Researching Scandinavian ancestors? Learn key Scandinavian naming patterns and how they influence genealogical research.
Guest contributor: Jenny Hansen of My Favorite Ancestor.
One of the greatest challenges when researching ancestors from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden is understanding traditional Scandinavian naming patterns. When I teach groups about Nordic genealogy, I use a quick experiment: I ask, “Who here is related to Hans Jensen?” Most people raise their hands. It’s similar to asking about John Smith—except in Scandinavia those common combinations occur far more often.
Scandinavian Naming Patterns
Scandinavian families traditionally used patronymic surnames. Patronymics form a surname from the father’s given name with the addition of –sen (or –son) for sons and –datter (or –dotter) for daughters.
For example, if a woman named Maren had a father named Peder Christiansen, her full name would be Maren Pedersdatter. Her siblings would share Pedersdatter or Pedersen. Peder Christiansen’s father would be Christian, and Peder’s siblings would carry Christiansen or Christiansdatter. This pattern differs from modern fixed surnames but is manageable once you adjust your approach to surnames as changing each generation.
Historically only a small set of given names were common in Scandinavia—about ten for men and a similar number for women. These names were reused across generations, often because children were named after relatives. Combine that with patronymic surnames, and you frequently encounter repeating names like Peder, Maren, Jens, Hans, Anna, and Christian across family lines.
Around the mid-1800s many families stopped changing surnames each generation and began keeping the patronymic as a fixed family name. At the same time, other identifying names—such as farm names or occupational names—were used alongside patronymics. For instance, a Swedish man called Anders Jonson Liljenquist would have Jonson as the patronymic and Liljenquist as a descriptive name, often indicating the farm or property where the family lived. These additional names helped distinguish individuals with the same given and patronymic names within a community.
Cultural Rules for Naming Scandinavian Children
Strict naming customs guided how children were named. These rules were common across Protestant Europe and applied broadly in Nordic countries.
| Child | Named After |
| First-born son | Paternal grandfather |
| Second-born son | Maternal grandfather |
| First-born daughter | Maternal grandmother |
| Second-born daughter | Paternal grandmother |
| Subsequent children | Other family members |
*The order of grandparents sometimes varied.
It was also common to reuse the name of a child who died young. If you find multiple children with the same given name in a family, check burial and parish records for deceased siblings—that often explains the repetition.
Another helpful custom is that women generally did not change their surname upon marriage; this practice continued into the 1900s. When researching immigrants from Scandinavia, especially those born before 1900, a woman’s patronymic surname reveals her father’s given name, which is a valuable lead for tracing her family.
Here is an example from my family to illustrate these rules. Peder Simonsen’s parents were Simon Pedersen and Mette Sorensdatter. His wife was Maren Pedersdatter. Their children were:
Simon Pedersen, b. 1810
Peder Pedersen, b. 1812
Mette Pedersdatter, b. 1815–d. 1817
Mette Pedersdatter, b. 1820
Simon (b. 1810) was named after Peder Simonsen’s father, Simon. Peder (b. 1812) took his maternal grandfather’s name, Peder. Both daughters were named for their grandmother Mette; after the first Mette died, the name was reused for a later daughter. All the children used Pedersen or Pedersdatter because their father was Peder Simonsen. The pattern is straightforward, but recurring names demand careful attention from researchers.
This overview introduces the core concepts of Scandinavian naming patterns. Understanding these traditions will make it easier to trace ancestors through parish registers, censuses, and other regional records.
Watch the Facebook Live where Jenny and I discuss these naming patterns. (There were a few technical glitches the day we recorded.)
Jenny Hansen holds a B.A. in Family History and Genealogy, is accredited in Danish research, and works as a professional genealogist. Follow her at MyFavoriteAncestor.com.
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