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planner
New on board
USA
2 Posts |
 Posted - 10/01/2004 : 19:54:12
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Did norwegians have middle names in the 1800s ? My ancestor was Lewis B. "Lars" Olson. I wonder if the "B" is not a middle name, but instead the first letter of a farm name.
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Jo Anne Sadler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
1100 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2004 : 22:25:17
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| Recommend you read the article(s) on this site - Those Norwegian Names. |
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NancyC
Medium member
Norway
198 Posts |
Posted - 13/01/2004 : 22:12:54
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No, Norwegians did not usually have middle names. The normal pattern would be: given name, patronym (name of father +son/sen or dotter/datter) + name of farm. If the family moved, the name of the farm would change to the new farm name. The naming pattern for the choice of the given name was fairly strict, and children would normally be named after their grandparents, using the paternal grandparents first, then the maternal. When those names were used up, names of siblings who had died, or wives who were deceased, or great-grandparents would be used.
In your case, it is hard to know what the original name was. The "B" may be the first letter of the actual patronym, e.g. Bjedneson, Bjørnson, etc., and the Olson could be the patronym of his father's father. This was what happened in my family, and it made it hard to trace some of the members who had emigrated before we got that straightened out. My great-grandfather was named Niels Andersen Stokkset, later Åsberget. His father was Anders Nielsen Stokkset. When Niels came to the USA, however, he called himself Nels A. Nelson. |
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Borge
Veteran Moderator
Norway
1297 Posts |
Posted - 14/01/2004 : 00:36:26
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| My experience from working with old church registers and passenger lists is that middle names became more and more used from about 1850 and on. On several of the Quebec passenger lists that we have transcribed we find the younger generations listed with middle names, and we do also see it in the 1865 census. My great-great-grandfather and 3 sibling all born in the 1840ies all had middle names. From my experience it was more common with middle names in the cities in the beginning, and then it seams to have spread to the rural districts. However, I do not have enough statistics to say for sure that this is how it was. |
Børge Solem |
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Renee Lee
New on board
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 19/12/2004 : 18:12:02
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| My grandfathers "middle name" is listed (on U.S. citizenship papers) as Orlinius...his first name is Ryder (Reidar) and last name Lee (Lie). Story is that when he came here from Norway (two miles outside somewhere of Oslo) he had the choice of choosing the last name from the "house of Lie" or "Fuglewald" (spelling as its sounds and has been passed down...could be off..that's another mystery). My question is...what the heck kind of middle name is Orlinius?! I have been searching and searching and I don't know what this middle name has to do with. I've noticed other Norwegian middle names that are similiar...like Martinius or Marinius from the same time period. etc., Does anyone have info on what these names had to do with? My grandfather was born around 1884 in Norway. I'm just starting to research...that is why I know nothing! :) HELP. |
Renee Lee |
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Denise Hansen
Starting member
Canada
10 Posts |
Posted - 21/12/2004 : 20:13:17
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My Norwegian great-grandfather Olaf Hansen (born in 1866) had a middle name (Hjalmer) which appears (spelled incorrectly of course) on his 1894 Canadian marriage certificate. All three of his sons (born in Norway in 1898, 1900 and 1902) had middle names, including an Ernst Hjalmer who became known as Elmer when he moved to Canada.
Denise Hansen |
Denise Hansen |
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hasto
Senior member
Norway
294 Posts |
Posted - 22/12/2004 : 20:21:49
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A middel name as it is used in Norway today is an extra surname (in addition to the family surname). I may be a surname used before marriage, or used by any parents or grandparents (before marriage). It may also be a patronym.
Hjalmar is not a middel name, but a second given name, which a person might use sometimes and sometimes not.
Orlinius I would guess is a given name, perhaps misspelled, - Olinius or Cornelius? |
Harald S Storaker
4586 Korshamn, Norge |
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Borge
Veteran Moderator
Norway
1297 Posts |
Posted - 22/12/2004 : 22:37:25
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| As far as I know, the law says that you can only have one fist name, and one surname in Norway. All other names are considered "middle names", whether it is originally used as a first name or a last name, or something else. If you want to name a child from his grandparents, and their names are "Tor" and "Bjørn", you may call the child "Torbjørn" or "Tor-Bjørn", but not "Tor" "Bjørn", then one of the names must be defined as a middle name. If you want the child to have both parents' last names, like "Berg" "Hansen" you must select one of them to become a middle name, or apply for a new name to be created as "Berghansen" or "Berg-Hansen". |
Børge Solem |
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hasto
Senior member
Norway
294 Posts |
Posted - 23/12/2004 : 08:18:34
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The Norwegian law of names: http://odin.dep.no/jd/norsk/publ/utredninger/NOU/012001-020010/index-ind001-b-n-a.html
You can only have only one surname (3.2.1)
You can have many first names (given names) (3.3.2)
A middel name is a kind of surname placed between the given name(s) and the surname (3.4.1).
I know persons with 3 first names. I have 2. My full name is Harald Søren Storaker. I am named after both my grandfathers. Both names are "first names". |
Harald S Storaker
4586 Korshamn, Norge |
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Borge
Veteran Moderator
Norway
1297 Posts |
Posted - 23/12/2004 : 10:47:01
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Thanks for the clarification Harlad Søren  |
Børge Solem |
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Topic |
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Norwegian middle names ?
