The Norwegian First Name Norwegian Law Norway has an official government list of acceptable Norwegian names. Norway's strict name law dates from the 1800s, and is intended to protect children from any Norwegian names that sound or look strange. The Importance of a Norwegian First Name! We respond to our name throughout our lives. People associate us with our first name, it forms part of our identity. They help to distinguish us from one to another. Other people gain immediate and sometimes totally subconscious views of people, just from hearing a name they can therefore give us a distinct advantage in life, or conversely, a disadvantage! The choice of a Norwegian Baby name is, therefore, incredibly important. And those of us who choose a baby's name are taking on a responsible task! The Origins of Norwegian baby names The Norwegian origins of this these include place names, those related to mythology and history, origins from colours, plants and other types of nature, Fictional origins, historical origins, characteristic and religious origins. We then move on to the genre which can be classed as Descriptive, Place, Speciality and finally unique (or created name's) Norwegian Christian Names First titles are often referred to as Christian name's. Norwegians share similar first, or Christian names, with other Christian countries. These 'shared' Christian name's differ from country to country according to the language and the spellings and pronunciations of them therefore also vary. The church encouraged the use of biblical name's from the New Testament and those belonging to Saint's. Old Testament ones were not commonly used by Christians until the 18th century. The language of origin for Christian names was therefore Latin, Hebrew or Greek. Norwegian Naming Traditions When naming a Norwegian child it was a custom to use a component from both the father and the mother's name for the first born of both sexes. So if the father's name was Bjørnar and the mother's name was Gunnild then the son might be called Gunnar or a daughter might be called Bjørnild. A Norwegian Male name A Norwegian male name often begin with a prefix such as Berg, Bjørn, Dag, Gaut, Geir, Gud, Halv, Har, Hjalm, Ing, Magn, Ragn, Stein, Svein or Tor. Conversely Norwegian male names might also end with a suffix ar, bjørn, brand, dan, kjell, leif, leik, tor, ulf, vard, or vor. Norwegian Female name Norwegian female name's often begin with a prefix such as Aud, Bjørg, Frid, Gunn, Hild, Møy, Sne, Sol, Svan, Unn or Yn. Conversely Norwegian female name's might also end with a suffix borg, bjorg, frid, gerd, gunn, hild, run, siv, unn, or vild. Norwegian Surnames Origins of Norwegian Surnames The Italian origins of this these include place names, those related to mythology and history, origins from colours, plants and other types of nature, Fictional origins, historical origins, characteristic and religious origins. We then move on to the genre which can be classed as Descriptive, Place, Speciality and finally unique (or created name's) Norwegian Surnames The Norwegian patronymics surnames system used the prefix sen or 'son' (meaning son of) such as Petersen (for son of Peter). Norwegian surnames were passed down from generation to generation and many members of the same family often shared the same name. Ole is one such popular Norwegian name. So, if Ole's father was "Hans", he would be "Ole Hansen". And , in turn, "Niels" becomes "Nielssen" or "Nielsson" What Norwegian baby name shall I give to my baby? Will the Norwegian baby name suit my baby? Should it be traditional, unusual, unique, exotic, popular or cool? Will it be suitable throughout all life phases ( "A Name isn't just for a birthday - it's for life!"). Will it be appropriate throughout a full life cycle starting with baby - toddler - school child - teenager - young adults - parents - middle age - retirement and ending with old age. Will it suit a pensioner as well as a baby? Will the schoolchild be teased mercilessly about a name? What will your baby think of your choice? Help is at hand when making a choice of a Norwegian baby name! The various sections included in www. babynames. org. uk accessed via the Site Map will provide answers to all of your questions regarding the choice of first names. And our exclusive Name Evaluator will help you avoid any of the many pitfalls! Want to know more? Further information about names and Genealogy can be found by clicking the following links: Genealogy World of Baby Names |