Icelandic names and surnames. About Icelandic names: why in Iceland a child receives a name only six months after birth

Vitalina, Volodar, Diaz, Arnold and Ophelia... How many fantasy, historical and simply beautiful names would have been lost, how many unusual characters and destinies would not have been found if there had been a committee on personal names in our country - such as in Iceland .

Your name in the hands of six people

When you say the word “committee,” you, of course, imagine a large crowd of people in a representative building, sitting at tables littered with papers, long lists of names, and thinking intensely: “Masha or Dasha? Or maybe Glasha?

But no, the committee in Iceland is only six people: three are appointed by the Minister of Justice for a period of 4 years, and three more are appointed by the highest educational institutions countries. Just imagine, in the hands of six people an entire country, with its first names, patronymics and surnames (after all, in Iceland, surnames can also include parents’ names)! And until these most honorable six husbands give the go-ahead for the name you have chosen for your child, you will have to call the baby “bunny” or “sun”.

Why?

You may ask why and who needs this, and why shouldn’t parents be given the opportunity to decide for themselves what to name their own son or daughter? It's simple, Iceland, in the fight against foreign borrowings (most of all borrowings from Denmark), first of all defends its language. If you look back at history, Iceland became an independent country in 1918, but Denmark's influence remained.

Since the 1960s, Icelandic universities have taken up the task of eradicating foreign elements, and the Registry of Icelandic Names was gradually created, and in 1991, the Committee on Personal Names. The criteria for selecting the name were: following the traditions of the Icelandic language, euphony of the name, compliance with Icelandic grammar, and matching the gender of the name with the gender of the child. In other words, in our country the committee would definitely be in favor of Ivan, Peter and Agafya. But the names for the girl Yaroslava and the boy Valera might not be missed.

Agent 007 or Marie Louise Victoria?

Of course, people who decide for everyone must definitely have refined taste and impeccable names. This is Johannes Bjarni Sigtryggsson, doctor of Icelandic grammar, writer. He is very proud of his ancestry. After all, not only does he have one of the most beautiful, consonant and, most importantly, truly Icelandic names, his children are named correctly and tastefully: daughter Zhora, sons Gudmundur, Sigtryggur and Eystein (the boys are named after two grandfathers and one Icelandic poet 14 century). In Russia, the only person comparable to Johannes would probably be some Matveev Vsevolod Radomirovich or Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich. Johannes himself and other representatives of the committee consider their work very responsible and say without modesty that if it weren’t for them, children would be called either a combination of numbers or names of seventeen words. That is, Agent 007 or Marie Louise Victoria is a completely expected reality if there is no committee.

Fighters for names

"Sorry, but Greek name Andrej does not follow the rules of Icelandic grammar. Name the child Andrean or Andreas, or maybe Ande or Andres. After all, Icelandic has beautiful name Andri,” such refusals are not uncommon in Iceland. Typically, between half and two-thirds of the names are approved, and the remaining options are eliminated.

There are also cases when they try to challenge the Committee's decision. So, in 2005, Jon Gunnar Kristinsson, an actor and politician, tried to change his name to Jon Gnarr, that is, change his middle name and remove the third. The committee granted the request halfway - now he is Jón Gnarr Kristinsson, and his daughter Camilla is named so only unofficially; the committee did not miss the name, since it does not contain the Icelandic letter “C”.

At home - Blair, and officially "Stúlka", which translates simply as "Girl". Blair Bjarkadottir Runarsdottir lived with these names for sixteen years. The thing is that her parents named her in honor of the heroine of Halldoror Laxnessom’s novel “A Fish Can Sing” Blair, they managed to christen her under this name, but the Committee did not officially accept her - in the Icelandic language this name was listed as masculine, which means it is not suitable for a girl. All that remained was to either change the gender of the name or the gender of the victim herself. For sixteen years she remained a “Girl”, and then she protested the Committee’s decision in court, thereby proving that its word is not the last, and a fish can really sing.

More and more

Now the female name Blair has appeared in the Icelandic registry of names, which differs from the male name in its declension system. In general, the register is growing rapidly: in 2012 it consisted of just over 3,500 names, this year there are already 3,600, and in January the list was replenished with five new ones: the men's Geimar and Brimtour, the women's Gudna, Iselin and Ljounei. Perhaps the time is not far off when the Greek Andrej and Camilla will be approved, but, in general, the Committee is doing a useful job - strengthening the Icelandic roots and developing its own native language in the country. We can only envy, and maybe rejoice - nothing interferes with our imagination. The main thing is not to overdo it - after all, since 2017, our country has already had a law that prohibits calling children offensive or ridiculous names, which means that registry offices have the right to refuse to register a child with a name that is too unusual.

