NORSE, VIKING, SCANDINAVIAN NAMING CUSTOMS

Date: About 0100 [uncertain] to about 1850 [uncertain] Location: SCANDINAVIA, IRELAND, SCOTLAND, RUSSIA Surnames: Sigurdsdottir, Sigurdsson, Olavsson, Olavsdottir, Sveinsdottir, Ragnvaldsson, Gormsdottir,, Haraldsson, Dyggvasson, Ivarsdottir, Magnusson, Eriksson, Andersdottir,, Haakonsson, Haakonsdottir, Tryggvasson, Eysteinsdottir, Knudsdottir,

Profile manager: Sheri Sturm [send private message] Last profile change on 21 June 2013 02:26: You edited the Text and Surname on NORSE, VIKING, SCANDINAVIAN NAMING customs This page has been accessed 2 times.

Sometimes people are confused by the son and daughter naming system in Scandinavian countries. The fact is, until mid 19th century, a woman did not take on her spouse's last name; she kept her *SDOTTIR name her whole life long. She is perpetually (FATHER'S FIRST NAME) + SDOTTIR. This is not unlike the early Scottish naming traditions using "NIC" for females and "MAC" for males added to the first name of their father.

A PROILE named (Mrs) Inge THORSDOTTIR OLAFSSON is inherently incorrect. She would never have a *SSON at the end of her name because of her gender. She would not change THOR (father) to OLAF (her spouse) either, because she is not her husband's daughter which OLAFSDOTTIR would imply. She remains THORSDOTTIR, no matter whom she marries. My Danish great grandmother had such a name (Nicolaisdatter). In some places like Iceland, this tradition continues even today.

Changes in the spelling of =son,=sen, and =datter, =dotter, etc. did not until the Scandinavian countries dived themselves up sometime in the 19th century, so the default *sson and *dottir is always correct in dealing with very old names of this kind.

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