Marte Kirkebø and her son Nikolai Kirkebø Hundvebakke are having a baby. Like around 50 per cent of all newborns, Nikolai has been named by both his parents. Thus, he has one middle name and one surname. – We never considered just one of our surnames. Nikolai is named after his grandfather, and therefore it was natural that his father’s name became the surname, says the mother. For the parents, it was important that both names were carried on in the new generation. – In my family, it is the father’s name that has been passed on, but I think it was very nice that Nikolai was given both names. Figures from Statistics Norway show that 5 per cent of Norwegian men believe that their children should have their father’s name as their middle name and their mother’s name as their surname. 7 percent of Norwegian women thought the same. Photo: Vegard Wivestad Grøtt / NTB scanpix The mother’s name is the loser This year marks one hundred years since we got the first naming law in Norway. From the summer of 1923, all newborns were to have a fixed surname from the father. The woman had to take her husband’s name upon marriage, and men were not allowed to change their names. In the past, permanent surnames were something the richest had, and most people in Norway did not have permanent surnames. – In the fifties, around 5 per cent of children were given a middle name and surname. Today it is over 50 per cent, says Ivar Utne, linguist and name researcher at the University of Bergen. Middle name, surname or double surname? Surname: You can only have one surname. For example, Jonas Gahr Støre where Støre is the surname. Middle name: The middle name comes before the surname and after one or more first names. For example, Jonas Gahr Støre when Gahr is the middle name. Double surname: If you want two surnames, it must be a double surname, which is two surnames with a hyphen in between. For example, Christan Tybring-Gjedde where Tybring-Gjedde is the surname. Getting new double surnames became legal in 2003. He says that it is his father’s name that is often the last name. With a high degree of equality in Norway, he thinks the development is surprising. Ivar Utne is a little surprised by the development. Photo: Marit Stensby / news – It is still the case that the mother’s name is the loser. If one has the mother’s name as a middle name, it is often omitted in several contexts. Figures from Statistics Norway (2003) show that 5 per cent of Norwegian men believe that their children should have their father’s name as their middle name and their mother’s name as their surname. 7 percent of Norwegian women thought the same. – Today, it is probably between five and 10 per cent of children, or slightly more, who get their mother’s last name, adds Utne. No bad feminist Line Førre Grønstad has written a PhD on attitudes to surnames. The vast majority of Norwegian parents want their child to have the name from both parents. If they have to choose, the name of the man is most important, she says. Some of those she has spoken to are concerned that they violated an expectation of equality. – It is not that these are bad feminists because they are more traditional. They may be very concerned about equality, but they may not say much about it in connection with the choice of names for their children. Line Førre Grønstad researches attitudes to name elections. Photo: Privat Men and women have different starting points in a discussion about names in the relationship, she says. – The woman has probably started to think about whether they want to change their name or not, and what name the child should have. Women already have the door open, while men may not know that there is a door to do something with. Everything was not better until Grønstad says that many people think that having the father’s name as a surname is a long tradition. – It is easy to forget that the man’s surname was not so important before 1923. Before that, the child was often given the father’s first name with daughter or son behind it, and often the name of the farm or town they came from. If you move to a new city, change your name. Since then, the naming laws have been changed several times. – Everything was not better before, but a lot has happened in a hundred years. It shows that it is possible to think differently going forward. Marte Kirkebø doesn’t look away from that either. – If Nikolai one day has a child or gets married, then my name may disappear, but that will be up to him. On the next person, we may change the order of the name, so that it becomes my surname.
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Newborns get two surnames, but the mother’s name is still the loser – news Vestland
