You know what I’ve always wondered ever since I arrived in Iceland? Why the hell do all Icelandic people have -dóttir or -sson in their last name? They might all have the same parents and those parents must have been really busy might be ones answer, but there is some logic behind it. I did mention Icelandic names were difficult to memorise, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.

How Icelandic people get their names is an ancient tradition that you won’t find very quickly elsewhere. I’m just gonna use the names mentioned in the Visitor’s Guide I grabbed at the theatre in Reykjavík (of which I realised the book costed 980 ISK just now, but I snagged it without paying! Woops.) since I’m not too good at making up examples of Icelandic names.

First, if a man is called Leifur Eiríksson and he marries Thórdís Haraldsdóttir, Thórdís Haralsdóttir will stay the same. That’s already one difference from most cultures we know, where the woman will take over the name of the man. Second, if Thórdís and Leifur have a son, he would have Leifsson as a last name while a daughter would have Leifsdóttir as a last name. These suffixes readily state if that person is a son of daughter of said prefix which is the father’s name.

First names are way too common and because the last names refer to their fathers, Icelandic people are always referred by their first plus last name, never alone is the last name used.

Funny, innit? I would be called Hao Ran Shenglisson and my son would be called X Haoransson (Haorannesson? Harrson?). Haha. I am curious to hear how you would have been called!