How do Icelandic people name their children?
The naming system in Iceland is the old Scandinavian system which all the countries once used. It is a paternal system where the father gives his children his first name as their last name adding -son if the child is a boy and -dóttir if the child is a girl. This might seem confusing at first, but really it is not.
Who decides Childs surname?
Children normally take the surname of their father unless their mother wishes them to have a different surname and the father agrees to this. Unmarried fathers do not have to register their children’s birth and have no independent right to have their name entered on the birth certificate.
Does Iceland have family names?
We don’t have family names, you cannot name your child whatever you want and marriage means not altering one’s name. The original names in Iceland were those of the Nordic people. The original settlers had names you can still see today such as Ingólfur (male), Björn (male), Auður (female) and Hallveig (female).
Do they use surnames in Iceland?
How are Icelandic surnames different from other names?
Icelandic surnames are different from most other naming systems in the modern Western world by being patronymic or occasionally matronymic: they indicate the father (or mother) of the child and not the historic family lineage.
Can I choose the surname of my child’s mother?
The parents can also choose the surname of the biological mother; if the child was conceived through a known donor and the co-mother acknowledges the child: the child is given the surname of the biological mother. The parents can also choose the surname of the co-mother by signing a declaration of surname choice. New partner and child’s surname
What happens to the baby’s surname if the father is unknown?
If a child’s paternity was not known, or if the putative father denied paternity, the newborn child would have the surname of the mother. That is still the custom or law in many countries. The surname for children of married parents is usually inherited from the father.
What happens if I don’t choose a surname?
If you do not choose a surname, your child will automatically be given the father’s surname or the mother’s surname. This depends on the family situation: Parents who are married or registered partners (of different sexes) Your child will automatically be given the father’s surname.