100 Norwegian surnames and their meanings

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Abraham McLaughlin
100 Norwegian surnames and their meanings

The Norwegian surnames largely reflect the idiosyncrasy of this Scandinavian people. In this country, as in most of Europe, the use of a first name followed by the paternal surname is traditional.

Although in this society surnames date from the Middle Ages, in Norway it was common for each child to adopt the patronymic corresponding to the proper name of their parent and thus they could differentiate themselves from others with the same name in their community.

Another of the uses that medieval Norwegians found in having a surname was to provide their address (toponymics), but if they moved they had to change it.

These traditions resulted in changes of the family name in each generation. The custom of taking a fixed name for the family began in the noble elites during the 16th and 17th centuries..

It was not until 1923 that a law was promulgated in Norway in which it was ordered that each person have a fixed surname that can be passed on to their descendants.

They currently have flexible regulations on assigning surnames to newborn children. In these, the parents choose the last name they will give their child (maternal, paternal or a mixture of both).

Within the marriage, a common surname can be chosen for both spouses. In addition, each adult can change his or her first or last name at will once every ten years at most (unless it is a divorce or separation).

List of surnames

- Aas

This surname comes from the Norwegian word ace which translates as 'hill' or 'mountain' and was adopted by those who lived in a terrain with these geographical characteristics.

- Aasen

In this case the meaning is 'the hill' and it comes from the term åsen, which is also the name of a city.

- Abrahamsen

In Norwegian the suffix -sen it is translated as 'son of', that is why this surname falls into the category of patronymic and is translated as 'son of Abraham'.

- Ahmed

It means 'praiseworthy' or 'highly praised'. This surname is of Arabic origin and as a result of the large number of Muslim immigrants in Norway, it is ranked 67 of the most popular within this Nordic country..

- Ali

It can have two origins, one is the Arabic in which it means 'noble' or 'champion'. The other is related to the Proto-Norse language in which Áli derives from Onela (or cancel which means 'ancestor') and, lastly of ali, another way to to or ale ('breed' in Old Norse).

- Amundsen

This is a patronymic surname that means 'son of Admund', a name that comes from the Old Norse word agmundr y means 'respectful protector' or 'great protector'.

- Andersen

It means 'son of Anders', the local form of the Greek name Andreas, which translates as 'masculine' or 'man'.

- Andreassen

It is another of the forms that the patronymic of Andreas takes. In other words, this surname was adopted by people with an ancestor who bore that proper name..

- Andresen

In this case, the patronymic comes from the name Andres, another of the local variations that the name Andreas had in the Scandinavian region..

- Antonsen

It translates as 'son of Anton', a name with Etruscan roots that was very popular within the Roman Empire with the form Antonius (Antonio).

- Harness

It is the patronymic Norwegian surname of the proper name Arne (which in turn derives from Árni, a name related to the Old Norse word ǫrn which translates to 'eagle').

- Aune

It is a toponymic surname, since there are several places with this name that translates as 'desert land'. It was taken by people who returned to populate a place that had been abandoned (as in the case of the Black Death in the Middle Ages).

- Bakke

It is currently translated as 'soil', but it comes from Old Norse bakki which meant 'slopes'.

- Bakken

It is the singular form of Bakke, surname with which it shares meaning ('ground', 'hillside' or 'hills').

- Berg

It is a Norwegian surname related to the toponymy or geographical characteristics of the place where the individual who adopted it lived. This is because its interpretation is that of 'rocky terrain' or 'rocky mountain'.

- Berge

Its translation is 'inhabitant of the rocky mountains', it falls into the category of toponymic surnames.

- Berntsen

It is the patronymic surname of the proper name Bernt, the variant adopted in Norway from Bernard (a name with German roots and meaning 'strong as a bear').

- Birkeland

It is a common name within Norway for cities and towns. It comes from Old Norse birki (a tree known in Spanish as 'birch') and land ('land'), so the surname translates as 'land of birches' and is in the category of toponymics.

