Meaning & History
The name was adopted by a notable Swedish family in honor of their ancestor Palme Lyder (born 1570s, died 1630), a merchant who immigrated to Sweden from the Netherlands or Germany in the early 1600s. The family name was changed to Palm in the 17th century, but returned to Palme in the 18th century. A notable bearer of the name was Swedish politician Olof Palme (1927-1986), the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party and Prime Minister of Sweden 1969-1976 and again from 1982 until his death in 1986.