In most countries of the world, future parents, even before it becomes known whether they will have a son or daughter, begin to come up with a name for the child, discuss this issue with friends, and as soon as the baby is born, they immediately tell everyone his or her name .

In Iceland, everything is exactly the opposite. Here, acquaintances and relatives of young parents, as a rule, learn the child’s name only six months after the baby is born. If you ask a couple of Icelanders what they decided to name their child, they will look at you in surprise and leave the question unanswered.

Unbelievable but true. Until six months, most Icelandic newborns live without a name; parents simply call their children “stúlka” - girl or “drengur” - boy. The whole point is that it is not customary in Iceland to come up with a name for a child before his birth; you need to look at the baby that is born. Well, after the parents choose a name for the baby, it must be officially approved in accordance with the Icelandic list of names. This document contains 1800 names, not all of them are traditional, but only those names that comply with a number of rules receive approval. For example, it should not contain the Latin letters C or Z, since they are not in the Icelandic alphabet, and also the name may not be approved if it is spelled strangely.

So, first, parents must see the baby, then choose a name for him or her, then submit the name for consideration and wait for it to be officially approved. As a rule, the entire process takes from one to six months, and only after the baby receives official documents does his name become known to everyone. In a word, why rush, because a name is a serious matter, you need to think about it thoroughly, and then a person needs to live with it! Often, on the occasion of the naming of a son or daughter, happy parents throw a party at which they officially introduce their child to friends and family. If the baby was born to a couple who adheres to the Christian religion, the party in honor of finding a name is often held on the same day as the baptism.

Well, as I have written many times, Icelanders do not have a last name, their role is played by patronymics. Boys add the ending “son” to their father’s name, meaning “son,” while girls add “dóttir,” meaning “daughter.” However, as Icelanders told me, sometimes they resort to little tricks in order to simulate the presence of a surname; for this, boys are often called by the name of their grandfather, so that the family line can be traced.

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Þingvellir Valley (photo by Hansueli Krapf)

A state located on the island of Iceland and small islands near it in the north Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Reykjavik. Population – 317,630 (2010). Over 95% are Icelanders (descendants of Scandinavians who speak Icelandic). Danes, Norwegians, etc. also live. Official language– Icelandic. As of 2006, 82.1% of the population belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church. There are also followers of the Roman Catholic Church (2.4%), Reykjavik Free Church (2.3%), Hafnarfjörður Free Church (1.6%), others Christian churches(2.8%). 0.9% of the population belongs to other religions, 2.6% do not identify themselves with any religion, 5.5% are other or undecided.


Iceland is the only country in Europe where the majority of its inhabitants do not have surnames. The latter are found only in a few. For example, former prime minister Geir Haarde, laureate Nobel Prize Halldor Laxness. In 1925, a law was passed prohibiting Icelanders from taking surnames. This norm was confirmed in 1991 and 1997. However, descendants of foreigners and those Icelanders who took a surname before 1925 are granted the right to inherit the surname.


IN public life Personal names are mainly used, on the basis of which all alphabetical lists (including telephone directories) are compiled.


The second part of the Icelandic name is the patronym or, less commonly, the matronym. The patronym is formed from the father's name + identifier son(son) or dottir(daughter): Jón Stefánsson, Katrín Jónsdóttir, etc. In rarer cases, not the father’s name is used, but the mother’s, to which the same are added son or dottir. The population of Iceland is small, so problems with distinguishing namesakes usually do not arise. But if this happens, then an indication of the profession is added to the lists. In everyday life, to distinguish between full namesakes, they can sometimes use the name of a child on the paternal side, for example: Jón Þórsson Bjarnarsonar.


If the same company has namesakes, for example, Jón Stefánsson and Jón Þorláksson, then the first will be addressed as Jón Stefáns, and the second - Jón Þorláks. That is, formant son may be omitted.


There are certain legal restrictions on choosing a name for a child in Iceland. If a name has never been used in the country before, it must be approved by the Names Committee (Mannanafnanefnd), which has existed since 1991. The main criteria are the use of only letters of the Icelandic alphabet and the possibility of integrating the name into the Icelandic language, the possibility of its declension.


In Iceland, information on choosing names is offered by Statistics Iceland, the country's official statistics center. On his website you can find data on the statistics of the names of the entire population of Iceland (the first hundred), on the most common names of newborns (on this moment for 2004–2007 and 2009). Separate tables show the frequency of double names (both for the entire population and for newborns).


The leader in male names for newborns in 2009 was the name Alexander which 49 people received. The most common middle name for boys is Þór (100 names). In the female name list for newborns in 2009, the leader was the name Anna with 36 names. The most frequent second girls names – Maria And Ósk(70 adverbs each). Among the entire population of the country, the most common combination of male names is Jón Þór(as of January 1, 2010, 213 people), women – Anna Maria(at 352).


