Friends, good afternoon! Today I will talk about such seemingly simple things as the names of people and license plates of cars in Iceland. U local residents and this has its own characteristics that look unusual and original for Russians. This will be discussed in the article. First, look at this photo taken on the Reykjavik city beach in January. In the depths of winter, under open air, on a snow-covered beach, Icelanders relax in a bath of hot thermal water. Read more. Purely Icelandic picture:
Icelanders are a small nation. Today, the population in the country is just over 320 thousand people. Of which about 10% are foreign immigrants. Thus, there are less than three hundred thousand native Icelanders. And in the old days, when the first settlers arrived on the island, from whom the entire “Icelandic family” came, the number of the local population was several times smaller than it is now.
Probably due to this small population, Icelanders did not have surnames. There were so few people that there was no need for surnames. It was enough to have a first name and patronymic, which served as a surname. This tradition continues today. Modern Iceland is perhaps the only country in the world where the majority of residents do not have surnames as such. There is only a first name (often two or even three names) and a patronymic. In modern Iceland, only immigrants of the modern wave, as well as a small number of local Icelanders, whose ancestors were foreigners with surnames who came to Iceland not so long ago, within the last 100-200 years, have surnames, in the usual sense for us.
It took me a while to understand how Icelanders manage without surnames. When in every Icelandic family, all its members, parents and children, different surnames, because different patronymics. From my point of view this creates incredible confusion. At first it was difficult for me to get used to the complex Icelandic names, many of which my tongue was simply unable to pronounce. But gradually everything worked out, both to understand and to reprimand. I will try to explain to you what an Icelandic name and surname are. It's actually quite simple. An Icelandic surname is a patronymic.
For example, an Icelander’s name is Jón Gunnarsson (Jón is a first name, Gunnarson is a surname), or, in Russian, Jón Gunnarovich. This means that Jonn’s father was Gunnar, which means Jon is Gunnar’s son, i.e. Gunnarson, Jón Gunnarsson.
Jón Gunnarson's son, for example, is called Bjarni Jónnovic in Russian, and Bjarni Jónsson in Icelandic. It is clearly visible that the father and son have different patronymics, therefore different Icelandic surnames.
According to a similar scheme, they are built female surnames, only to the name of the father, instead of son - “son”, the ending dóttir is added - douhtir, which means “daughter”. For example: Kristín Guðmundsdóttir (Kristin, daughter of Gvüzmund), Jóhanna Sturludóttir (Jóhanna, daughter of Sturla). Well, it goes without saying that the middle name of a father and his daughter is almost always different, which means their Icelandic surnames are also different.
In addition, when an Icelandic woman gets married, it is quite logical that she never changes her patronymic and does not take the surname (or rather patronymic) of her husband. So it turns out that in every Icelandic family, the mother has one surname, the father has a completely different surname, and their children have a third surname. How do you like this mix?
There is one big plus in this family confusion. It consists in the fact that since in Icelandic society the surname is not passed on from father to son, this means there is no opportunity and conditions for boasting and flaunting famous surname and use it for personal gain. In Iceland, it is customary to evaluate and respect a person only for his personal qualities and achievements, and not for belonging to any family, even the most ancient and famous.
Now let's talk about Icelandic names. Few Icelanders have one name. As a rule, at birth a child is given two names, and sometimes even three. This allows for better identification of Icelanders, creating fewer matches based on only one first and last name (patronymic). In a telephone directory, the list of subscribers is compiled starting with the first name, not the last name, so each common name often takes up several pages of the directory:
Many Icelandic names, both male and female, have a strange sound to the Russian ear and difficult pronunciation for the Russian language. For example: Svanhildur (pronounced Svanhildur), Friðbjörn (pronounced Frizbjörtn), Hrafnkell (pronounced Hrapnketl), Snæfríður (pronounced Shneifrizyur). It was necessary to come up with such words! Try to guess which of these names are male and which are female? You will find the answer at the end of the article.
Fortunately for foreigners living here, not all Icelandic names are so “fuzzy”. There are also quite normal ones, with “human” pronunciation, sometimes very similar to Russians. For example: Ómar, Jón, Sveinn, Árni, Valdimar, Ingi, Einar, Anna, María, Olga, Júlía, Soffía, Sonja.
It is very interesting that many Icelandic names are derived from the names of animals and birds, plants and flowers, natural phenomena, etc.
For example, the Icelandic word björn means "bear". Male names are derived from it: Björn, Bersi, Bessi, Bjarni, female name Birna-bear. Snæbjörn - white (snow) bear. From this word male names are derived: Snæbjörn, Sæbjörn, Friðbjörn.
