Scandinavian Ancestors: Church Books, Farm Names and Patronymics
Norwegian, Swedish and Danish records are among the best in the world, and many are free online. How patronymic surnames and farm names work, and where to find church books, censuses and emigration records.
More than two million Scandinavians emigrated to the United States, many to the farms and cities of the Upper Midwest. Their descendants are lucky: the Lutheran state churches of Norway, Sweden and Denmark kept detailed, continuous records, and all three countries have put much of their archives online. The challenge is the names, which work very differently from English surnames.
Patronymic names
Traditionally, Scandinavians didn't have fixed family surnames. A child's last name was formed from the father's first name:
- In Sweden, Anders's son was Andersson; his daughter was Andersdotter.
- In Norway and Denmark, the son was Andersen (or Andersson) and the daughter Andersdatter.
So the surname changed every generation. Nils Andersson's son would be named something like Johan Nilsson, and his daughter Anna Nilsdotter. Women kept their patronymic for life, rather than taking a husband's name.
Patronymics faded during the 1800s and early 1900s, as laws and custom encouraged fixed surnames. Many emigrants chose a new, fixed surname when they arrived in America, sometimes their patronymic, sometimes a farm name or a new name entirely.
Farm names (Norway)
In Norway, people were often identified by the farm where they lived as well as their patronymic: Ole Hansen Bakke was Ole, son of Hans, of the Bakke farm. If the family moved to a different farm, the farm name could change. Many Norwegian immigrants took their farm name as their American surname. Knowing the farm name is often the key to finding a Norwegian family.
Norwegian local history books called bygdebøker describe the history of each farm in a district and the families who lived there, sometimes for centuries. They're a superb resource.
Church books
Parish records (church books) are the foundation of Scandinavian research: baptisms, confirmations, marriages, burials and records of people moving into and out of the parish.
Sweden's household examination rolls (husförhörslängder) are unique: the parish priest recorded every household year after year, testing members on their knowledge of the catechism, and noting births, moves, marriages and deaths. You can follow a family through decades in these books.
Where to find the records
- Norway: the Digitalarkivet (Digital Archives) offers free church books and censuses, including the 1801, 1865, 1875, 1900 and 1910 censuses, many fully transcribed.
- Sweden: the Swedish National Archives (Riksarkivet) offers free images of church books and many other records. ArkivDigital, a subscription site, has high-quality color images.
- Denmark: the Danish National Archives' online service (Arkivalieronline) has free church books and censuses, and the Danish Demographic Database indexes many censuses.
- FamilySearch has indexes and images for all three countries.
Emigration records
- Norway: police records of emigrants leaving from Norwegian ports, from the 1860s
- Sweden: emigration records from ports such as Gothenburg, plus moving-out notes in church books
- Denmark: the Copenhagen Police Emigration Protocols, roughly 1868 to 1940, indexed in the Danish Emigration Database
Church books often record emigrants too, with a note such as "to America" and a date.
Research tips
- Find the parish. American church records of Scandinavian Lutheran congregations often give the parish of birth.
- Expect the surname to change as you go back a generation; follow the father's first name instead.
- Learn a few key words: född/født (born), döpt/døbt (baptized), gift (married), död/død (died), son/sønn (son), dotter/datter (daughter).
- Watch dates of moves in the church books' moving-in and moving-out registers.