Surnames, Naming Traditions, Meaning and Origin
Surnames deriving from nicknames/bynames
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- Surnames, Naming Traditions, Meaning and Origin
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Another group encompasses the surnames deriving from nicknames/bynames, and many of these are among the oldest surnames in Denmark. This is a very broad and miscellaneous group of surnames that usually derive from mythological attributes of certain animals or the characteristics of the first bearer, for example a particular physical feature or the person''s appearance (e.g. the color of hair or beard) or character. In most cases, the literal meaning of a nickname/byname is clear, but often we can only guess why these nicknames were originally acquired or bestowed.
Animal names
The largest group of these names comprises those that derive from the names of animals and may refer to these animals’ appearance and character, or the mythological attributes we traditionally assign to them. Most of these names can be traced back to the 12th and 13th centuries, and where among the first names to become hereditary. Some nicknames/bynames and their English translation are:
Bjørn |
Bear |
Nature and topographic features
A sub-group of these surnames are those that refer to elements of nature and topographic features. Often they refer to a where the first bearer lived, but no explanation has been proven conclusively to some of them and might even refer to the character. Some examples and their English translation are:
Bakke |
Hill |
Seasons and weather etc.
A small sub-group of surnames are those that refer to a season, the weather or Christian festivals. No explanation to these names has been proven conclusively, but they may refer to the person’s birth, a special event or even to the character of the first bearer. Some examples and their English translation are:
Sommer |
Summer |
Other personal characteristics
Other surnames that refer to the characteristics of the first bearer. Some examples and their English translation are:
Bruun/Bruhn |
Brown |
Large numbers of other nicknames/bynames are found in medieval records, for example ''Kong Valdemars Jordebog'' from the 1230s (a Danish cadastre, similar to the Domesday Book). However, many of these later became extinct or simply failed to become hereditary.
