head of household, with workers and their families showing as members of the house.  One of my ancestors started with the name Tallaksson and when he emigrated, he became Tallaxen, then Tallesen.

Answer 2

Maybe this link will help:

http://www.norwayheritage.com/norwegian-names.htm

Answer 3

Hi Keith,

You might also find this page on Norwegian Naming Conventions useful:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Norway_Project_Naming_Conventions

Answer 4

Hi Keith,

This question is rather old, but it was bumped by Mark, so I did some quick searches to see what I could find.

You have identified Christian Pedersen as born in Vang, Hedemark, and it is not hard to search the records for a Christian born around 1834 in the church protocol for Vang:

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/search/76/9060

There are no matches in 1834, and one match in 1835:
https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/255/pd00000011298871

This would indicate that Christian is the son of Peder Olsen and Kirsti Knudsdatter of Lykseteie ('eie' implying that it is a tenancy under the farm Lykset), and born on 9 Oct 1835. Lykset farm is farm number 279 in Furnes parish, which was an annex to Vang parish. (see https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Furnes_Parish,_Hedmark,_Norway_Genealogy)

If you also search the 1891 census you find the family here: https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/census/person/pf01052671003473

where it says that Kristian was born in 1835 in Hurnes annex of Vang, matching the baptism record better than the 1865 census.

Kristian was still alive in 1910, when he is recorded as a father-in-law of Martinius Henriksen, who married his daughter Otilie: https://www.digitalarkivet.no/census/person/pf01036335002943

In the 1910 census the DoB from the baptism record is confirmed.