Here are more original Icelandic male names: Úlfur - wolf; Hjörtur-deer; Karl-male; Örn and Ari-eagle; Valur-falcon; Hrafn-raven; Svanur-swan; Þröstur-sparrow; Már-petrel; Guðmundur-divine; Álfur-elf, etc.
But the original Icelandic female names: Svana and Svanfríður-swan; Valgerður-falcon; Kría-tern; Arna-eagle; Hrafnhildur-crow; Rán-sea; Unnur and Alda-wave; Katla and Hekla are names that repeat the names of volcanoes; Mjöll-snowball; Álfheiður-woman - elf; Björk - birch; Vala - pebbles, etc.
Like these ones unusual names adopted by the Icelanders. In addition, many locals have the habit of naming their cars as well. This is allowed here. Instead of a classic license plate, the car owner can come up with any word, name or set of letters and numbers, in general, whatever he wants and has enough imagination for. And this fantasy will be embodied in your car license plate. It goes without saying that for such pleasure you need to pay a certain amount, and a considerable one.
Judging by the license plates of the cars that caught my eye, I can confidently say that Icelanders have nothing wrong with their imagination and sense of humor. Often there are license plates with a male or female name, Icelandic or foreign. But such numbers are quite boring; they do not show any imagination of the owner of the car:
Sometimes the name of the license plate can be associated with the profession of the car owner. Probably the owner of this car is an actor or musician:
Sometimes there are more interesting license plates, which are a set of numbers similar to the date of birth or some other significant date in the life of a car owner. Numbers like this make you think. And sometimes the number is so strange that it is completely impossible to guess what it means?
But most of all I like license plates, some photos of which I publish below. Here's how they are translated from Icelandic. This number literally means "animals":
And this Icelandic word is translated into Russian as “calf”:
Well, this word does not need translation. I’m sure any of you will guess that this Icelandic word for a license plate means “pig” in Russian. Yes, yes, just a pig, an ordinary pig.
We can assume that the owners of these cars tell their friends something like this: “Over the summer, my animals ran 50 thousand kilometers off-road. Their tires are bald, it’s time to change the wheels.” Or “I accidentally dented my calf’s bumper and broke the sidelight.” Or “My pig is always dirty and terribly gluttonous, I fill it every three days.” Well, or something like that...
Friends, I hope you have felt some of the character traits of the local people and appreciated the inimitability of Icelandic humor. Icelanders are very creative people, they know how to come up with reasons and reasons for fun and enjoy the little things. Well done, aren't they?
And now the correct answer to the question about Icelandic names. Male names: Friðbjörn (Frizbjörn) and Hrafnkell (Hrapnketl), female names: Svanhildur (Svanhildur) and Snæfríður (Shnæfríður).
Oleg and Valentina Svetovid are mystics, specialists in esotericism and occultism, authors of 15 books.
Here you can get advice on your problem, find useful information and buy our books.
On our website you will receive high-quality information and professional help!
Scandinavian surnames(Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish)
Scandinavian countries– term used for three countries Northern Europe: Finland, Sweden and Norway. In addition to them, Denmark and Iceland are also included here.
These countries, in addition to their geographical proximity and northern location, also have a number of other common features: generality historical development, high level economic development and a relatively small population.
The most common Swedish surnames
Sweden occupies most of the Scandinavian Peninsula. This is basically a single-national country with a population of about 9 million people, more than 90% of the inhabitants are Swedes.
Andersson (Andersson)
Gustafsson (Gustafsson)
Jonsson (Johnson)
Karlsson (Karlsson)
Larsson
Nilsson
Svensson (Svensson)
Persson
Olsson
Eriksson
Hansson
Johansson
The most common Norwegian surnames
Norway is the country of the ancient Vikings.
Andersen
Jensen
Kristiansen
Karlsen
Larsen
Nilsen
Olsen
Pedersen
Hansen
Johansen
The most common Finnish surnames
The population of Finland is about 5 million people, mostly Finns and Swedes live here, and their religion is Lutheran.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, most Finns did not have official surnames. The upper classes mostly wore Swedish surnames. The law requiring every Finn to have a surname was passed in 1920, after independence.
Finnish surnames were mainly formed from names, from geographical names, from professions and from other words.
Virtanen
Korhonen
Koskinen
Laine
Makinen
Makela
Nieminen
Hamalainen
Heikkinen
Jarvinen
The most common Danish surnames
Denmark occupies most of the Jutland Peninsula and a group of nearby islands. The population is about 5 million people. Ethnic composition: Danes, Germans, Frisians, Faresians. Official language– Danish. Religion – Lutheranism.