- Bøe

It is usually a toponymic surname, since it is the evolution of the Old Norse word býr, which translates to 'farm'. That is why it was adopted by many people who lived on a farm or worked on a farm..

- Brekke

The translation of this surname is 'slope' or 'steep hill', it falls into the category of toponymics, since it describes the geographical characteristics of the place where the adopter lived..

- Christensen

It is the patronymic of Christen (hence the suffix -sen is interpreted as 'son of'). The name from which this surname is derived is a short form of Christian ('Christian'), a popular name in Norway.

- Dahl

This Norwegian surname translates as 'valley', it is common in different parts of Europe, since it has Germanic roots.

- Danielsen

It means 'son of Daniel', so it falls into the category of patronymic surnames. This name of Hebrew origin is interpreted as 'God's justice'.

- Edvardsen

This is the patronymic of the name Edvard, which can be translated as 'wealthy guardian' or 'protector of wealth'. The roots of this name are hord or 'wealth' and weard what does 'guardian' mean.

- Eide

It comes from the Old Norse word eið, which translates to 'isthmus' (a narrow strip of land that joins two larger land masses, usually surrounded by water).

- Eliassen

The literal translation of this surname is 'son of Elijah', a masculine name with Hebrew roots that translates as 'my God is Yahveh'.

- Ellingsen

It is a patronymic surname and its meaning is' son of Elling ', a derivation of the traditional Norse name Erlingr (' son of a earl'or' son of an earl ').

- Engen

This Norwegian surname is related to the Old Norse term eng, which translates as 'meadow'.

- Eriksen

It is a patronymic related to the name Erik. This name can have several meanings such as 'sole ruler' or 'eternal prince' as it is linked to the roots aina ('unique') or aiwa ('eternal') and ríkr ('ruler' or 'prince').

- Evensen

It means 'son of Even', a name that in turn is interpreted as 'lucky warrior' (since it comes from Claim).

- Fredriksen

It is the patronymic of Fredrik, one of the Norwegian forms of the German proper name Friedrich ('peaceful ruler' or 'prince of peace').

- Gulbrandsen

It translates as 'son of Guðbrandr', a name that is made up of the terms guð ('God and brandr ('sword' or 'fire'). That is why the meaning of this name is 'sword of god' or 'divine fire'.

- Gundersen

This patronymic surname is rooted in the name Gunder, which comes from Old Norse gunnr ('battle') and heri ('army').

- Hagen

Its meaning is 'the garden' and it used to be assigned as a toponymic surname in Norway.

- Halvorsen

It has roots in Old Norse, since it is the patronymic surname of the name Halvor, which is the contemporary form of the name Hallvarðr (meaning 'the guardian of the rock').

- Hansen

This is one of the accepted patronyms in Norway for the proper name Hans, which comes from the Hebrew name Yohannan (John), which translates as 'God is favorable' or 'favored by God'.

- Hanssen

It is another of the spellings that has the patronymic surname that is translated into Spanish as 'son of Hans', the Norwegian variant of Juan.

- Haug

This surname is derived from the word haugr from Old Norse languages ​​which is translated as 'mound' or 'hillock'.

- Hauge

Like other ways of writing this toponymic surname, it is linked to the word haugr and was taken by people who lived on or near a mound.

- Haugen

It is another of the forms derived from the word haugr, but in this case the proper translation is 'the mound' or 'the hill'.

- Haugland

In this case, the surname describes a place where it is common to find hills, which is why it is translated as 'land of mounds'. It is also cataloged within the category of toponymic surnames.

- Helland

It translates into Spanish as 'land of rocks' or 'land of caves' and it is a Norwegian toponymic surname.

- Henriksen

Its meaning is 'son of Henrik' and this name in turn is interpreted as 'ruler of the home' or 'head of the country'.

- Holm

This surname derives from the original Old Norse term holmr, which meant 'little island'.

