Danish "non standard" last names

marcusernestjorgensen1

I have at least three examples of Danish ancestors (Maribo amt) who had an additional name tacked on. For example, a Niels Pedersen is almost always referred to as Niels Basse. His son Christen is sometimes Christen Nielsen, sometimes Christen Basse, and sometimes Christen Nielsen Basse. Another ancestral line has "Rei" as an additional last name and another "Buk" (or Buch). The time frame for these names is 1700s and early 1800s. Does anyone know why this is?

Niels Just Rasmussen

There is a Danish book describing the old "tilnavne" [more nicknames than real surnames] from Lolland-Falster.

Lolland-Falsters navnebog indeholdende bondestandens tilnavne fra det 16. til det 19 aarhundrede:
Source: https://slaegtsbibliotek.dk/903004.pdf

It explains that a person could get a nickname in medieval times, that sometimes got inherited to his children (or maybe only one of his children), even to a point where the original meaning of the name was lost.

Other instances have nicknames that follows the "fæste-gård" [= tenant-farm], so each new tenant would get that nickname, even though the person had no family connection with former owners!

The study gives a list of example with dates, when these names are attested on Lolland-Falster [so not attestation for the whole of Denmark]:

Basse = male wild boar. It is the nickname of an old Danish noble family [called "uradel"]. In the middle ages the Danish nobility didn't use surnames, but patronymics as everyone else. They could be referred as a kin-group based on their coat-of-arms, which often were a depiction of an animal(animals or a plant/plants.
[For instance Due = Dove/Pigeon, or Porse = Bog-Myrtle/Sweetgale]
Incoming German nobility had surnames and used them.
Later usage of "Basse" as nickname could be because of relation to this family, who owned land on Lolland, OR the nickname was given independant of that family link.

Basse:
[gl. Tilnavn = old nickname].
L 1390 P. Basse i Nielstrup,
1403 Tuko Basse, Ridder R II 3850, III 4594; [= Tyge Basse, knight]
1610 Rødby H.,
1688 Vognsted,
1714, 1775 H. Hunseby,
1718 Raa,
1773 Vaabensted,
1821 Tofte
Page 28 in the pdf file.

Here is a family tree of the old noble Basse family with their coat of arms [wild boars head]: https://www.roskildehistorie.dk/stamtavler/adel/Basse/Basse_gamle.htm

Buk, Buck (bok) [gl. Tilnavn = old nickname].
F 1569 Elkenøre,
1569 1582 1611 Marrebæk,
1688 Truelstrup,
1688 1813 Virket,
1890 Stangerup o. fl. —
L 1688 Gloslunde (Bock), Ullerslev,
1688 H .,
1776 Frejlev,
1776 Vantore H.
Page 35 in the pdf file.

There was a norwegian noble family called Buk [→ english Buck/Billy, male goat].
Source: https://www.roskildehistorie.dk/stamtavler/adel/Buk/Buk.htm

Again the usage of the name could be because of family relations or given independently as a nickname.
In this case the latter explanation is much more probable as the noble Buk-family didn't seem to have a presence on Lolland-Falster.

Rej, Rey, Roy, Reeg 1532, 1610. [would also include the spelling Rei]
L 1532 Gjeltofte,
1610 Thoreby,
1688 Skovby,
1726 (Rey),
1776 Kettinge,
1776 Taagense,
1776, 1843 (Rey) Vantore,
1843 Musse,
1743 1894 Slemminge
Page 80 in the pdf file.

It had some unknown connection to the nickname "Reising":
"Blandt Navne paa -ing er der forøvrigt en Mængde, hvis Oprindelse er dunkel: Hytting, Hølling, Køring, Rejsing, Remling, Ringsing, Sietting, Sverring, Tølling, Villing.
Ofte er der Dobbeltformer: Pille og Pilling, Klys og Klyssing, Kris og Krising, Kynd og Kønding; Musse
og Mussing, Myse og Myssing; Bat og Batte overfor Batting;
Tolkningen af disse og mangfoldige andre af denne Bogs Navne maa overlades til Fremtiden".
Page 13 in the pdf file.

Among the names ending with -ing there is a group, where the origin is obscure (Rejsing/Reising among this group).
There is often double-forms [not given, but Rej and Rejsing would fit this scheme!]
The interpretation of these names is for future investigations.

So in your examples it is probably inherited nicknames!

marcusernestjorgensen1

That is awesome! I cannot thank you enough for this wonderful information!!!!