How do names work in Sweden?
In Sweden, a person must have a surname and one or more given names. Two given names are common. Surnames are inherited from the parents, in the order of “same as elder sibling, if any; specified by parents; or mother’s last name,” while given names must be chosen by the parents at birth.
How do you refer to Swedish people?
Swedes (Swedish: svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language.
When did Sweden start using surnames?
Sweden passed the Names Adoption Act in December 1901, requiring all citizens to adopt heritable surnames—names that would pass down intact instead of changing every generation. Many families adopted their current surname as their hereditary family surname; a practice often referred to as a frozen patronymic.
What do the Swedes call themselves?
People in Sweden are referred by the term Swedish.
What is the most common Swedish last name?
Andersson
Sweden
| Rank | Surname | Number of bearers 2012 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andersson | 251,621 |
| 2 | Johansson | 251,495 |
| 3 | Karlsson | 223,151 |
| 4 | Nilsson | 171,360 |
What does AF mean in a Swedish name?
In the 18th century the word “von” or “af” became a part of the noble names. In this context these words meant “of”. For example Carl von Linné or Henrik af Klintberg.
What do you call a Scandinavian person?
If talking about people from Scandinavian as a whole, then it would Scandinavians. If talking about peopled from a specific Scandinavian country, then it would be the normal national names (Swedes, Norwegians and Danes) If you are stuck around 1000 years back it would be Vikings.