Swedish Surnames

[Eve45]

Hi all,

I have recently found my Swedish great-grandmother after many years of searching but, as usual, it raises more questions. I'm familiar with the patronymic surname system, having traced both Dutch and Welsh family lines, but this family confuses me a little because I don't know much about Swedish naming traditions.

1. Maja Lisa Danielsdotter was born in 1833, daughter of Daniel Jonnson Spets and his wife Elin Jonsdotter. Daniel's father was Jon Persson, so Jonsson makes sense, but where would the 'Spets' part of his name come from?

Maja Lisa Danielsdotter had four known children but the father's name is not on any of the birth registrations - all have "oäkta" after their given names, which apparently means spurious, fake or bastard. The first of these children was fostered to Maja Lisa's sister and took the surname of that sister's husband, Borgstrom.

2. The last of Maja Lisa's children was my great-grandmother Emma (1869-1907). I have records for her in Germany, where she married and had children, and England, where she had children and died. All these records have her as Emma Johnsdotter or some version of it. Does this mean that her unnamed father could be John or Johan? Or is there a naming system that carries the Jons- part of her name from Maja Lisa's parents, who both had it in their names?

3. My last question relates to Maja Lisa's other two children: twin boys born in January 1865 and only lived a day. Like the others, they have no surname and no father's name. They were Frans and Victor - what surname should I give them in my FTM file? Would it be a version of Danielsdotter? It doesn't feel right to record them with just a given name.

Thank you, people of great and wondrous knowledge!

Eve

[jamcat95]

1. Maja Lisa Danielsdotter was born in 1833, daughter of Daniel Jonnson Spets and his wife Elin Jonsdotter. Daniel's father was Jon Persson, so Jonsson makes sense, but where would the 'Spets' part of his name come from?

Hi Eve
Just by reading your post and without digging, the name sounds like a soldier's name. "Spets" loosely means "point" as in pointed.
https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/the-unique-names-of-swedish-soldiers/

If you can give me the parish they came from and where they were born I can take a look for you.

Ian

[jamcat95]

Maja Lisa Danielsdotter had four known children but the father's name is not on any of the birth registrations - all have "oäkta" after their given names, which apparently means spurious, fake or bastard. The first of these children was fostered to Maja Lisa's sister and took the surname of that sister's husband, Borgstrom.

The word "oäkta" usually means when written on birth records as born outside wedlock...... illegitimate.


Ian

[jamcat95]

2. The last of Maja Lisa's children was my great-grandmother Emma (1869-1907). I have records for her in Germany, where she married and had children, and England, where she had children and died. All these records have her as Emma Johnsdotter or some version of it. Does this mean that her unnamed father could be John or Johan? Or is there a naming system that carries the Jons- part of her name from Maja Lisa's parents, who both had it in their names?

If you can give me the parish etc, I can take a look for you.

Ian

[Eve45]

Hi Ian,

Thanks for your quick replies. What a dill I am, not mentioning WHERE they were! The records I've found are mostly from Berga, Kronoberg. There's a few records of other family members leaving to go to Denmark, and there are others who were in Rydaholm, Jönköping. Maja Lisa Danielsdotter died in Tutaryd, Kronoberg, in 1907.

Thanks again, much appreciated...

[jamcat95]

3. My last question relates to Maja Lisa's other two children: twin boys born in January 1865 and only lived a day. Like the others, they have no surname and no father's name. They were Frans and Victor - what surname should I give them in my FTM file? Would it be a version of Danielsdotter? It doesn't feel right to record them with just a given name.

I have seen many ways these children have their names. It also depends on how the minister wants to record them too. Being illegitimate became a stigma for them, sometimes all their life as the word "oäkta" would follow them in the church books.
In your case the surnames could well be Majasson which would be more correct. Danielsdotter would not suit because they are male but Danielsson could be ok but they weren't Daniel's sons.


Ian

[jamcat95]

Cheers Eva. I'll take a look and see what comes up. Where did you get all the records from?

[jamcat95]

Yes, he was a soldier.

Here is a link to Daniel's soldier's record:
https://soldat.elektronikhuset.it/soldatregister/dbrecord.sv.aspx?id=472874

He was in the Småland's Grenadier Battalion in the Sunnerbo Company.
He became a soldier in 1812 and left in 1828.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sm%C3%A5land_Grenadier_Corps


I'll contact the records office to see if they have more.


Ian

[jamcat95]

Just noticed that the soldier link doesn't work.