Synopses & Reviews
Are you looking for
• A Scandinavian name for your baby?
• The names of Norse gods and heroes?
• The history and meaning of Scandinavian first names?
• Variations and alternate spellings for common Scandinavian names?
• Naming traditions and customs in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark?
A Handbook of Scandinavian Names includes a dictionary of more than fifteen hundred given names from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, plus some from Iceland and Finland. Each entry provides a guide to pronunciation and the origin and meaning of the name. Many entries also include variations and usage in the Scandinavian countries and famous bearers of the name.
Adding engaging context to the dictionary section is an extensive comparative guide to naming practices. The authors discuss immigration to North America from Scandinavia and the ways given names and surnames were adapted in the New World. Also included in the book is a history of Scandinavian names, information on “Name Days,” and discussion of significant names from mythology and history, including naming traditions in royal families.Winner, Reference Book of the Year, Midwest Book Awards
Finalist, USA Best Books Award for Parenting/Family Reference
Review
“Invitingly readable! Setting these names in context, this dictionary also provides a concise, stimulating primer on Scandinavian mythology, history, and immigration, as well as highlighting subtle but highly significant differences among Scandinavian countries.”—Kathleen Stokker, author of Norsk, Nordmenn og Norge
Review
'\"A classic for anyone interested in their German ancestry and an invaluable tool for North Americans trying to determine what part of Germany they came from.\"Helmut Schmahl, Johannes Gutenberg UniversityMainz'
Synopsis
Are you looking for
A Scandinavian name for your baby?
The names of Norse gods and heroes?
The history and meaning of Scandinavian first names?
Variations and alternate spellings for common Scandinavian names?
Naming traditions and customs in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark?
A Handbook of Scandinavian Names includes a dictionary of more than fifteen hundred given names from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, plus some from Iceland and Finland. Each entry provides a guide to pronunciation and the origin and meaning of the name. Many entries also include variations and usage in the Scandinavian countries and famous bearers of the name.
Adding engaging context to the dictionary section is an extensive comparative guide to naming practices. The authors discuss immigration to North America from Scandinavia and the ways given names and surnames were adapted in the New World. Also included in the book is a history of Scandinavian names, information on Name Days, and discussion of significant names from mythology and history, including naming traditions in royal families.
Winner, Reference Book of the Year, Midwest Book Awards
Finalist, USA Best Books Award for Parenting/Family Reference
"
Synopsis
B-Day, as it came to be known, finally arrived. It was a Friday. A school day. I identified with Cinderella as I watched Dad get ready for work. Holster, check. Gun, check. Billy club, check. Handcuffs, check. . . . Saturday morning I got up early. Dad was already gone. Back to work. Ushering the Beatles out of town. On the table . . . there were two small bars of soap, slightly used, the words "Coach House Inn" still legible. One book of matches with four missing. And a note from Dad, "From their room." . . . No one else s dad comes home from work with something that might, just might, have been intimate with a Beatle.
Growing up, Mel Miskimen thought that a gun and handcuffs on the kitchen table were as normal as a gallon of milk and a loaf of Mrs. Karl s bread. Her father, a Milwaukee cop for almost forty years was part Super Hero (He simply held up his hand and three lanes of traffic came to a screeching halt) and part Supreme Being (He could be anywhere at anytime. I never knew when or where he would pop up.) Miskimen s memoir, told in humorous vignettes, tells what it was like for a girl growing up with a dad who packed a lunch and packed heat.
"
Synopsis
"A Handbook of Scandinavian Names" includes a dictionary of more than fifteen hundred given names from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, plus some from Iceland and Finland. Each entry provides a guide to pronunciation and the origin and meaning of the name. Many entries also include variations and usage in the Scandinavian countries and famous bearers of the name.
Adding engaging context to the dictionary section is an extensive comparative guide to naming practices. The authors discuss immigration to North America from Scandinavia and the ways given names and surnames were adapted in the New World. Also included in the book is a history of Scandinavian names, information on “Name Days,” and discussion of significant names from mythology and history, including naming traditions in royal families.
About the Author
Nancy L. Coleman taught English, German, and Norwegian at a high school in Hamar, Norway, and is editor and translator of the English-Norwegian/Norwegian-English dictionary Password. Olav Veka is president of the Norwegian Name Association (Norsk namnelag) and the author of many reference works and textbooks on Norwegian language, literature, and names. He contributed the entries on Norwegian and Danish surnames to the Oxford Dictionary of American Family Names.
Table of Contents
Preface
Pronunciation Guide
Danish
Norwegian
Swedish
Abbreviations and Symbols
Girls' Names
Boys' Names
A Guide to Scandinavian Naming
Scandinavian Immigration to the USA
Sweden
Finland
Denmark
Norway
Iceland
Summary of Immigration from the Scandinavian Countries
The Impact at Home
Scandinavian Ancestry in the US Today
Map 1: Distribution of Americans with Danish Ancestry, 2000 US Census
Map 2: Distribution of Americans with Norwegian Ancestry, 2000 US Census
Map 3: Distribution of Americans with Swedish Ancestry, 2000 US Census
Naming Traditions in Scandinavia
A Note on the Scandinavian Alphabets
Given Names, Patronymics and Surnames
Surnames in Iceland
A Surname to use Abroad
Icelandic Surnames in the USA
Surnames in Denmark
Danish Surnames in the USA
Surnames in Norway
Norwegian Surnames in the USA
Examples of Americanized Forms
Surnames in Sweden
Swedish Surnames in the USA
Summary of Surname Types
How Common are Scandinavian Surnames in the US?
Namesakes in the Scandinavian Tradition
Adapting Names in Scandinavian America
Some Theories and Studies
Some Strategies
Scandinavian Names in the USA
Scandinavian Girls' Names in US Naming Tradition
Scandinavian Boys' Names in US Naming Tradition
Scandinavian Given Names in an Historical Perspective
Names in the Viking Age (750-1050)
Viking Age Women's Names (contemporary spellings)
Viking Age Men's Names (contemporary spellings)
The Influence of Christianity
Borrowed Names
1. German Names
2. French and English Names
The Scandinavian Names Renaissance
Most frequently used Men's Names in the 1920s
Most frequently used women's names in the 1920s
Given Names Today
Name Laws
Denmark
Norway
Sweden
What's In a Name—Danish, Norwegian or Swedish?
Map of Typical Names in Denmark, Norway and Sweden
Top Names in Scandinavia Today
Popular Boys' Names in Scandinavia
Popular Girls' Names in Scandinavia
Names from Norse Mythology
Girls' Names
Boys' Names
Name Days
Naming Traditions in the Royal Families
Denmark
Advice on Using Danish Royal Names
Danish Regents from Gorm the Old to Margrethe II
Recommended Danish Royal Names (with adjusted spelling)
Norway
Advice on Using Norwegian Royal Names
Norwegian Regents from Harald Fairhair to Harald V
Recommended Norwegian Royal Names (with adjusted spelling)
Sweden
Advice on Using Swedish Royal Names
Swedish Regents from Erik Segersall to Carl XVI Gustaf (list somewhat simplified)
Recommended Swedish Royal Names (with adjusted spelling)
A Scandinavian Name for Your Baby
Recommended Girl's Names
Table 1: Girls' Names Easily Pronounced in English
Table 2: Girls' Names With an Acceptable English Pronunciation
Recommended Boys' Names
Table 3: Boys' Names Easily Pronounced in English
Table 4: Boys' Names With Acceptable English Pronunciation
Definitions
References
Index