I am trying to understand why would my Norwegian grandmother would have two last names?
I discovered the correct record of my grandmother. What I don't understand is why the name/word Mikken is added to her last name. Her ID is LVN8-FNT and all her siblings also have Mikken added at the end of their names. Although their father's name does not have Mikken on his last name. I do know that my grandmother's family changed their last name once they immigrated to America. Which I had added her to Family Search with the changed name (ID L5BC-WC1). Once I understand the Norwegian last names I will merge my record into the correct record. Thanks!
Answers
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Often individuals would adopt the farm they lived on in Norway for their name in America. Have you seen the word Mikken on any of the records in the area she comes from? It does not appear on the list of farms for Tune but it could be a subfarm.
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I found a location name Mikken on the map. It is an old settlement in Sarpsborg. https://www.norgeskart.no/#!?project=seeiendom&layers=1002,1015&zoom=12&lat=6584551.64&lon=270320.30&markerLat=6583909.019516477&markerLon=270268.72867892846&panel=searchOptionsPanel&sok=Mikken I don't know if this would apply to your ancestor and the places she lived.
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Sarpsborg is by Tune so this is a good possibility.
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The following is taken from the Norway research outline from BYU
http://files.lib.byu.edu/family-history-library/research-outlines/Scandinavia/Norway.pdf
Surnames developed from four major sources:
- Patronymic, based on a parent’s name, such as Siver Jensen (son of Jens)
- Occupational, based on the person’s trade, such as Hans Smed (Smith)
- Nicknames, based on a person’s characteristics, such as Olav Blåtann (Blue tooth)
- Geographical, based on a person’s farm name, such as David Mundal
"After about 1850 it became the custom in the cities to take permanent surnames. By 1900 most of Norway began doing so. In some places the patronymic naming customs continued until 1923, when a law was passed requiring persons to adopt permanent family names to be passed to successive generations. When this happened, many Norwegians chose to use the name of their farm (residence) as their surname."
The Sweden research outline also says the following (not sure if this is specific to Sweden, or if it would also apply to Norway)
http://files.lib.byu.edu/family-history-library/research-outlines/Scandinavia/Sweden.pdf
"When a young man went into the military he was given a new surname. This name could be based on his characteristics, such as Stark (strong) or Modig (brave), or the place where he was stationed. If the place was called Lillebäck, he may have been called Bäck. Before the late 1800s, a military surname seldom became a family name. Later, when family names were more common and sometimes when people emigrated from Sweden, the military name became the family surname."
"When a young man became an apprentice to learn a trade, he would choose an additional surname."
"The clergy and other learned men often “Latinized” their names. Thus Eric Karlsson became Ericus Caroli"
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This farm Shari located is definitely where "your" Mikken came from.
Here is a way too long list from 1950 of the Bruks (sub-farms) "under" the Gard (main farm) Sande med Holtet
So Mikken is bruk 7, Lia is another of your farms 8 or 9, Hatterød bruk 18,
Matrikkelutkastet av 1950
Østfold
Tune herad, Tune sokn
34 Sande m/ Holtet
1 Sande med Holtet 69 mark 15 øre A/S Sanne og Soli Brug
2 Sandengen 59 øre Jørgen Johansen
3 Vestre Sandengen 1 mark 65 øre Hans Golden
4 Nedre Sandengen 90 øre Henry Olsen
5 Østre Sandengen 81 øre Marius Sandengen
6 Østre Braaten 35 øre Henry Olsen
7 Mikken 68 øre Jens Juliussen
8 Nedre Lia 88 øre Gunnar Hermansen
9 Øvre Lia 86 øre Kristian Solgård
10 Søndre Solgård 64 øre Anton K. Solgård
11 Øvre Bakken 91 øre Jens Juliussen
12 Bjerkeheia 70 øre Just W. Høy
13 Bjørndalen 92 øre Gunnar Bjørndalen
14 Stikka 8 øre Anton Olsen
15 Bergedalen 1 mark 52 øre Anette Olsen
16 Nordre Solgård 60 øre Kristian Antonsen
17 Søndre Sandengen 1 mark 14 øre Birger Hermansen
18 Hatterød 1 mark 11 øre Oskar Berg
19 Isebro 1 mark 60 øre Anders Ramstad
20 Nedre Ødegården 90 øre Jacobine Ødegård
21 Østre Ødegården 3 mark 07 øre Anker Gundrosen
22 Øvre Ødegården 1 mark 65 øre Jacobine Ødegård
23 Kampenhaug 1 mark 35 øre Hartvig Bergedalen
24 Sandaker 94 øre Karl Karlsen
25 Sandli 4 mark 10 øre Anton Gundrosen
26 Holtet 2 mark 20 øre Gustav og Else Gundersen
27 Lileng 2 mark 22 øre Hans Golden
28 Rønningen 67 øre Jens Jørgensen Stikka
