Danish names

[Phreakmeister]

If an immigrant doesn't feel at ease with his or her name, and he or she wants to change the name to a Danish name, he or she has one problem:
The new name cannot end with -sen (Tobiassen, Jensen, Larsen). Problem is, however, that by far the most names in Denmark end with -sen. It wouldn't surprise me if it would add up to 90% of the names.

So if an immigrant wants to adapt to Denmark, and he or she is willing to even change his or her name for it, the immigrant is still only allowed to use "minority names".

[paulgro]

They want to make sure you don't pass as a true Dane...

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[ogb]

I am not quite sure, maybe Sjax can tell us, but it could be that the -sen ending means son (as in Iceland). Then it would be only logical that a foreigner can't chose a traditional name if he is no son of a Danish citizen.

But then what if....... your parents are Danish citizens, they moved away when you were born, and you moved back to Denmark and wished to become a citizen there?

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[Phreakmeister]

OGB,

In Iceland, when your father is called for instance Petter Gunnarsson, you will, when you are born, get the name Steffen Pettersson (just to give an example). So the first part in the surname is the first name of the father.
This doesn't work that way in Denmark. If in Denmark, your father is called Petter Jensen, you will at birth be called, for instance, Steffen Jensen.

In Iceland there really is a link between the surname and the father's first name. In Denmark this is not the case. Jensen there is just a name like Smith in the USA.

[Sjax]

I dont know if its impossible to take a -sen name as a foreigner here in Denmark. It wouldnt surprise me though.

Sen is old danish for son. the new danish word is søn. In the middle ages (the vikings) used the same system as they use in Iceland today, but Phreakmaster, you're right about that the system has changed today. If my fathers last name was Jensen my name would be Jensen too, regardless of my fathers first name. Same thing in the english language, e.g. John-son.
You are also right about around 90% of the population having -ssen names.

[ogb]

That's what I meant. Of course I know that the system today doesn't work as in Iceland, I am not living too far away from Denmark. Thanks for the explanation, Sjaxsen http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/wink.gif.

There is a very good explanation to this. If you take a name like Jensen, it would indicate that one of your ancestors was called Jens, wich obviously isn't the case when you come from say Iraq

[Enforcer]

If I would have to move to Denmark, I wouldn't have to change my name, I found someone there in Denmark on ICQ who has excatly the same first and last name as me
http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

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Come to Enforcer's pizza shack!

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[Phreakmeister]

I would definitely not have that, coz my name is as Dutch as Dutch can be. Almost every single non-Dutchy, and some Dutchies as well, has problems pronouncing my name http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/smile.gif

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[This message has been edited by Phreakmeister (edited March 01, 2002).]

[Enforcer]

a G in in it, eh?
what is Ur name?

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Phoenixes RULE!
Come to Enforcer's pizza shack!

Respect my authority!BEEFCAKE!

[TAHUTI]

If I remember correctly, in Germany, if for some reason you want to change your last name, certain names are off limits if there happens to be a famous person (politician, etc.) who has that same name. I wonder what the purpose of this is and if is still enforced?

[This message has been edited by TAHUTI (edited March 06, 2002).]

[Phreakmeister]

There's this one guy in I think California, who is called Al Nino. He gets lots of pissed-off phone calls each day from people asking him why he keeps on f*cking up the weather................
Some people on this planet are a bit misinformed, I think.............

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Enforcer]

LOL

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Phoenixes RULE!
Come to Enforcer's pizza shack!

Respect my authority!BEEFCAKE!

Back to Danish immigrant laws, they recently got a rather right extremist party into about 20 % of the power (it doesn't work like in USA, ignorant Americans :p ) so, from now on, you must live in Denmark for 7 years to get status of a real Danish inhabitant, and secondly, foreign women who marry Danish people must be at least 24 years old (the reason is that they don't want immigrant Moslems to take home their for example daughters and force them to marry, but this also makes matters bad for for example a "real" Dane who wants to marry, for example a Vietnamese. I think the law has a good point, but is enforced in a wrong way!

I don't want to cause a racism debate here, and I specifically don't want to discuss politics Sweden against Denmark, our immigrant minister Mona Sahlin has already tried that without success...

[Sjax]

Welcome to the board Grillo. Yeah we might have a stinkin' partly fascist government, but at least our national soccer team players dont get into fights with eachother :p

Seriously, in times like these i'm ashamed of being danish. I totally support Mona Sahlins opinions about danish politics. i hate the fact that it has become so rightwing.

Thanks! Heh... that thing about getting into fights... Well, they're just stupid... as long as they don't wreck hotel rooms so (looking west :p )...

I agree with you totally, but I really don't think that the Swedish government should make statements about Danish politics before we've cleaned behind our own door (Swedish saying, don't know if it can be said in English...), for example, we have ghettos, like Rosengård, where many people can't speak Swedish, and the Swedish integration has failed completely, and secondly, I don't like the Swedish government either... I'm more a conservative, but ABSOLUTELY NOT a right-wing-extremist!

[Sjax]

Originally posted by Grillo
before we've cleaned behind our own door (Swedish saying, don't know if it can be said in English...)

