Guttrom Thompson is this a common name in Norway

Question

My Grandfather was born in 1883 in Norway and I've been told his father was also Guttorm, born about 1860.  I know nothing esle and would like some help.

Answer 1

Guttorm Thompson

mentioned in the record of Guttorm Thompson and Ida Sofie Olson

Name:	Guttorm Thompson
gender:	Male
Wife:	Synneva Torgesen
Son:	Guttorm Thompson

Other information in the record of Guttorm Thompson and Ida Sofie Olson

from New York, New York City Marriage Records

Name:	Guttorm Thompson
Event Type:	Marriage
Event Date:	03 May 1913
Event Place:	Bronx, New York, New York, United States
Gender:	Male
Age:	29
Marital Status:	Single
Race:	White
Birth Year (Estimated):	1884
Birthplace:	Norway
Father's Name:	Guttorm Thompson
Mother's Name:	Synneva Torgesen
Spouse's Name:	Ida Sofie Olson
Spouse's Gender:	Female
Spouse's Age:	28
Spouse's Marital Status:	Single
Spouse's Race:	White
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated):	1885
Spouse's Birthplace:	Sweden
Spouse's Father's Name:	Mons Olson
Spouse's Mother's Name:	Cecelia Olson

Reference ID: Image # 922, CN 911 , GS Film Number: 1940566

Answer 2

Gutorm Thompson

United States Census, 1870

Name:	Gutorm Thompson
Event Type:	Census
Event Year:	1870
Event Place:	Minnesota, United States
Gender:	Male
Age:	17
Race:	White
Race (Original):	W
Birth Year (Estimated):	1852-1853
Birthplace:	Norway
Page Number:	10

Household	Role	Gender	Age	Birthplace
Torger Thompson		M	38	Norway
Rista Thompson		F	46	Norway
Gutorm Thompson		M	17	Norway
Ingeborg Thompson		F	15	Norway
Beret Thompson		F	9	Norway
Swend Thompson		M	4	Norway

Household ID: 63 , Line Number: 7 , Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Answer 3

I am no expert on Norwegian names but I googled Guttorm and it looks like it is rather common in Norway (not in Sweden though). https://nn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guttorm

The last name is more likely Thomsen in Norway than Thompson which is probably the English version of the name.

Sorry but that is all the help I can give you. Hope somebody else knows more.

Answer 4

Gutorm/Guttorm is not very common, but it is not uncommon either.

When he was born in Norway in 1883 his name would be Gutorm Gutormson as he was son of Gutorm, not Tom. If he was son of Tom his name would be Thomson. But your source says that his father was also named Gutorm, so we are looking for Gutorm Gutormsen b. 1883 in Bergen.

(I do not know where the name Thomson came from - Tom was not very common in Norway and I would guess it was to pretend to be more english.)

In 1883-12-03 in Husnes, Hordaland (not very far from Bergen, but still not Bergen city) there was a Gutorm Gutormsen born. He was son of Gutorm Gutormsen (b. 1854) and Synniva Torgersdatter (b. 1851). See the church record here:

http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:NBN:no-a1450-kb20061229660254.jpg

This seems to fit, doesn't it?

Comments

Thanks so much for the leads.  The naming convention both in Norway and Sweden is quite foreign to an American of the Midwest.

 

Kern Brogan

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You can read more about patronymic naming if you search google. An important part of it was the farm name - which is given in the church record above as "Undarheim". Thus when he was born he was known as Guttorm Guttormsen Undarheim. If his parents moved two years later, every one would change their name. So for poor people who did not own the farm, but just lived there, it can be difficult to trace them. For the farm owners it is possible to check who bought and sold the farms and then see how the name changes.

Could this be his mother?

http://digitalarkivet.arkivverket.no/kb/gr/person/pg00000000349745

In that case it states that she was born at Valen and when she died as a widow in 1909 she still lived at Undarheim.

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And this could be the death of his father:

http://digitalarkivet.arkivverket.no/kb/gr/person/pg00000000349205

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And their marriage - which gives a lot of information - for example names of fathers.

http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read?idx_kildeid=11397&idx_id=11397&uid=ny&idx_side=-130

However, I can not find Gutorm in the national census- I would like to so that we could get a confirmation that this is the correct family.