This week I’m going to discuss the idea of alternate surnames. This might sound confusing, but it actually works to prevent confusion. Our Scandinavian ancestors used a small number of given names in high repetition, and with patronymics, it gets even more confusing because first and last names are similar. For example, we have Hans Jensen, Jens Hansen, Peder Hansen, Hans Sorensen, Soren Pedersen, and it goes on and on! Not only does it get confusing to keep everyone and every generation in order, but often there will be two individuals with the exact same name who are the same age. When that happens, a new challenge is presented. How are we to know which Hans Jensen is the father of the children we see in the christening records? Which Hans Jensen died? Who served as the bondsmen for the marriage we’re studying? The list of confusing scenarios goes on and on.
We researchers aren’t the only ones who were confused by the common names. The priests were dealing with confusion. In an effort to clarify, our ancestors frequently used alternate surnames. These names were tacked to the end of the individual’s patronymic name. The following details will explain this concept in more depth. And my examples are by no means exhaustive.
Occupation
An individual’s occupation is often used as an alternate surname. This would include titles such as the smith, the wheelwright, the farmer, the weaver, the bricklayer, etc. I might see a record for Hans Jensen Smed (the smith). Each time I see that name, I know which Hans Jensen we’re talking about
Location/Farm Name
These are particularly common in Norway and Sweden. Simply put, the name of the farm is attached to an individual’s patronymic name. In my neighborhood growing up, we had Liljenquists, Lundbergs, Lundquists, Bergs and more. These are all examples of farm names. In the records I might see a record for Hans Jensen Qvist and this is an example of a farm name. More than other alternate surnames, farm names had a tendency to stick with a family for multiple generations.
Physical Features
The most common physical features that I see used as an alternate surname are “the old” and “the young.” Other famous examples are Harald Bluetooth, Erik the Red and Gorm the Old. If I see a record for Hans Jensen Gammal, then I know there is another younger Hans Jensen that is a different person than the one I’m looking for. These alternate names rarely passed beyond the initial recipient.
When we find a surname that doesn’t follow the patronymic patterns, it is likely one of these alternate surnames. Looking for the repeated use of these surnames will help eliminate incorrect individuals that have the potential of becoming mixed up in our trees. Patronymics become less confusing as we learn these tricks of navigating the records.