"Share a Coke with Geir" : Varför är det så stora skillnader mellan svenskt och norskt förnamnsskick?

• This article explores the differences between the contemporary stocks of forenames in Sweden and Norway. Taking as its starting point the two countries’ 100 commonest male and female names in 2012, it lists names that are among the top 100 in one country, but have a frequency of less than 0.5 per thousand in the other. Names with a frequency below 0.1 per thousand are examined more closely and compared. In addition, a study is made of the 40 most popular names for each gender, for children born in Sweden and Norway in 2012. A comparison between these names and the names common in the population as a whole suggests that the Norwegian stock of forenames could in future move closer to that of Sweden, which is generally less distinctive. Finally, conceivable reasons for the differences between the countries’ namestocks are discussed, along with the possible significance of etymology when parents choose names for their children.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Språk och litteratur -- Studier av enskilda språk (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Languages and Literature -- Specific Languages (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Personal names

forenames

given names

Sweden

Norway

national forename patterns

name-giving

name choice

nationbuilding

Personal Names

Personnamn

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)