29 Sandholtet 18 øre Jørgen Ringsrød
30 Toppen 1 mark 80 øre Arne H. Johansen
31 Myra 7 øre Ole Johansen
32 Øvre Sandengen 51 øre Jørgen Johansen
33 Vestre Braaten 1 mark 53 øre Hans Golden
34 Stenmon 45 øre Just W. Høy
35 Enerhaugen 30 øre Just W. Høy
36 Engen 6 mark 40 øre Jørgen Kristiansen Løkke
37 Mellemsanne 11 øre Oliver Ryen
38 Solli 5 mark 03 øre Anton Edvin Ellingsen
39 Soli kirke 14 øre Tune kommune
40 Solihøgda 2 øre Just W. Høy
41 Bjerkelund 3 øre Anton Olsen
42 Frydenlund 18 øre Hans Golden
43 Falle 6 øre Arne Berger
44 Elvestad 18 øre Karl Juliussen
45 Gamlesanne 4 mark 80 øre Herman Hansen
46 Solihøgdskogen 4 mark 30 øre Just W. Høy
47 Sanne 11 mark 94 øre Bjørn A. Næss
48 Veibakken 3 øre Reidar Sørlie
49 Skjønhaug 3 øre Gunnar Gundersen Melleby
50 Rønninghaug 4 øre Karl Karlsen
51 Solbakken 6 øre Hartvig Hansen Melleby
52 Myrvold 2 øre Johan Hansen Myrvold
53 Granli 5 øre Arnt Karlsen Melleby
54 Furuli 8 øre Karl Karlsen Furuli
55 Gunnerås 6 øre Aksel Johansen Svartedal
56 Grepemyra 70 øre Dagmar Solbrækken
57 Haugen 5 øre Petter Westby
58 Utne og Soli Skole 11 øre Tune kommune
59 Sandengen nordre 17 øre Ludvig Edvardsen
60 Oreli 2 øre Simen Aagård
61 Orheim 85 øre Anders, Fredrik og Johan Ellingsen
62 Besiderialund 3 øre Tune kommune
63 Seipesundet 6 øre Anders, Fredrik og Johan Ellingsen
64 Soligård 5 mark 80 øre Anders, Fredrik og Johan Ellingsen
65 Ekely 2 øre Tune kommune
66 Isebakhøyda 21 øre Alfred Isebakke
67 Ødegårdsløkka 50 øre Hartvig Bergedalen
68 Toppestranda 20 øre Glomma Fellesfløtningsforening
69 Sandli II 40 øre Bjørn A. Næss
70 Sanne II 40 øre Anton G. Sandli
71 Snippen 4 øre Arnt og Otto Karlsen
72 Ringsbu 1 øre Kristian Ringsrød
73 Gunderås 1 øre Aksel Johansen
74 Steinli 1 øre Olaf Vastvedt
75 Vestgård 5 øre Joel Nilsson
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One family that I have researched in Denmark used multiple names (patronymic name as well as Mørk) in the mid 1800s when patronymics were transitioning to surnames that were passed down from one generation to the next. With that family I would see church records use the family's patronymic surname (changing each generation) but government census records would use the name Mørk.
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The best way to wrap your head around patronymics and farm names is to look at it this way...
"Your" Aagot's name was Aagot..... Period
So when they wrote Aagot Arntsdatter they meant this is the Aagot who is Arnt's daughter
That won't change - she is always Arnt's daughter and she will not change her patronymic when she marries.
And Aagot Mikken is the Aagat from the Mikken farm - This can change because she might move although there are no hard and fast rules.
So Aagot Arntsdatter Mikken just means this is Aagot whose father is Arnt and she lives at or is from Mikken.
In your case I did not see any record where Aagot is recorded as Aagot Arntsdatter Mikken - That "name" was probably applied by a researcher of today. At her birth/christening she is recorded as Aagot. And her father was Arnt Andreassen who at the time was at Soli farm. (Part of that same list of farms I posted earlier)
I am assuming this family emigrated between 1907 and 1910?
When families came to North America they had to adopt the inherited surname system so when we so often say the "changed" their name it was really a matter of adopting either the patronymic or a farm name.
In the case of families with children the patronymic of the father was usually applied to his wife and children so Aagot maybe became Andreassen or Anderson etc.
So I think I would use Aagot Arntsdatter as her name - The birth name
Keep Arntsdatter Mikken as an alternate name and then whatever name she was known as wherever she emigrated to as a second alternate name.
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Thank you for all your quick responses. This is now is making sense. I know some of my grandmother's relatives had changed their last names to Soli once they immigrated to America. I see Soli attached to my great-grandmother's last name.
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Sheri Duce
last week you helped me with similar name situation with”Heiselt” a town where my ancestors used as a last name when coming to America. This also is used in Denmark, correct?
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I suppose it is possible a person in Denmark could change his name to a farm name when he comes to America, but I must say I haven't really seen it. Maybe someone else has other ideas but I see it all the time for Norwegian emigrants. Danish emigrants may adopt a family name upon arrival, so all of the family (parents and children) have the same last name.
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