Do you want a true summer name for the baby?
Spring and summer months are the most common to change first names in Norway. Or maybe you’re waiting for a Solan, Vår or Lilje?
May, June, July and August are the most common months to rename.
So says name expert in SSB, Jørgen Ouren. He tells us that the name choice in many cases is related to the month in which the child is born.
‘’There are a few more August’s born in August than otherwise in the year. The same goes for Juni, (June) and especially April. While Julie and Julia have more spread throughout the year, Ouren said.
Many are also inspired by nature, said the name expert. Children are named after trees, animals, flowers, rocks,birds and the weather.
Animal names not illegal
Asked if it was not forbidden to give a pet name in Norway for a period,Ouren had to laugh. It is a myth that at one point it was not allowed to give children their animal’s names in Norway, he explained.
‘’This is something I encountered and still needs to be corrected. It is not and has not been illegal to give children their animal’s names in Norway,” said Ouren.
On the contrary, animal names and names from nature have been very much used over the years said the name expert.
Varg and Ravn replace Bjørn and Stein
“Bjørn (Bear) and Stein (Stone) are examples of quite common names originating from nature,” said Ouren.
These names were at their most popular in the 1940s and 1950s, while almost nobody had received them in recent years. At the same time, other nature names increased in popularity.
“Varg, Hauk, Falk and Ravn have been used lately.This is especially true of Varg, which has been quite popular in the past ten years,’’ said Ouren.
Trees for boys, flowers for girls
The names list showed that girls are often named after ornamental flowers,while boys are named after other crops – such as trees.
That there are more flower names for the girls may not be surprising.Many flowers are named after women, so it goes both ways.
‘’Take, for example, a woman named Beate. She is not so named because of the potato. It’s probably also the opposite, Ouren said with a smile.
Which flower names have been most popular in recent years?
“Linnea has been popular for a while, with a peak in 2007, but after that it has sunk slightly in popularity again. Lilly’s popularity rose sharply until 2012, and has been flat since,” said Ouren.
What boy’s name from the plant kingdom is in the wind?
“Ask has grown very popular in recent years. 610 boys have been so named in the past ten years,’’ Ouren said.
Eik is not unusual nowadays. It seems fun to Ouren.
“It’s very funny to see that traditional names like Ask and Eik have flourished in recent years,” he said.
Brilliant name selection
The names Sol (Sun), Solan and Vår (Spring) are good alternatives if you want short names that give associations to the bright times.
There are 561 girls and women called Sol (Sun) in Norway, while 244 are called Vår (Spring).
Solan is divided by 108 men in Norway, while Sole is quite rare for both sexes: 19 men and five women are called Sole. In addition, there are 15 men in Norway called Solvar.
Girl’s names
Of the more traditional, longer variants that start with Sun, Solveig is clearly the most widely used. There are 16,168 women in Norway so called,and the name is the 20th most used for women in Norway.
Some names do not belong to a particular generation, but are used for a long time. The opposite of fashion names, in other words. Ouren said that Solveig belongs to the foundation of the girl’s names.
“Solveig had a fierce peak around 1920, and should normally have sunk in popularity afterwards. But since 1970, Solveig has remained at a high level. It will not go out of use,” said Ouren.
Usually goes in waves
Name’s popularity tends to follow a 120-year cycle according to Ouren.
The aunts and grandmothers are often out. While the name of deceased grandmothers, on the other hand, are ripe for revamp.
“Everything old is fine, so long as it is old enough,” said Ouren.
Source: SSB ….FORFATTER: INA SELMER-ANDERSSEN / Norway Today
