I know how the naming was done in Norway and understand but I am looking for information on when Norway made changes in their laws reflecting the naming and what this entailed. Did everyone have to change their surname? Did only certain ones? At a specific date? I am in a war battle with my in-laws about this and have to get the proof of this naming.
The norwegian name law came in 1923. I don't think anyone had to change their name when the law came, but it ended the use of patronyms in Norway. Some took the name of their farm as surname, but most people "froze" the patronym. If one Nils Olsen for instance had a son Ole in 1910, he could have been called Ole Nilsen. But if Ole had a son Nils in 1930, he would have been caled Nils Nilsen. And all of Nils' descendants would have had Nilsen as their last name. Also the use of -datter ended in 1923. A Kari Nilsdatter would have been called Kari Nilsen after the new law came. I'm not sure if she would have had to change her name in 1923, but no girls born after 1923 would get their father's last name. The patronym was already on it's way out in 1923 though, and had been for several decades. It started in the cities, but from about 1900 patronyms became more seldom also in the rural districts. When the law came I think most people had already stopped using patronyms. I haven't checked this with written sources please correct me if I'm wrong in any of this.
Thanks for your input. Have you ever come across where they just decided at bapitism to give a child a last name different from its siblings? All my husband's grandfather's siblings were Johansen and when the grandfather came along on the birth certificate it gives the last name as his father's middle name. But my sister-in-law is insisting that they took that name of the town but that is not on the bap cert. This is so confusing and going to cause some tension. I even called the Norwegian consulate but they referred my to the Norwegian embassy in Washington. The guy is out on a holiday so I have to call back next week. Maybe I can get a real answer that might make some sense and they share will all
Norwegian naming
Posted - 07/04/2004 : 06:51:17
