View Message

[Facts] surname query
can anyone tell me anything about the surname HJORTLOV, pronounced hute-louve...
vote up1vote down

Replies

A recently invented lastname; in 1970 there were none using it, today 14 persons have it. They are from far north. (Kalix).Pronunciation:H = silent, not pronouced.
J = pure J, not DJ
O as U in Ger. 'Kugel', 'gucken'
R = retroflex R
T = T
L = L
Ö as in Fre. 'feu'
V = VFirst vowel short or long, at one's own choice.
Second vowel long.
Both syllables stressed. (Spondé)
vote up1vote down
That's interesting, Ålefeskarn, that you found this was an invented surname. Were you also able to find any other information on it, such as the reason it was invented and whether the people using it are related to each other or have copied others using the name?-- Nanaea
vote up1vote down
Hi Nanaea,I don't know anything about this family, but it's very common to get a new surname for the family in Sweden.The reason is that because of this surname tradition (using their father's first name with a -son or -dotter suffix as a surname) which stopped about 100 years ago, very many people have got the same surname. If you have a look at a telephone register of a small town, you'll find hundreds of Andersson and hundreds of Svensson etc.Other names without the -son suffix are more special and much nicer in many people's point of view, so many families decide to change surnames. On the Patent- and Registrationsoffice there are long lists with vacant surnames:http://www.prv.se/guiden/namnguiden/index.htmlPopular examples are:Per Gessle (artist/"Roxette") - Johansson -> GessleStellan Skarsgård (actor) - Nilsson -> SkarsgårdIn both cases they are allready generation no. 2 with that new name (their fathers did the change). If you change to one of these new names, you can be sure, that you're family is the only one with that name.Regards, Satu
vote up1vote down
Thanks for that fascinating bit of Scandinavia surname trivia, Satu. Yes, I can see how people might get bored with so many "-sons".I wonder how many of these newly created surnames reflect New Age ideals? Are you finding many combined nature names among them, Satu? As in Scandinavian equivalents of, say, "Starhawk" and "Wolfmoon"?-- Nanaea
vote up1vote down
Stiernhöök exists since 1649. Johan Olsson, jurist scholar, became nobilitated in that year and took the name Stiernhöök. There is nothing of new-age-nonsense to it, though. It is a typical nobility-name.Stjärna = 'star'
Hök = 'hawk'Names that nobilitated persons took often contained elements like:
Krona = 'crown'
Lejon = 'lion'
Lilje = 'lily'
Gyllen = 'golden'
Sparre = 'spar'
Svärd = 'sword'
Stjärna 'star'
Örn = 'eagle'
etc, etc,
and this style was frequently imitated by others, non nobilitated persons.http://www.lysator.liu.se/runeberg/sbh/b0530.html
vote up1vote down
Hej Ålefeskarn,tack för länken!!!Satu
vote up1vote down
Thanks, you both. :)
vote up1vote down
Hi Nanaea,Yes, most of these invented names are combined nature names. Beside those -son names combined nature names is the most common surname-group. You'll find lots of "real" (I mean "not-invented") names there like e.g.Granqvist (spruce + branch)
Sjöholm (lake/sea + island)
Malmsten (ore + stone)
Ekström (oak + river, stream)
etc.The invented names very often follow that model, but there are many invented names which are combinations of a "made-up"-word and a real word like:Plejblom ("plej" [which doesn't mean anything!] + blossom)
Plejbris ("plej" + breeze)
Plejbygd ("plej" + district, countryside)
Plejhav ("plej" + sea, ocean)
Plejkullen ("plej" + the hill)
Plejrönn ("plej" + mountain ash)
Plejskog ("plej" + forest, wood)Regards, Satu
vote up1vote down
Hi Conor,In Sweden there's a surname spelled Hjortlöv which is a combination of hjort "stag" and löv "foliage, leaf".Regards, Satu
vote up1vote down