Which surname do I index?

Rebecca Barnet

I am new to indexing Swedish records on my own. I do know what Swedish surnames look like, and I know there is a difference between them and farm names. However, in this batch of birth records, I am seeing multiple surnames listed. For this particular example, I see "Masterson Olaf Lindrgen" listed as the father's name (followed by Clara Larsdotter and their residence). I know Lindgren is a nature-based name but Masterson also looks like a possible surname. I have noticed a lot of introductory names like this that aren't clearly a farm name. Can someone help me out?

Ulf Duvemyr

Just a hint, It say Mästarson Olof Lindgren, sometime did they write the title first or in this case he was a son of a master, Its not easy soemtime to see what is the name or what is the title of the person. so the correct name of the father is only Olof Lindgren

Ulf Duvemyr

Oh there is to many, and also it all depends on who wrote down the info.

But a few examples

Herr= Mr or sometimes Hr.

Hustru=Mrs sometimes it can just say Hu or just H.

Son=Son

Dotter=Daugther

Hemmansägare= House owner or Farmowner

Sometimes it can say Hemmansägar son or Hemmansägardotter that are son or daugther to a homeowner

Melissa S Himes

This question needs to be moved to the Indexing Section of the Community Help. It probably could be answered in the Other Languages/Swedish section, but, obviously this is an Indexing question. I'm going to tag a few moderators so that move can be made by one of them - @annewandering, @AndLinda, @CJohns7, @PiperTWilson

Please hold onto your batch a little longer, Rebecca, and someone will be along to answer your question.

CJohns7

Thanks for your question @Rebecca Barnet regarding indexing Swedish surnames in Sverige, Örebro—Kyrkoböcker, 1650–1860 [Del 10D][M9MG-BTZ].

In the Field Help for Faderns efternamn (Father's Surname), paragraph 4 says, "The surname may be written either before or after the given names. Be sure to type the names in the correct fields in the data entry area. If you cannot determine if a name is a given name or a surname, type it in the Given Names field."

Following these directions, if you have difficulty determining which names are given and surnames, please index them in the given name fields.

Once the collection and index are published, a researcher will be led to the image, and can make their own determinations as to which of the names are correct surnames.

You can also use the Research Wiki under the Search tab in FamilySearch. Information regarding Swedish personal names can be found at the following link:

https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Sweden_Personal_Names

Melissa S Himes

Thank you @Ulf.Duvemyr for that great explanation! I was trying to find a list of titles used in Sweden, but, had no luck. Are there other titles or terms that might be seen on these types of records, like Mr or Mrs, or Widow/Widower? The Wiki article doesn't mention any, but, it would be helpful, if they exist.