What Does Your Swedish Last Name Say About You?

Names of Nobility

Long before commoners were made to take on heritable surnames, the nobility of Sweden had done so. They chose names that were regal, as did other royal families across Europe. Some common noble surnames of antiquity were often taken from the symbols on the family crest and could be Swedish words, German words, or both.

Only about 2% of the population had any kind of title and few of the noble class emigrated.

Some examples of noble names:

Gyllenhammar (Golden hammer)

Stålhandske (Steel Glove)

Ornamental Names

Like with nobility names, some commoners eventually adopted combinations of words as their surnames, too. These could be based on place names, family traits, or other identifiers of the family or their land.

Some examples of ornamental names:

Eklund (Oak Grove)

Lindquist (Linden Twig)

Sluffixes like “smed” (blacksmith), man (worker), or stål (steel) might have represented what the family once did, but this only applies for whichever ancestor was making decisions when surnames became mandatory.

Nicknames

Some surnames may have come from nicknames, as one might get in the army.

Some examples of words common in nicknames are listed below.

Ål (eel)

Uggla (owl)

Place Names

It was common for a family’s surname to be taken from nature, as the above names attest to. Nearby landmarks or ancestral lands may have been the subject of newly-minted surnames when they became a compulsory part of family registration.

Some common words that appear in many Swedish surnames are:

Å (creek)

Vik/Wik (bay)