For more information, visit the Statistics Iceland website (link at bottom of page).

The 20 most common names of Icelanders as of January 1, 2010

(1. In parentheses – data as of January 1, 2005). 2. These statistics do not take into account middle names in the case of a person with two names; 3. f – absolute number of name bearers.)


Men's Women's
Name f % Name f %
1 John (1)5,442 3.40 Gurún (1)5,053 3.20
2 Sigurður (2)4,385 2.74 Anna (2)4,474 2.84
3 Guðmundur (3)4,137 2.59 Sigríður (3)3,693 2.34
4 Gunnar (4)3,232 2.02 Kristin (4)3,655 2.32
5 Olafur/Olav (5)2,883 1.80 Margrét/Margrjet/Margret (5)3,011 1.91
6 Einar (6)2,530 1.58 Helga (6)2,842 1.80
7 Kristján/Kristian/Christian (8)2,383 1.49 Sigrun (7)2,609 1.65
8 Magnus (7)2,378 1.49 Ingibjörg (8)2,334 1.48
9 Stefan/Stefan (9)2,207 1.38 Johanna (9)1,994 1.26
10 John (10)1,979 1.24 Maria (10)1,920 1.22
11 Björn (11)1,741 1.09 Elin (11)1,634 1.04
12 Arni (12)1,643 1.03 Catherine (14)1,423 0.90
13 Bjarni (13)1,562 0.98 Hildur (17)1,362 0.86
14 Helgi (14)1,525 0.95 Ragnheiður (15)1,332 0.84
15 Arnar (17)1,519 0.95 Guðbjörg (12)1,316 0.83
16 Halldor (15)1,480 0.93 Ásta (13)1,312 0.83
17 Petur/Pjetur (16)1,412 0.88 Erla (16)1,294 0.82
18 Kristinn (18)1,333 0.83 Lilja (20)1,242 0.79
19 Gisli (19)1,295 0.81 Guðny (18)1,217 0.77
20 Ragnar (20)1,277 0.80 Olof (19)1,174 0.74

The most common names for newborns, 2009

(in brackets – place of name in the previous year)


Men's Women's
Place Name Place Name
1 Alexander (6–7)1 Anna (1)
2 Daniel (9)2 Rakel (6)
3 John (2)3 Emilia/Emelia (2–3)
4 Sigurður (16–19)4 Catherine (2–3)
5 Viktor/Victor (1)5–6 Kristin (11–12)
6 Arnar (4–5)5–6 Victoria (17–19)
7 Kristján/Kristian/Christian (4–5)7–8 Anita/Anita (9–10)
8–9 Gunnar (6–7)7–8 Ísabella/Ísabel/Isabella/Isabel (17–19)
8–9 Kristofer (16–19)9 Margrét/Margrjet/Margret (25–27)
10 Stefan/Stefan (12–14)10–11 Eva (11–12)
11 Guðmundur (10–11)10–11 Sarah (4)
12 Aaron (3)12–14 Elisabeth/Elisabeth (7)
13 Gabriel (12–14)12–14 Embla (15)
14–16 Einar (22–24)12–14 Iris (37–41)
14–16 Matthías/Mattías/Mathías (16–19)15–16 Guirun (5)
14–16 Mikael/Mikkael/Mikkel (20–21)15–16 Katla (37–41)

5.6k (69 per week)

Iceland differs from most other countries in the world in that its inhabitants They rarely have surnames, and when addressing each other they use their first and patronymic names.

An Icelandic patronymic consists of the father's name and the word for "son" (son) or "daughter" (dottir). So, if Jon Einarsson had a son and he was named Olafur, then his name will not be Olafur Einarsson, but Olafur Jonsson. This is what famous people say:

  • at the musician's Haukur Tomasson father's name is Thomas;
  • at the singer's Bjork Gudmundsdottir dad's name is Gundmund;
  • at Miss World 1988 Linda Petursdottir Father's name is Petur.

If you have to deal with two namesakes with the same names and patronymics, then they begin to distinguish them by the name of their grandfather.

Previously, a similar tradition was observed in other Scandinavian countries, but was later abolished, and was preserved only in Iceland. However, these days in Norway, Sweden and Denmark it has again become fashionable to use this principle, replacing the surname with the patronymic. If the father is in an Icelandic family unusual name(for example, if he is an immigrant), then before giving his name to the children as a middle name, you need to obtain permission from a special department - the Icelandic Names Commission, which will decide whether it is possible given name used in Icelandic.

