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Norwegian Names

Replies: 4

Norwegian Names

Posted: 7 Mar 2015 2:57PM GMT
Classification: Query
I understand that Norwegians had a given name (first name) and a patrilineal 2nd name which was the father's first name plus son or datter. I also understand that Norwegians added a place name that identified the farm or neighborhood where they lived and differentiated them from another person with the same name. So Ole Larssen Sem was a person named Ole whose father's name was Lars and Ole lived on the Sem Farm and you could differentiate him from Ole Larssen Tvara who lived on the next farm.

What I don't understand is how the third name, the place name, changed over time. If Ole, in my example above was born Ole Larssen Sem, but then moved to the Bakke farm would he be known as Ole Larssen Sem/Bakke or just Ole Larssen Bakke. What if Ole moved to five different farms during his lifetime? How would he be known? Would there be a difference between everyday use and a legal document?

I have seen church records for one of my ancestors that gave the place name as name1/name2/name3 and wasn't sure how to interpret it. Was the first name fixed at birth and the 2nd and 3rd name indicative of subsequent living places?

Can someone shed light on how this worked?
SubjectAuthorDate Posted
David Offner 7 Mar 2015 9:57PM GMT 
thoraway 8 Mar 2015 12:08AM GMT 
Christina Cal... 28 May 2015 9:38PM GMT 
thoraway 29 May 2015 12:00AM GMT 
nils_egil_lie 18 Jul 2015 1:20PM GMT 
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