In the early Middle Ages in Sweden, people opted for indigenous names, says expert

What would you have named your children if you had lived in the Middle Ages? And what would your own name have been? In his book Personnamnen i de medeltida svenska runinskrifterna (Personal names in medieval Swedish runic inscriptions), Lasse Mårtensson, Professor of Nordic languages, has taken a closer look at what people were called during that period.

What were the most common names 900 years ago?

It should be borne in mind that only a fraction of the early medieval population of Sweden have had their names preserved in writing, so the general picture of personal naming customs during this period is unclear. However, based on the sources that have actually survived, several of the frequent Viking-period names were still common in the early Middle Ages, such as Björn, Olaf and Sven. Some borrowed names were also becoming common, such as Johan and Magnus.

Unfortunately, the number of documented female names from this period is low, and it is difficult to say anything about how frequently they occurred. At the same time, it is clear that it is the indigenous female names, dating back to the Viking Age, that are still used today. Some such examples in the material I have analyzed are Bothild, Ragnhild and Tora.

What distinguishes personal names during the Middle Ages?

If we consider the Middle Ages to be from the end of the Viking Age until the Reformation, we can see that Swedish names underwent a major change during this period. During the early Middle Ages, which is the focus of my book, the similarity with Viking Age personal naming customs is clear. Most of them had indigenous names, some of which still exist while many have disappeared.

Over the course of the Middle Ages, many names were borrowed, initially mainly Christian names, and later also many German names. Christian names that appear are—in addition to the aforementioned Johan—Benedikt, Kristin and Margareta. There are very few German names in my source material because the carvings are so early, but Engelbrekt is an example.

What kind of runic inscriptions have you studied?

Medieval runic inscriptions are of a somewhat different nature to the stone memorial inscriptions of the Viking Age. There are stone inscriptions carved in memory of dead relatives that also date from the Middle Ages, but they are modeled on medieval grave monuments. There are also carvings in churches, for example on the plaster walls. Sometimes names are carved on them. Finally, there are carvings on various types of loose objects, such as bowls, knife handles and the like, which also often have names on them.

Was there anything during the work that surprised you, and if so, what?

It was surprising to find such a large number of names in the material that were otherwise unusual during the Viking Age and the later part of the Viking Age. These include Aldulv, Bänkfrid, Daglang and Dyrmod. There is also a clear example of Maria being used as a personal name. At this time, it was unusual for people to be called Maria, likely because it was considered too sacred.

Why did you write this book?

I became interested in this area for several reasons. Im interested in runes and personal names in ancient times, and the medieval runic inscriptions in particular contained interesting material in both respects.

More information:
Lasse Mårtensson. Personal names in medieval Swedish runic inscriptions.

Provided by Uppsala University