Swedish Names

Surname - Family Name - Last Name

The most common practice in Sweden during the 1700 and 1800s for a child's last name was patronymic. This means that a child's last name was derived from the name of a father - especially by the addition of a suffix or prefix showing descent.

For example a child's last name could be made from the father's first name with 'son' or 'daughter' added to the father's first name. Say that you have a boy whose name is Erik. His father's name is Jan. Erik's full name may then be Erik Jansson (son of Jan). A daughter named Anna would have the last name of Anna Jansdotter (daughter of Jan).

In the 1800s and earlier a woman always kept her patronymic name. Say for instance, a girl by the name of Maria had a father named 'Eric'. Her full name was then 'Maria Ericsdotter' (daughter of Eric). She kept the name even after she was married.

Towards the end of the 1800s, however, a woman in Sweden adopted her husband's last name when she married.

Later too, children simply kept the last name of an ancestor rather than taking their name from the father's first name. For instance, children's last names now may be 'Jansson' for several generations even though their father's first name is something other than Jan.

Furthermore, it was a custom for a time that a child may take the father's last name or the mother's maiden name. Say for instance you have two children named Erik and Fredrik. Their father's last name is 'Jansson'. Their mother's maiden name is 'Sjöberg'. Erik may take the name Jansson and so be called Erik Jansson. Fredrik may take his mother's maiden name of Sjöberg, and so be called Fredrik Sjöberg. Daughters could do the same. So it was not usual that members of the same family can have different last names.

People often took different last names for other reasons.

One can imagine many from the same village would have the same last name or they would have a common last name such as Johansson, son of Johan. So, many changed their name to something more unique.

Many in the 1800s took their last name from the place they lived, such as a farm or village, or from nature or their profession. Bengt Sandman was born in 1675 in the village of Sandhult. Johan Alfred Johansson changed his name to Rinell. Johan was from the village of Rinna. Names from nature include Sjöberg (mountain lake), Nordblom (north flower), Holmkvist or Holmquist (islet or small island and small branch or sprig). The last name of a miner from the town of Film, Uppland, Sweden was Malmsten or ore stone. Hammarson (son of Hammar) was from a smith family.
 

Men who joined the military often change their name or had their name changed for them by the military, to something more unique. No doubt this helped with administration. Too many Johanssons in the military could be very confusing. The new names were often short such as Lock (cap), Knapp (button), Kula (bullet), Stark (strong).

Nobilty or people in the church often latinzed their names, a common practice at one time in Europe. Måns Persson, vicar of Dannemora, changed his name to Magnus Petri.

Given Name - First Name - Christian Name

Typically the eldest son in a family received his grandfather's first name. Say for instance you have a boy who is the first born male of a family and his name is Erik Jansson. His father's first name, at least in the early days, was probably Jan. And, his grandfather's first name was probably Erik.

NOTES