Hello,

During the last couple days a series of messages has been posted on
how surnames became what they are - very informative for me, I'd like
to share with the SC listmembers.

Elida

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

From:   INTERNET:[email protected],
INTERNET:[email protected]
TO:     PADUTCHgenONLY-L, INTERNET:[email protected]
DATE:   5/16/99 11:32 AM

RE:     Re: Re:TAX  RECORDS/Swedes

In a message dated 5/16/99 10:52:49 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
[email protected] writes:

 Could someone please explain what the patronymic system was (with
>  examples)?  I have seen referrals to this, but don't know what it means.

Hi Diane-  I *knew* that question was coming.  

The designation for "son of" and "daughter of" would be used with the given

name of the father.  In Latin "Patri" is a prefix meaning "father" so 
Patronymics means surnames that are derived from the father's name.  

Let's start with a common Patronymic used by the early Swedes since that is

where the question arose.

If your name was Peter and you had a son named Lars--he would be called
Lars 
Peterson (or Lars, son of Peter).  Then if Lars had a son named Sven he
would 
be known as Sven Larsson (Sven, son of Lars).  In other words there were no

fixed surnames as we use them today.  You will also sometimes see this in 
reference to daughters but instead or Helga being Helga Peterson, she would

be Helga Petersdottir.

In other countries the same type of patronymics were used but the actual 
prefix varied with the language.  In Wales son of was "Ap" and daughter of 
"Ferch" or "Verch."  So you might see Owen Ap Humphrey (or Owen, son of 
Humphrey).  

Irish patronymics are the source of the Fitz, O' and Mc surnames we still
see 
today--once they became standardized as actual permanent surnames.  In 
Scotland it was Mac.  In the Netherlands son of was Van, and in Germany
Von, 
and on and on.

You don't see all of these prefixes in as common usage as you do others and

that largely varies with the extent Patronymics were used in that culture.

To some extent patronymics were used by all cultures at an early date when 
there were fewer people in the world and there was no need to identify with

permanent surnames.  It became unwieldy as the population grew and more 
specific means of identifying individuals and families became necessary.

Joan

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