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When recording surnames, it is important to remember that patronymics were frequently abbreviated in the records. The abbreviations '''dr.''', '''dtr.''', '''d.''', are all substitutes for ''datter''. Likewise, male patronymics are frequently shortened to '''s'''. In a parish where most of the population has a surname ending with ''datter'' or ''sen'', recording the name in full would be needlessly redundant. | When recording surnames, it is important to remember that patronymics were frequently abbreviated in the records. The abbreviations '''dr.''', '''dtr.''', '''d.''', are all substitutes for ''datter''. Likewise, male patronymics are frequently shortened to '''s'''. In a parish where most of the population has a surname ending with ''datter'' or ''sen'', recording the name in full would be needlessly redundant. | ||
Abbreviations in the records are not limited to surnames. Some given names are frequently abbreviated as well. Perhaps the most commonly encountered abbreviation is in names containing the word ''Christ'', where it is written as ''X'', it being a modern siglum of the Greek ''Χρ'', representing the first two letters in the Greek spelling of Christ. | |||
=== Name Frequency === | === Name Frequency === | ||
A study of the 1865 census of Vågå, Norway identified 430 men (11% of the male population) with the given name of Hans. Of these 430, 22% were surnamed Olsen, 20% Hansen, 6% Johnsen, and 4% Knudsen. Because of the high numbers of people with the same given name and patronymic surname it was necessary to include a person’s residence (usually a farm, but it may also be a house) as part of their identification. | A study of the 1865 census of Vågå, Norway identified 430 men (11% of the male population) with the given name of Hans. Of these 430, 22% were surnamed Olsen, 20% Hansen, 6% Johnsen, and 4% Knudsen. Because of the high numbers of people with the same given name and patronymic surname it was necessary to include a person’s residence (usually a farm, but it may also be a house) as part of their identification. | ||