Iceland is considered part of the European community, but has a lot of differences in culture and traditions. This also applies to the full names of local residents. For example, Icelandic surnames are patronymics (rarely matronyms), which are very difficult to hear for a simple European.
At the same time, most Icelanders are registered on Facebook. The country is considered the most active in the social network. This article will help you not to make a mistake when contacting a resident of Iceland.
About the country
The name of this island state is translated as "country of ice". Iceland is also called the island, which, together with small islands around it, makes up the country's territory.
For a long time the state was dependent on others, such as Norway, then Denmark, Great Britain, USA. Only in 1944 did it gain independence, becoming a republic.
Populationcountry is a little more than three hundred thousand inhabitants. They are all employed in agriculture, fishing, industry, crafts, trade, and transport.
Ninety-eight percent of the island's inhabitants are Icelanders, who are descendants of the Vikings. The remaining two percent are foreigners. Icelandic surnames appeared in the country thanks to foreigners.
Features of names
Traditionally, the full Icelandic name consists of the first name and patronymic. It is almost impossible to meet, for example, female Icelandic surnames. Referring to a resident of Iceland, you should use only his name, regardless of age and position.
Even telephone directories in the country are created by sorting in alphabetical order of names. Next, a patronymic is added to them.
Because of the small population, Icelandic surnames are not needed. It is rare to find namesakes by name and patronymic in the country. However, if this happens, then the middle name of the second order is used. To do this, the name of the grandfather is added to the name. For example, Heidar Erikson Bjarnarsonar means that the man's name is Heidar, he is the son of Eric, the son of Bjarni.
What is the structure of the patronymic of the Icelanders?
Using Patronyms and Matronyms
The usual patronymic in Iceland is made up of the father's name, put in the genitive case with a prefix at the end of the word "son" for boys and "daughter" for girls. This patronymic plays the role of a surname familiar to Europeans.
What does a surname sound likein Icelandic? For example, take the name of the world-famous vocalist, songwriter, actress and producer Björk Gudmundsdouttir. Since it is not customary to use a patronymic when addressing, everyone knows her as Björk (which means her name, we will find out a little later). The middle name says that she is the daughter of Gudmund. To paraphrase in the Russian manner, the singer could be called Björk Gudmundovna.
There are patronymics in the country, which are made on behalf of the mother (matronyms). This happens if the mother or child wishes to distance themselves from the father. There are cases when the matronym is used for the sake of euphony when combining the name and patronymic. It is even rarer to meet an Icelander whose name contains two patronymics at the same time (from the name of the father and mother). For example, one of the Reykjavik politicians was named Dagur Bergtouryuson Eggertsson.
Meaning of names
For foreigners, many Icelandic names and surnames seem very difficult both in pronunciation and in understanding. But you just need to get used to them. In some cases, without a patronymic, it is quite difficult to determine which gender this or that name belongs to. A list of names with their meanings will help you figure this out.
Examples of Icelandic names and their meaning:
- Askold - wielding a spear.
- Arna is an eagle.
- Bjork - birch.
- Blair is a breeze.
- Vilhjalmer - helmet.
- Larus is a seagull.
- Pala is small.
- Schneibjorn is a polar bear.
- Winner is a wave.
- Fritrika is a peaceful ruler.
- Chrafon is a raven.
- Katla and Hekla –derived from the name of volcanoes.
At birth, children are most often given not one name, but two or three. This helps identify each other, creating fewer first and middle name matches. Many Icelanders prefer to use abbreviated versions of their given names in everyday life. For example, Guvrun - Gunna, Stefan - Steppi and so on.
Who has last names
In the country you can still meet the real, in the understanding of Europeans, Icelandic surnames. However, they have a small number of inhabitants. Most often, surnames are preserved as a legacy from parents with foreign origin. Those few who have surnames supplement their full name with a patronymic, inserting it in the middle in an abbreviated form.
Such famous Icelanders have surnames like:
- Eidur Gudjohnsen is a footballer.
- B althazar Kormakur - director.
- Anita Brimer is an actress.
At the legislative level, the issue of naming was settled only in 1925. Until that time, it was possible to go through a legal procedure and get an arbitrary surname. For example, Halldor Kiljan Laxness, a writer and Nobel Prize winner, once took advantage of such an opportunity. At birth, he was given the name H altour Gwydjonsson.