Andersen
Jensen
Christensen
Larsen
Nielsen
Pedersen
Rasmussen
Sorensen
Jorgensen
Hansen
Icelandic surnames
Icelandic name consists of a first name, a patronymic (formed from the father’s name) and in rare cases a surname. Feature Traditional Icelandic names are the use (in addition to the actual name) of a patronymic and the extremely rare use of surnames.
Most Icelanders(as well as foreigners who have received Icelandic citizenship) have only a first and patronymic (a similar practice existed previously in other Scandinavian countries). When addressing and mentioning a person, only the name is used, regardless of whether the speaker addresses this person with “you” or “you”.
For example, Jon Thorsson - Jon, son of Thor. The patronymic looks and sounds like a surname.
Only a very small number of Icelanders have surnames. Most often, Icelandic surnames are inherited from their parents. foreign origin. Examples of famous Icelanders with surnames include footballer Eidur Gudjohnsen and actor and director Baltasar Kormakur.
Our new book "The Energy of Surnames"
Our book "The Energy of the Name"
Oleg and Valentina Svetovid
Our address Email: [email protected]
Scandinavian surnames (Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish)
Attention!
Sites and blogs have appeared on the Internet that are not our official sites, but use our name. Be careful. Fraudsters use our name, our email addresses for their mailings, information from our books and our websites. Using our name, they lure people to various magical forums and deceive (they give advice and recommendations that can harm, or lure money for conducting magical rituals, making amulets and teaching magic).
On our websites we do not provide links to magic forums or websites of magic healers. We do not participate in any forums. We do not give consultations over the phone, we do not have time for this.
Note! We do not engage in healing or magic, we do not make or sell talismans and amulets. We do not engage in magical and healing practices at all, we have not offered and do not offer such services.
The only direction of our work is correspondence consultations in written form, training through an esoteric club and writing books.
Sometimes people write to us that they saw information on some websites that we allegedly deceived someone - they took money for healing sessions or making amulets. We officially declare that this is slander and not true. In our entire life, we have never deceived anyone. On the pages of our website and in the club materials, we always write that you need to be an honest, decent person. For us, an honest name is not an empty phrase.
People who write slander about us are guided by the basest motives - envy, greed, they have black souls. The times have come when slander pays well. Now many people are ready to sell their homeland for three kopecks, and it is even easier to slander decent people. People who write slander do not understand that they are seriously worsening their karma, worsening their fate and the fate of their loved ones. It is pointless to talk with such people about conscience and faith in God. They do not believe in God, because a believer will never make a deal with his conscience, will never engage in deception, slander, or fraud.
There are a lot of scammers, pseudo-magicians, charlatans, envious people, people without conscience and honor who are hungry for money. The police and other regulatory authorities have not yet been able to cope with the growing influx of "Deception for profit" madness.
Therefore, please be careful!
Sincerely – Oleg and Valentina Svetovid
Our official sites are:
Love spell and its consequences – www.privorotway.ru
And also our blogs:
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 usually 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.
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.
Iceland was settled by Norwegians at a time when the Scandinavian languages were still almost indistinguishable from each other. The common Scandinavian language was called "Danish" at that time. In modern times it is called Old Norse. Iceland, which developed somewhat differently from mainland Scandinavia, in modern times speaks a language that is closer to Old Norse than any other language.
Icelandic names are one single word or one made up of several, a word in Old Norse. The names most often have a nature or battle theme, as you can see by reading the lists. Icelanders are often named after ancient characters Scandinavian mythology.
What do you pay attention to when choosing?
It is worth talking about the structure of Icelandic names. As a rule, Icelanders have a first name, a middle name (rarely called. The equivalent is a middlename among the British) and a patronymic. Only a small number of Icelanders have surnames (immigrants and those Icelanders who wanted to register a surname for themselves, as well as Icelanders who married a man from another country and took his surname).
In general, when choosing a name, Icelanders are guided by the same traditions as throughout Europe. The first name is chosen either by sound or by meaning, or is given in honor of a relative or some person significant to them (for example, a friend). The middle name is usually given in honor of someone (relative or friend). Thanks to the proximity of Icelandic and Old Icelandic, Icelanders understand the meaning of most names.
The word “Aces” is often found in names. Translated, it means the highest gods in Scandinavian mythology, living in Asgard.
Popular options
Men's
- Adalbert– “noble + bright.” The name is of ancient Germanic origin. Adalbert is a noble man who knows what honor is.
- Adalrik– “noble, noble + rich, powerful.” Adalrik is a somewhat proud man who knows how to handle his money. He has the features of a king.
- Adalstein– “main, noble + stone.” Adalstein is a steadfast, imperturbable person who knows how to behave well. If he needs to demonstrate calmness in stressful situation, he copes with this task.
- Asgeir- “ace + spear”. Asgeir is wise and warlike. He is very interesting person, not lacking in talent.
