A Handbook of Scandinavian Names

Namesakes in the Scandinavian Tradition

80 Namesakes in the Scandinavian Tradition Modern American naming books encourage parents to choose a name for their child that is trendy, cute, or distinctive. In contemporary Scandinavia we can see a similar tendency. But up until quite recently, such motives were a very far cry from what Scandinavian parents were up to when they chose a name for a new baby. What mattered was the family. Names were chosen from a limited palette of family names and according to a quite rigid system. In its simplest form the system worked like this: the first male child was given the name of the father’s father, the first female child the name of the father’s mother; the second male child got the name of the mother’s father, and the second female child the name of the mother’s mother. Sometimes, the system was reversed, so that the mother’s parents were honored first, but by and large the system traditionally favored the father’s family first in this respect. Paternal grandfather Paternal grandmother Maternal grandfather Maternal grandmother Mother Father Son #1 named for paternal grandfather Daughter #1 named for paternal grandmother Daughter #2 named for maternal grandmother Son #2 named for maternal grandfather Namesakes in the Scandinavian Tradition 81 This tradition was practiced in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden for centuries, but it died out first in Sweden. In Denmark it is no longer common practice, but the custom is still carried on in many Norwegian families, particularly in rural communities. We can illustrate this system by following the naming pattern in our own Norwegian family (see figure below). In order to see the pattern, it is not necessary to list all the children born to the various couples. This family can be traced back a long time, and we begin in 1720, when Johannes Endresen Søndenå was born. Johannes was the son of Endre, a name we can trace back to Old Norse Eindriði. Endre, pronounced ehn-dreh, is one of the names of the god Thor, and it means “the lone rider.” Readers familiar with Norse mythology will remember that when it thunders, Thor is riding alone across the sky in a wagon pulled by his two billy goats. As we will see, Endre is the name with the longest tradition in this branch of the family. 82 A Guide to Scandinavian Naming Johannes Endresen married Helga Larsdotter Håland. The couple settled at a farm called Hanakam in Suldal County in 1756. They now used the farm name Hanakam after their names, but it was more like an address to indicate where the family was living than a surname in the modern sense. As we can see from the patronymics of the parents, their first sons should receive the names Endre and Lars. And to be sure, Endre Johannessen Hanakam was born in 1765, and his brother Lars was born in 1768. We can follow the naming traditions through Endre. Endre married Siri Åkesdotter Hiim in 1793, and their first daughter born in 1794 was named Helga after her paternal grandmother. Their first son was Åke (b. 1800), in this case named after his maternal grandfather, and the second was named Johannes (b. 1804) after his paternal grandfather. Åke Endresen Hanakam married Elsa Mikkelsdotter Brommeland in 1828. Their first son (b. 1829) was named Endre after Åke’s father, the second (b. 1834) was named Mikkel after Elsa’s father. In the next generation we follow Endre Åkesen Hanakam. In 1860 he married Astri Johannesdotter Neset. One child is of interest here: Elsa Johanna Endresdotter , born in 1864 and named for both her paternal grandmother Elsa and maternal grandfather Johannes. At this time it was rare to have two given names. Elsa married Ola Mikkelsen Veka in 1895, and true to the pattern, their sons were named Mikkel (b. 1896) and Endre (b. 1903), and a daughter was named Astrid. Endre’s eldest son received the name Olav (b. 1942), named for his paternal grandfather Ola Mikkelsen Veka. Olav’s eldest son was named Endre (b. 1974) after his paternal grandfather. But it wasn’t always that simple, of course. Quite often a child would die, leaving a void in the naming pattern. But naming traditions had this covered as well. If a child died, the next one of the appropriate sex would be given the same name that the deceased child...