Language/Icelandic/Culture/Names

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Icelandic Names

Icelanders use a naming convention whereby the father’s or mother’s first name is combined with the words for son or daughter (son or dóttir) to form a second name. Thus, the singer Björk’s full name is Björk Guðmundsdóttir, which literally translates to Björk, daughter o f Guðmundur. This might seem a bit strange to English speakers and other foreigners, since it means that siblings often don’t have the same last names. Björk’s brother, for example, would have Guðmundsson as a second name. To make things more complex, different generations have different last names since fathers and grandfathers don’t have the same first names. Thus, if your grandfather’s name were Jón, your father would have Jónsson as a second name, and if your father’s first name were Steingrimur, your last name would be Steingrimsson or Steingrímsdóttir. People are listed in the phone book by their first names.

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: People, History & Geography.