Let me preface this by saying I have VERY little information, and am really just seeking some direction here.

I'm seeking information on my great-grandfather, who here in the USA (Philadelphia PA, specifically) went by the name Charles Bergman. Birth year, per the census, is 1882 in Sweden.

From what I'm told by family, he changed his name when he came to the US, and it was previously Carl (or Carol) Swanson (or Svenson/Svensson). Apparently he felt Swanson would cause him to be mistaken for a Norwegian (??). I do not know if he changed it before he left Sweden or after he got here, only that by 1909 when he married my great-grandmother in Philadelphia, he was using the name Charles Bergman.

The only other information I have is that he may have been in the Swedish Navy, however I am unsure of the accuracy of that information, since per the census information it appears he would have been between 19-23 when he came to the US (1901-1905) and that doesn't leave him much time to have been enlisted.

If anyone has ANY helpful suggestions, I would be very, very appreciative, because right now I'm at a standstill on this one.