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In Sweden we use about 150 000 different names. The most common
name is easy to find out. It is Maria and 450 000 Swedish women carry
that name. It is much more difficult though, to say which names that
are unusual, 80 000 of them is carried by only one person.
Origins
Our ancestors carried men names like Egil, Olof, Harald and women
names like Ingrid, Ragnhild and Gudrun. Many names with Tor in it like
Torborg, Torgny and so on, were known o be powerful. They were popular
in the Middle- Ages, because many believed in the Æsir cult and Tor
was a model for the people.
We also got names from Latin, Greek and Hebrew for example
Laurentius, Nikolaus, Petrus and Elisabet. Eventually these names
were adjusted to our language. Laurentius became Lars, Nikolaus -
Nils and Elisabet-Lisa. During the 18th century French got to be a
dominating language. Names like Louise, Desireé, Charlotte and
Emile became very common names. In the 19th century many writers´
work were translated into Swedish. Because of that we got names
like Oskar, Malcolm , Fanny and Sally. Scandinavian names came back
in the 1930´s, for example Fritjof, Halvar and Ingeborg, but
nowadays they aren´t very common.
There is always a reason why you get your name. Perhaps it has been
used in the family for a long time or maybe your parents just happened
to like it. Down below you can find out a little more about the most
common names in Sweden and in our class.
Common First Names In Sweden:
Oskar:
Oskar was the most common name in Sweden 1995. At the turn of the
century Oskar became the "hottest" name and it still is. It's an
English name but originates from the Old norse name Asegirr. Oskar is
formed by two words: God and spear.
Emma:
Emma signifies "the deserving", "the worthy" and "the diligent". Emma
has been used in Sweden since 1766 and it's originally from Germany. Emma
is a contraction for Emilia.
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