If you watched any the Iceland’s games in the recent Euro 2016, you would have noticed that all of the surnames end in the suffix “son”. Here’s the starting lineup in one of the matches: Halldorsson, Saevarsson, Sigurdsson, Arnason, Skulason, Gudmundsson, Gunnarsson, Sigurdsson, Bjarnason, Sigthorsson, Bodvarsson.
So we couldn’t help ourselves but ask: Why do all the Icelandic surnames end in “son”?
Let’s find out. (the article continues after the ad)
First of all, the Icelandic surnames end in “son” if you are male. If you are female, they end in “dottir”, which of course come from “son” and “daughter”. The interesting part though is the first syllable which is the first name of the father thus it changes for each and every generation:
For example, if Jon Einarsson has two children: Olafur and Singridur, their names will be Olafur Jonsson (the son of Jon) and Singridur Jonsdottir (the daughter of Jon)!
If you like what you read, then you will definitely love this one: What Does The “O” and “Mac” Mean When Used As A Prefix In Irish Surnames?
Photo: celandflag.facts.co
Photoshop: I’m A Useless Info Junkie
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