I've read the articles on how our Norwegian ancestors were named, and though I understand the premise, I'm still totally lost as I'm looking through the baptism records of my family. I'm hoping someone wise in the ways of Norwegian names can help me!

I'm looking at the Norwegian church record, where my great grandfather and his sibs were baptized. It lists their mother as "ANNE OLAFSDATTER OSMUND TVEIT."

Okay, I get that Anne was her Christian name and that she was Olaf's daughter. It's the "Osmund tveit" that's throwing me.

After doing a quick google, I learned that TVEIT is a town in Norway. However, the handwritten transcription of these records (I don't have the originals) does not capitalize the word "TVEIT."

So, does that mean that she was Anne, Olaf's daughter, from the Osmund Farm in TVEIT?

Or is "tveit" a word that means something entirely different?

I'm leaning toward the former, in which case, would "Osmund TVEIT" be considered part of her name or simply an identifier?

I would be ever so grateful for someone's guidance!

It would be best if you gave us a link to the record.

Osmund Tveit is a man's name. His given name is Osmund, he lives on Tveit farm.

Anne Olafsdatter is as you got it: Anne, daughter of Olaf.

In some church records you might see a woman (witness to baptism) identified by her husband: Anne Olsfsdatter Osmund Tveits = the wife of Osmund Tveit

Harald, thanks so much for replying.

I scanned the document and posted it here. Hopefully it will help. http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/ViewPhoto.aspx?tid=10308130&...

As you'll see, Anne's husband is Aslak. Notice, too, that the word "Tveit" also appears after some of the godparents' names.

So confusing!

I could not open the document - I had to try a membership in Ancestry first.

I guess your folks are from Telemark or Aust-Agder. All Norwegian church books are now scanned and online. So just tell when and where you are looking.

Rural Norwegians before 1900 did not use family surnames.
Persons were identified by their given name + their patronymic and/or their address (the farm name). Olafsdatter/Osmundsen are patronymics, Tveit is a farm name.

Hi Harald. I'm sorry you couldn't open the link. (It didn't occur to me that you had to be an ancestry.com member to see it.)

I just realized that I could attach the document here. I'll try this and see if it makes it visible to you.

If I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying that Osmund would have been someone's name. I'm wondering who that would have been. Anne's father was Olaf Gjermundsen (according to her church wedding record).

Yes, they were from Telemark.

That's an interesting page of notes from someone (but they re not original records).

The 1865 Norwegian census for that part of Telemark indicates a farm by the name of "Aasmundtvedt".

The notes you have obviously have chosen to spell that instead as "Osmund Tvedt". Spelling has never been an exact science.

I found the original record! So exciting! Harald, thank you so much for pointing out that the records have been scanned! I've just spent a fascinating hour looking at them! Couldn't understand a word they were saying, but interesting nonetheless!

Thoraway, thanks so much for finding that census record. It's all becoming clearer now!

So, I take it that the "Aasmundtvedt" would not have been included in the person's legal name? I'm just wondering how I should record these names on the family tree.

The original record for the one and only birth/baptism of a child listed on that page that lists "Osmundtveit" for the parents.
http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read?idx_kildeid=5976&i...

All other children listed on the page were born on Rue farm but a good number of the witnesses/sponsors listed resided on
"Osmundtveit".

How can you tell that they were all born on the Rue farm?

I can't thank you enough for all of the valuable help you're giving me!

I found the family on the farm on the 1865 census:

Name Family status Marital status Occupation Birth year Place of birth Ethnicity
Aslak Øysteinsen ug Gaardbruger og Selveier 1838 Hvideseid Prgj.
Øystein Eilevsen hans Fader e Føderaadsmand 1791 Hvideseid Prgj.
Aagaat Øysteinsdatter dennes Datter ug 1843 Hvideseid Prgj.
Karl Johnsen ug Tjenestekarl 1847 Hvideseid Prgj.
Anne Olafsdatter ug Tjenestepige 1836 Rauland Prgj.


The census says that there are 165 people living on the Rue Farm. Now I'm wondering if I'm misunderstanding the term "farm." Is a more like a village? 165 on a regular farms seems like an awful lot!

If I'm understanding the Norwegian translator correctly, Aslak was the owner of the farm.

This is all so fascinating!