If you mean that they have to solve their own problems before they critisize Denmark, I understand what you mean. We have the same saying in danish.

I think your right. The problem about not getting those problems solved, is that a lot of peole vote for a rightwing-extreme party next election. Thats what happened in Denmark, and I'm afraid that it could happen in Sweden too (we're not that different:) )

Yes, and that is shown in a sort of "school election" where all 16-19-yo's in Sweden got to vote, and the Swedish Democrats (right wing-extremists) got 3% of the votes, that's a bit scary... But the real problem is that you can barely critizice the immigration politics in Sweden without being called a racist, and in that way, Kjärsgaard is right; you have to be more open about the immigration, what I think about her politics is a completely other thing...

...so the correct thing for immigrants in Denmark would maybe be taking the name of their father and add "-sen"... like Mohammedsen, Abdulsen or Pablosen - just think about Chinese immigrants, Changsen and Liusen - or the Japanese, like Yoshisen...

In Norway you need a permission from the bearers of the name if you want to change your family name to a name that has less than 600(?) bearers who are not in your closest family. But since there are so many Hansen and Johansen, just like in Denmark, everybody can take those names if they want. But who wants? The tendency is making up names that sound "good" in Norwegian to get rid of "too normal" family names.

Actually, vyxir, a friend of mine did just that. A Somalian immigrant to Sweden, his father's name was Omar. Deciding his Somali surname was too unpronouncable to the average Swede, he changed it to Omarsson - obviously a unique name despite it's common Swedish form. A neat way of mixing his own heritage with Swedish tradition.

Of course, there's no law in Sweden against new -sson names - but there is a law against taking already existing names, and since most Swedish male names have a corresponding -sson surname you'll need to be a bit creative - like my friend.

[Circeus]

Originally posted by Phreakmeister
I would definitely not have that, coz my name is as Dutch as Dutch can be. Almost every single non-Dutchy, and some Dutchies as well, has problems pronouncing my name

So the main caracteristic of a dutch name is to be nearly unpronunciable? *grins*

[Skitzo]

Hi, i live in the danish capital city, Copenhagen, and in Denmark -sen means Son like in Iceland, so if your name i Jensen it means "son of Jens" (jens is an old danish first name).
So there is many people, who dont relate to each other, who has names like Jensen, Larsen, Nielsen and so on. if there were even more it would be pretty confusing!

Originally posted by Phreakmeister
OGB,

In Iceland, when your father is called for instance Petter Gunnarsson, you will, when you are born, get the name Steffen Pettersson (just to give an example). So the first part in the surname is the first name of the father.
This doesn't work that way in Denmark. If in Denmark, your father is called Petter Jensen, you will at birth be called, for instance, Steffen Jensen.

In Iceland there really is a link between the surname and the father's first name. In Denmark this is not the case. Jensen there is just a name like Smith in the USA.

This was removed by law about hundred years ago in denmark, 'cause the danish population grew fast.

Originally posted by Grillo
Back to Danish immigrant laws, they recently got a rather right extremist party into about 20 % of the power (it doesn't work like in USA, ignorant Americans :p ) so, from now on, you must live in Denmark for 7 years to get status of a real Danish inhabitant, and secondly, foreign women who marry Danish people must be at least 24 years old (the reason is that they don't want immigrant Moslems to take home their for example daughters and force them to marry, but this also makes matters bad for for example a "real" Dane who wants to marry, for example a Vietnamese. I think the law has a good point, but is enforced in a wrong way!

I don't want to cause a racism debate here, and I specifically don't want to discuss politics Sweden against Denmark, our immigrant minister Mona Sahlin has already tried that without success...

If you want to mary fx an vietnamese you can marry the person, and the person will get an instant citizenship!
:) :) :)

[Sjax]

Hey, another dane. Welcome:)

Lad dig ikke narre af lokationen i min profil. Jeg er eksildansker.

[Phreakmeister]

Hved du hvad hun sagde?

(About the only Danish I know...)

[Skitzo]

Do you actually know what that means?:)

[Phreakmeister]

Do you know what they're saying?

[Skitzo]

Do you know what she said!

:)

[Phreakmeister]

Close

[Mary]

Danish:clap :clap
I haven´t read that language long time (reading is only way I can understand danish)

[Skitzo]

You can read danish??

cool:)

[kontulib]

Originally posted by Skitzo
You can read danish??

cool:)

Yes, that is very unusual. I can´t understand how anybody can understand or read danish. :wink :D

[Mary]

Why Couldn´t I ? :confused:
It´s not so hard, but if somebody speak danish I have no idea what they say. :rolleyes:

[Skitzo]

many people say that danish is one of the hardest languages to learn, not many non-danes can speak or read danish

how did you learn to read danish?? :confused:

[Mary]

My aunt lives there. And I have to learn swedish in school. And in writing those aren´t so far apart.