- Asvid– “as + tree, forest.” Asvid has a broad soul and the ability to learn.
Buggy- “bag, sack, bundle.” Buggy is cheerful and open, he has pure thoughts. He is simple and naive, capable of good deeds.- Bally- “dangerous, risky, terrible.” Bally cannot live without risk. He constantly gets into trouble. Bally is furious and merciless towards his enemies, but maybe good friend and a strong defender.
- Berg- “to protect, to preserve.” Berg is a true guardian. For his friends, he becomes the strongest support, someone who can always be relied on.
- Bergstein– “to protect, store + stone.” The meaning is the same as the name Berg.
- Bercy- “bear cub, bear.” Bercy is strong and resourceful, and also has a cheerful spirit and a bright soul.
- Billing- “twin”. Billing is smart, calm and reasonable.
- Brynjolv– “armor + wolf”. Brynjolf is cunning, capable of meanness, but if he knows that you - good man, you will never become its victim. With everyone who deserves it, he turns out to be warm and honest.
- Bjorn- "bear". Björn is calm, but sometimes becomes furious. He is ready to protect what is dear to him by any means.
- Bjart- "light". As is clear from the etymology, Bjarth bright at heart, he is open and sincere, does not recognize deception and lies as an acceptable means to achieve his goals. Prefers to play honestly.
- loon- “dog, dog.” Gagar knows how to find an approach to people, he is an interesting conversationalist and true friend, ready to stand up for the person dear to him.
- Gapi- “yawn, open your mouth wide.” Gapi is lazy and lethargic, inactive and lacking initiative, but he can change for the better.
- Guard- “fence, fortification, protection.” Gard is firm, if he is sure of something, he usually insists on his own, but after a conversation he always checks the information and accepts the interlocutor’s point of view if he finds confirmation of his words.
- Gautar- “gaut, goth.” Gautar is wild and not social, but this does not prevent him from living a normal life. He communicates well with only one or two friends.
Gedda- "pike". Gedda is quirky and resourceful, smart. Knows how to turn a situation to his advantage.- Doug- "day". Doug is open to new beginnings and knows how to enjoy the little things.
- Dadi– meaning unclear. Dadi seems funny from the outside, a little clumsy. He is cheerful and frank, very straightforward.
- Duva- "pigeon". Duva is easy-going, easy to persuade him to do something. As a rule, he does not have a strong opinion of his own, but he tries to find one.
- Ivar- “yew + warrior or protector.” Ivar is sharp-tongued and witty. He strong-willed and, if he develops in this way, he will become strong in body.
- Isolv- “ice + wolf”. Isolv is cold, secretive, he is a loner, and socialization is given to him with great difficulty. We can say that he does not need the company of people. Sometimes, however, even Isolv feels the need to communicate, and then it is very difficult for him to find an interlocutor. If someone “discovers” Isolv and gains his trust, it is impossible to say exactly what he will find. The young man may turn out to be an empty personality, or he may reveal himself as an extremely interesting and multifaceted person.
- Iuli- “sea urchin”. Iuli, as his name implies, is caustic, “poisonous.” Sometimes he even hurts people he doesn't want to hurt. In the process of living and communicating with people, this feature of it can “smooth out” and disappear.
- Campi- "mustache". Campi is not serious, maybe even a little childish. This is often not liked by the people around him. Over the course of his life, he can change a lot for the better.
- Ketil- "helmet". Ketil is wise and prudent. He never does something before thinking about it possible options developments and consequences. If we talk about the choice between reason and feelings, he definitely prefers the side of reason.
- Whip- “knot”. Knut is a tough, even a little cruel person. It is impossible to say for sure whether he is capable of meanness, but one cannot always expect good from him.
- Leiv- “heir, descendant.” Leiv is smart and pleasant to talk to. He has a lot of knowledge and a lot interesting stories, he likes to read.
Magnus- “great”. The name is of Latin origin. Magnus is majestic, even somewhat proud. He may be unpleasant to some people. However, if you dig deeper, it turns out that Magnus simply prefers to communicate as equals with people who are equal to him. Prove to him your intelligence and ability to critical thinking- and you will immediately become his friend.- Nest- “next, close.” Nest has a habit of becoming attached to people so tightly that he experiences a difficult separation, especially a painful one, and can withdraw into himself for a long time because of it. However, if he comes across a faithful person, a wonderful pair of friends will be formed.
- Ragnar– “higher powers or advice + warrior or protector.” Ragnar is a born leader, an excellent ruler. He is a militant person.
- Ulv- "wolf". Ulv is reserved, proud, somewhat aristocratic. He doesn't like any nonsense, he despises infantile and weak people.
- Fadir- "father". Fadir is a mentor. He knows how to teach, knows how to guide.