- Isaksen

It uses the Norwegian patronymic form, that is, the suffix -sen ('son of'), in this case accompanied by the proper name with Hebrew roots Isak (Isaac) which translates as 'will make you laugh' or 'laugh'.

- Iversen

Means 'son of Iver' (a local adaptation of the Old Norse name Ivarr which was interpreted as 'archer' or 'warrior of the bow').

- Jacobsen

It is one of the patronyms of the Hebrew name Jacob ('held by the heel').

- Jakobsen

This is also a patronymic surname using the local variant Jakob (from Ya'akov, which was the original name of the patriarch Israel).

- Jensen

Translates as 'son of Jens', one of the forms of John among Scandinavian cultures.

- Jenssen

It is another of the patronymic versions of the name Jens ('God is favorable').

- Johannessen

In this case the corresponding translation is 'son of Johannes', which is also linked to the name Juan, of Hebrew origin.

- Johansen

It is another spelling of the patronymic surname that emerges from the name Juan (Yohannan).

- Johnsen

It is a patronymic surname, that is, it indicates that someone was a descendant of an individual who bore this proper name. It is also linked to Juan (as in the case of Jens, Johannes or Johan).

- Jørgensen

Means 'son of Jørgen' (a name of Greek origin that translates to 'farmer').

- Karlsen

It is a patronymic surname for the masculine proper name Karl ('free man').

- Knudsen

This patronymic Norwegian surname takes the Swedish form of the name Canute (Knud), which means 'knot', as it comes from Old Norse Knútr.

- Knutsen

In this case the patronymic takes the most accepted form of this proper name in Norway: Knut. This name was normally assigned to the youngest son of a family, since it 'created a knot' by being the last of the descendants.

- Kristensen

Translated as 'son of Kristen', this name is one of the variants of Christian ('follower of Christ').

- Kristiansen

It is also a patronymic surname of one of the variants of the name Christian.

- Kristoffersen

Its meaning is 'son of Kristoffer', a name equivalent to Christopher (which is interpreted as 'the bearer of Christ').

- Larsen

This is the patronymic of the name Lars, the common Norwegian form of the name Lorenzo ('crowned with laurels').

- Lie

It comes from Old Norse hlíð, which meant 'slope' or 'hillside' and was very popular in Norway as a farm name, so it was assumed as a topographical surname.

- Lien

It is another version of the Norwegian surname Lie or Li, which translates as 'hillside' or 'slope'.

- Lund

It is a toponymic surname that translates as' grove 'and comes from Old Norse'lundr'.

- Monday

It is another of the forms of the surname that has its root in lundr (Old Norse) and translates to 'grove' or 'group of trees'.

- Madsen

Means 'son of Mads', one of the Scandinavian forms of the name Mateo ('gift of God').

- Martinsen

It translates as 'son of Martin', a name of Latin origin that is interpreted as 'consecrated to the god Mars' or 'warrior'.

- Mathisen

It is the patronymic surname of the proper name Mathies, one of the variants of Matías, a name with Hebrew roots that means 'gift of God'.

- Mikkelsen

It means 'son of Mikkel' (Michael), the translation of this name is 'who is like God?'.

- Moe

This surname is from the category of toponymics, since it comes from Old Norse mor, which translates as 'plain' or 'moor'.

- Moen

It is another form of the surname Moe and has the same root (mor) so it shares its meaning ('moor', 'heath' or 'plain').

- Myhre

It is interpreted as 'swamp', since it derives from Old Norse myrr. It was assigned to those who lived on land with these characteristics for what is considered a toponymic surname.

- Myklebust

This surname is made up of two Old Norse words: the first is mikill, which translates as 'big', and the second bolstaðr what does 'farm' mean.

- Næss

This surname is toponymic and comes from Old Norse because it has a connection with the word used for 'promontory'.

- Nielsen

Its meaning is 'son of Niels', Norwegian equivalent to the name Nicolás ('the victory of the people').

- Nilsen

It is a patronymic of the proper name Nils, another of the Scandinavian versions of Nicolás.