In some cases, Icelanders choose their mother's name rather than their father's name for their middle name., for example, if they want nothing to do with their biological father. This is what, for example, the famous Icelandic football player Heidar Helguson called himself, that is, Heidar, the son of Helga. So for Icelanders the character clause " Office romance”, who named its director Prokofy Lyudmilych, would not be such.

In general, Icelanders use only first names when addressing each other, even if it is the country's Prime Minister(Johanna Sigurðardóttir was simply called Jóhanna). In certain cases, such a system exhibits its inconveniences. Like everywhere else in Iceland phone books subscribers are listed in alphabetical order. But if everywhere the listing begins with the surname (which is always rarer and more unique than the name), then among the Icelanders the first sorting is by first name, and only then by patronymic. In addition, incidents often arise when Icelanders travel with their children. Customs officers in countries with a different name formation clearly know that children must have the same surname as their parents, but this is not the case here.

But sometimes Icelanders also have real, “European” surnames, although they are used here very rarely. Most often, surnames “stick” to Icelanders who had foreign ancestors in the past. But even then they use a shortened form of their middle name in addition to their last name. Examples of famous Icelanders with surnames: actress Anita Briem, director Baltasar Kormakur, football player Eidur Gudjohnsen.

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A correctly chosen name has a strong positive impact on a person’s character, aura and destiny. Actively helps to develop, forms positive qualities of character and condition, strengthens health, removes various negative programs of the unconscious. But how to choose the perfect name?

Despite the fact that in culture there are poetic interpretations of what female names mean, in reality the influence of the name on each girl is individual.

Sometimes parents try to choose a name before birth, preventing the child from developing. Attempts to use astrology are no longer applicable; astrology and numerology for choosing a name have squandered all serious knowledge about the influence of a name on fate over the centuries.

Christmastide calendars, holy people, without consulting a seeing, perspicacious specialist, do not provide any real assistance in assessing the influence of names on the fate of a child.

Popular lists, happy, beautiful, melodious female names are essentially generalizations, and completely turn a blind eye to the individuality, energy, and soul of the child.

Beautiful and modern Icelandic names should first of all suit the child, and not the relative external criteria of beauty and fashion. Who don't care about your child's life.

Various characteristics according to statistics - positive features name, negative traits name, choice of profession by name, influence of a name on business, influence of a name on health, psychology of a name can only be considered in the context of a deep analysis of the character, energy structure, task for life and gender of a particular child.

Name Compatibility Topic(and not the characters of people) is an absurdity that turns the interaction inside out different people internal mechanisms of influence of a name on the state of its bearer. And it cancels the entire psyche, unconscious, energy and behavior of people. Reduces the entire multidimensionality of human interaction to one false characteristic.

Meaning of the name does not give full impact, it is only a small part of the impact. For example Asdis (goddess) this does not mean that the girl will be happy in family life, and bearers of other names are unhappy. The name can weaken her health, block her heart center and she will not be able to give and receive love. On the contrary, another girl will be helped to solve problems related to love or family, which will make life and achieving goals much easier. The third girl may not have any effect at all, whether there is a name or not. Etc. Moreover, all these children can be born on the same day. And have the same astrological, numerological and other characteristics. And the same name. But fates are different.

The most popular Icelandic names for girls are also misleading. 95% of girls are called names that do not make their fate easier. You can only focus on the child’s innate character, spiritual vision and the wisdom of a specialist. And experience, experience and once again the experience of understanding what is happening.

Secret female name , as a program of the unconscious, a sound wave, vibration is revealed in a special bouquet primarily in a person, and not in the semantic meaning and characteristics of a name. And if this name destroys a child, then no matter how beautiful, melodious with the patronymic, astrologically accurate, blissful it is, it will still be harmful, destroy character, complicate life and burden fate.

Below is a list of Icelandic names. Try to choose several that you think are most suitable for your child. Then, if you are interested in the effectiveness of the name’s influence on fate, .

List of female Icelandic names in alphabetical order:

Adalbjorg - noble defense
Asdis - goddess

Brinja - armor
Brynhilder - armored female warrior

Joanna - good god
Jonah - good god

Kristjana - follower of Christ

Lara - laurel
Lilja - lily

Margret - pearl

Pala - small

Ragnhilder - struggling

Svanhilder - battle of the swan

Unner - wave

Fritrika - peaceful ruler

Khjordis - goddess of the sword
Hilder - battle
Halldora - Thor's Rock

Destiny is character. Character is adjusted, including through thoughts. The most the main idea This name. The name introduces changes in character. Then the character changes fate and future. Since all people are different, any generalizations that ignore a person’s individuality are incorrect.

How to choose the right, strong and suitable name for a child in 2019?

Let's analyze your name - find out right now the meaning of the name in the fate of the child! Write to WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber +7926 697 00 47

Neurosemiotics of the name
Yours, Leonard Boyard
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