Until after the Middle Ages, the people of Scandinavia did not find it necessary to use a surname-the sparse population and stability of the residents meant everyone knew Jens and Katrina (and their family) in a given town. Around the 15th or 16th century (it varied locally), surnames came into use To establish surnames, most of the general population adopted the patronymic system. This system continued in use at least through the 19th century, and sometimes into the 20th century. Here are TK tips for sorting out Scandinavian names: 1) Patronymics Each country mandated the end of patronymics at a different time, but adoption of fixed or heritable (or inheritable, which technically means the same thing, as confusing as that may be) surnames was not immediately universally adopted (even when required by law). These changes occurred over a period of time, but roughly the same time throughout Scandinavia. 2) Naming Hierarchy The pattern was for the nobility to first adopt fixed surnames, then the artisans, clergy, merchants, and finally the general population (farmers and laborers). When the clergy initially adopted surnames, they often Latinized" the name or used an actual Latin name. Artisans and craftsmen often used German-sounding surnames. 3) Country-to-Country Differences In Denmark, a law was passed in 1526 requiring fixed surnames for the nobility. In 1771 an act was passed mandating universal fixed surnames in the Duchy of Schleswig (then part of Denmark); a universal law for all of Denmark was passed in 1828, but was not immediately embraced by everyone, especially the rural population. Additional acts were passed in 1856, 1904, 1961, 1981 and 2005. Most of the population changed over by the end of the 19th century, so the post-1900 laws were to catch the stragglers. Since the names were frozen on a patronymic in most cases, by 2009, 19 of the top 20 surnames in Denmark were based on a patronymic name; the lone exception was Møller (I.e, Miller), an occupation-based name (more on those later). In Norway a law was enacted in 1923 requiring that all families have a single, heritable surname. In 2009, 17 of the top 20 surnames were based on a patronymic. The other three were based on geography. In Sweden, the Name Adoption Act was passed in 1901, abolishing the creation of new patronymics by generation. From that time forward, everyone was required to have a family name that passed from generation to generation. As in Denmark, 19 of the top 20 surnames are patronymic; the sole exception is Lindberg, which again is geographically based. 4) Maiden Names Since each generation followed the same pattern, the mother's maiden name was not passed to her children except in extenuating circumstances. The children of the daughters would adopt patronymic names based on the given name of their (the child's) father. Note that Scandinavian women did not adopt the surname of their husbands-the birth name was retained for life. A woman would be listed by her birth name in birth and marriage records (obviously), as well as birth and marriage records of her children and her death record. In the mid-1800s some women adopted the husband's surname, as in much of the rest of Europe. This was not widespread until more recently (and not necessarily now-some women still retain their birth names after marriage). One note, however: Beginning in the 19th century, upon immigration to America, Scandinavian women might have adopted the husband's surname, knowing that this was the American practice. When looking for a woman from Scandinavia, check both ways. When the change to fixed surnames became universally adopted in the late 1800s, another change took place in Norway: Women began adopting their husband's surname instead of keeping their birth names (as is usually seen in North America). Thus Ane Jensdatter (daughter of Jens) who married Nils Andersen (son of Anders) could become Ane Andersen. Watch for this when looking at the parents of a child-where you might normally expect to see the parents as Nils Andersen and Ane Jensdatter, with this scenario it would be Nils Andersen and Ane Andersen. Search for their marriage record to be sure whether her father was Anders or something else (Jens, in this case) before following the wrong maternal line. 5) Matronymic Surnames Occasionally, the illegitimate child of a Scandinavian woman might be given a matronymic name (based on the mother's first name). This is not the norm, though, since even illegitimate births generally acknowledge the name of the father, and the child is named accordingly. That is the usual reason for a child bearing a surname like Marensen. Sometimes a record will show a female's surname with "-dtr" at the end instead of spelling out the extension. That is just an abbreviation, the actual surname is with the full extension for a daughter. These endings were used through most of the 18th and 19th centuries. Late in the 19th century, just before adopting fixed surnames, many families (especially in Denmark) began using the male extension for both sons and daughters. Downloaded from “Family Tree University,” dated April 1, 2015 Sally Rolls Pavia [email protected] List Owner: [email protected] Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index "Our Soldiers are one of our greatest assets!"