- Nygård

It is translated into Spanish as 'new farm' or 'new home', as it is composed of the words ny ('new and gård ('farm').

- Ødegård

This Norwegian surname means 'abandoned farm' as it comes from øyde ('abandoned') and gård ('farm').

- Olsen

It means 'son of Ole', one of the forms of the name Olaf that translates as 'descendant of the ancestor' or 'heir of the ancestor'.

- Paulsen

It is the patronymic surname of the name Paul, which can be interpreted as 'small' or 'humble'.

- Pedersen

Its literal translation is 'son of Peder', this is a local variant of the proper name Pedro ('rock' or 'stone').

- Pettersen

Like Pedersen it is a Norwegian patronymic surname corresponding to the masculine name Pedro.

- Rasmussen

Means 'son of Rasmus' (a diminutive of Erasmus which translates as 'beloved').

- Rønning

This toponymic surname comes from the Old Norse Ryðningr, which in turn comes from the terms ruð or 'clear' (in a forest) and from -ingr which translates as 'descendant of'.

- Ruud

Also part of the root ruð ('clear'), although others have proposed that it came from the diminutive for the name Rodolfo (Rudolf).

- Sæther

This Norwegian surname corresponds to the category of place names. It is interpreted as 'summer pastures' and refers to the places where farmers took their animals during that time of year to feed.

- Sandvik

It comes from Old Norse, specifically from the words sand which means 'sand' and vik which translates as 'bay'.

- Simonsen

Its literal translation is 'son of Simon', a Hebrew name that means 'the one who has listened to God'.

- Sivertsen

It means 'son of Sivert', a variant of the name Sigvard (which comes from Yes GR, which translates as 'victory', and of varðr whose interpretation is 'guardian').

- Solberg

This popular Norwegian surname can be interpreted in Spanish as 'sunny mountain'.

- Solheim

It means 'home of the sun' and it used to be applied as a toponymic, so it falls into this category of surnames.

- Sørensen

It is the patronymic of Søren, a Scandinavian variant of the Latin name Severus that can be translated as 'strict' or 'rigid'.

- Strand

It originated from the Old Norse word strǫnd which means 'shore' or 'edge' and was adopted by those who lived near some body of water.

- Strøm

It is a toponymic surname that can be translated as 'current' (of a river), since it comes from the word straumr.

- Svendsen

Its meaning is 'son of Svend', a common name in Scandinavian countries that is interpreted as 'young man' or 'young warrior'.

- Tangen

It translates as 'great piece of land' or 'cape' and is in the category of toponymic surnames.

- Thomassen

It is the patronymic form of the proper name Thomas (Thomas), which comes from Aramaic and translates as 'twin'.

- Thorsen

It can literally be translated as 'son of Thor', a proper name of great importance in Scandinavia. This name means 'thunder' and the role of the homonymous god within Norse mythology was linked to climate, fertility, strength and other areas..

- Tveit

This toponymic surname was assigned to many farms and their inhabitants since it means 'small field on a hill'.

- Vik

Its meaning was 'little bay'. This is the same root of the word vikingur (in Spanish "vikingo", which means 'person who lives in the bay').

References

  1. Ssb.no. 2021. Statistisk sentralbyrå: Navnestatistikk (Statistics Norway). [online] Available at: ssb.no
  2. No.wikipedia.org. 2021. Etternavn (Surname) - Wikipedia. Taken from no.wikipedia.org
  3. Store norske leksikon. 2021. Store norske leksikon (Great Norwegian Encyclopedia). [online] Taken from snl.no
  4. En.wiktionary.org. 2021. Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Taken from en.wiktionary.org
  5. Ancestry.com. 2021. Ancestry® | Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records. Taken from ancestry.com
  6. Naob.no. 2021. Det Norske Akademis ordbok. Taken from naob.no
  7. Campbell, M., 2021. Meaning, origin and history of the surname Strand. [online] Behind the Name. Taken from surnames.behindthename.com

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