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Help[Opinions] Patronyms
in reply to a message by Frollein Gladys
The Swedish name laws regarding active patro- and metronyms is a little weird at the moment ... This will be long but I'm sure you won't object. ;)
Historically, you could either have just an active patronym (eg Eira Gunnarsdotter, if your father was Gunnar), just a surname (eg Eira Berg) or both (eg Eira Gunnarsdotter Berg, always in that order). In the late 19th and early 20th century, the active patronyms went out of fashion and most were "frozen" (and the female form got rid of completely - so Gunnar Johansson's daughter would just be Eira Johansson), and the use of them was discouraged, until they were eventually downright outlawed. It didn't take very long until they allowed them again but it's not like it used to be.
Right now, Gunnarsdotter can be given as either one of the regular given names ("förnamn"), or as the surname ("efternamn" - you can only have one of these). There is a spot for "middle names" ("mellannamn" - again, only one), right now, where names like Gunnarsdotter ought to belong, but the only name you can put in that spot right now is a surname one of the parents already carries - you can't make up anything new, even if it's something as logical as Gunnarsdotter.
There are a few problems with this:
- Putting Gunnarsdotter as a given name works fine - but then you can't (legally) use it as a surname, which you might want.
- Putting Gunnarsdotter as the surname works fine too - but if you want to give one of the parents surnames as well, you'd have to put it as Eira Berg Gunnarsdotter and that's not how it was historically! Also, makes more sense to have Gunnarsdotter between Eira and Berg as it's something inbetween a given name and a surname, really.
- If you put Gunnarsdotter as the surname, I've heard there might be trouble if your next child is a boy and you want to name him Gunnarsson - because while you're allowed to make up a new surname for your children, you apparently can't make up several "different" ones for them - he'd have to be Gunnarsdotter like his sister.
But there is a suggestion for a new name law, that will hopefully go through next year. If it does, they'll get rid of the "middle name" spot altogether and allow people to actually have two surnames again, and just generally have less silly restrictions. And make it easier for people to use patron- and metronyms. :)
Historically, you could either have just an active patronym (eg Eira Gunnarsdotter, if your father was Gunnar), just a surname (eg Eira Berg) or both (eg Eira Gunnarsdotter Berg, always in that order). In the late 19th and early 20th century, the active patronyms went out of fashion and most were "frozen" (and the female form got rid of completely - so Gunnar Johansson's daughter would just be Eira Johansson), and the use of them was discouraged, until they were eventually downright outlawed. It didn't take very long until they allowed them again but it's not like it used to be.
Right now, Gunnarsdotter can be given as either one of the regular given names ("förnamn"), or as the surname ("efternamn" - you can only have one of these). There is a spot for "middle names" ("mellannamn" - again, only one), right now, where names like Gunnarsdotter ought to belong, but the only name you can put in that spot right now is a surname one of the parents already carries - you can't make up anything new, even if it's something as logical as Gunnarsdotter.
There are a few problems with this:
- Putting Gunnarsdotter as a given name works fine - but then you can't (legally) use it as a surname, which you might want.
- Putting Gunnarsdotter as the surname works fine too - but if you want to give one of the parents surnames as well, you'd have to put it as Eira Berg Gunnarsdotter and that's not how it was historically! Also, makes more sense to have Gunnarsdotter between Eira and Berg as it's something inbetween a given name and a surname, really.
- If you put Gunnarsdotter as the surname, I've heard there might be trouble if your next child is a boy and you want to name him Gunnarsson - because while you're allowed to make up a new surname for your children, you apparently can't make up several "different" ones for them - he'd have to be Gunnarsdotter like his sister.
But there is a suggestion for a new name law, that will hopefully go through next year. If it does, they'll get rid of the "middle name" spot altogether and allow people to actually have two surnames again, and just generally have less silly restrictions. And make it easier for people to use patron- and metronyms. :)
This message was edited 5/1/2014, 8:58 AM
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