[kontulib]

Originally posted by Mary
Why Couldn´t I ? :confused:
It´s not so hard, but if somebody speak danish I have no idea what they say. :rolleyes:

Ok, there is nothing unusual. Everyone who understand swedish, somehow can read danish too.
But when somebody are speaking danish...how anybody can understand that??? (Sorry danes, this is not intentional insult)

-OODEGJAARDEJASSEGNAIGGESNAADE

-Excuse me, but are you trying to speak swedish without tongue? :D :wink
Or do you have hot potato in your mouth? :p

[Mary]

Now k-lib you are beeing unfear. I do understand some danish when it´s spoken. Beleve or not. I learnt it when I had to baby-sitt one of my aunts friends child

[kontulib]

Originally posted by Mary
Now k-lib you are beeing unfear. I do understand some danish when it´s spoken. Beleve or not. I learnt it when I had to baby-sitt one of my aunts friends child

Okay, sorry. Maybe I get little bit over good taste. I don´t wanted to hurt any danish person. If any dane want to make fun for finnish, they are welcome to do so. I know at many people thinks at finnish sounds funny.

[Skitzo]

As far as i know finnish is the weirdest language in the world, and you got some funny names in finland too.

[Mary]

Originally posted by Skitzo
As far as i know finnish is the weirdest language in the world, and you got some funny names in finland too.
I know and they are even funnier if you understand them:lol

[kontulib]

Originally posted by Skitzo
As far as i know finnish is the weirdest language in the world, and you got some funny names in finland too.

Hungarian is maybe still weird what Finnish is.

Funny names. How names like "Keijo Korhonen", Ville Virtanen" etc. are funny??? :wink

[sinecure]

A Dane on vacation in the U.S. goes to an American opthomologist [eye-doctor] to have his vision checked.

The Doctor dims the lights in the room and directs the Dane to read the eye chart illuminated on the far wall.

The Dane looks for a second and then grins and shouts,

"Hey!! I know that family!!"

:lol :lol :wave

[Skitzo]

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

[kontulib]

Originally posted by sinecure
A Dane on vacation in the U.S. goes to an American opthomologist [eye-doctor] to have his vision checked.

The Doctor dims the lights in the room and directs the Dane to read the eye chart illuminated on the far wall.

The Dane looks for a second and then grins and shouts,

"Hey!! I know that family!!"

:lol :lol :wave

I have heard that same joke when the patient was Polish or Serbian. :lol :D

As far as i know, the Danish law stil prohibits couples under the age of 24 to get married in Denmark, if one of the people in the couple(sounds stupid, i know) is from a country outside of EU. Apart from that, the couple also needs to have a bigger relationship with Denmark, than the other country, otherwise, they'll have to move to that country...

And finnish IS the weirdest language! ;)

[King Solomon]

Originally posted by Brummeren
...And finnish IS the weirdest language! ;)

And Finns are the wierdest people, no offense K-Lib, Mary, Haha, oh boy :rolleyes: :o

[Mary]

K-sol we aren´t wierd...Everybody else are:smash :lol

Welcome Brummeren:wave

[Sjax]

Originally posted by Brummeren
As far as i know, the Danish law stil prohibits couples under the age of 24 to get married in Denmark, if one of the people in the couple(sounds stupid, i know) is from a country outside of EU. Apart from that, the couple also needs to have a bigger relationship with Denmark, than the other country, otherwise, they'll have to move to that country...
Not only does that sound stupid, Brummeren, it is stupid. Dansk Folkeparti will be the end of Denmark as we know it.

Velkommen, i övrigt:)

I agree with that, but unfortunately many people in the danish population does not. I'm seriously thinking of movng to sweden, it's just that they are so ugly over there... :wink :p :wink

[Sjax]

Do like I did: Move to Germany:wink

[Phreakmeister]

Originally posted by Brummeren
I'm seriously thinking of movng to sweden, it's just that they are so ugly over there... :wink :p :wink

You're most welcome over here :wink

[Sjax]

Yeah, well. Then he would have to bother with LPF. Didn't they lose big last time, though?

[Mary]

I got solution...Brummeren move here. You already know our language:wink

[King Solomon]

Keeping with the original thread, My last name was derived from the Danish or German name Rahlff from the island of Fehmarn in the eastern section of Schleswig-Holstein.

My cousin Janis in Germany found the connection here (http://www.fehmarngenealogy.com/lemkenha.htm) . If you read down in some of the last paragraphs you will see the name Radeleff mentioned :)

PS: Correct me if I am wrong but I understand that the Schleswig-Holstein section moved back and forth between Germany and Denmark several times :confused:

true true, its german now, though, as is the rest of jutland ;)

[Phreakmeister]

Originally posted by Sjax
Yeah, well. Then he would have to bother with LPF. Didn't they lose big last time, though?

They were smashed to pieces, and are now one of the smallest parties in parliament. I don't know how many votes they exactly lost, but probably over a million. Which is quite a lot, if you remember that they had 1.6 million votes in their first elections.

[El Más Grande]

Let's not confuse americans who are trying to understand or complex culture :p
Jutland is not German neither is all of Slesvig, after WWI Slesvig and Holsten (Holstein in German) were split between Denmark and Germany. Consequently Nothern Slesvig is Danish and Southern Slesvig and all of Holsten is German, but there is a small German population in the Danish part and a small Danish population in Nothern Germany.


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