Let's Talk About Names. In Iceland.

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  • Опубліковано 4 вер 2024
  • tomscott.com - @tomscott - If I were in Iceland, I'd have a different name: and not only that, but the Icelandic government would have made my parents pick a name from a list. But there are more lessons to learn about names, particularly for those of us from the English-speaking world...

КОМЕНТАРІ • 568

  • @scottthomas8607
    @scottthomas8607 7 років тому +3059

    I was drawn to this channel because your name is my name backwards.

    • @janhetjoch
      @janhetjoch 4 роки тому +689

      You're called ttocs mot?

    • @SillyGuy1234
      @SillyGuy1234 4 роки тому +9

      Wow

    • @glipk
      @glipk 4 роки тому +3

      Wht

    • @left6121
      @left6121 4 роки тому +186

      Scott Tom vs. Tom Scott

    • @mienzillaz
      @mienzillaz 3 роки тому +18

      @@janhetjoch nah, that's my name

  • @thomaswilliams6869
    @thomaswilliams6869 8 років тому +377

    Who makes friends by getting them to fill in a form?

    • @RealLuckless
      @RealLuckless 8 років тому +63

      People who are really into stats and forms and such? Seems like a fine enough way to filter out people who don't share similar interests. World's a busy place, who has time for normal friends anymore anyway?

    • @thomaswilliams6869
      @thomaswilliams6869 8 років тому +3

      hahaha i guess so

    • @panda4247
      @panda4247 4 роки тому +16

      Sheldon Cooper

    • @bjarnivalur6330
      @bjarnivalur6330 4 роки тому +22

      Wait. Am I not supposed to do do that?

    • @joeyhardin5903
      @joeyhardin5903 4 роки тому +13

      mark zuckerburg, except they dont know hes made friends with them

  • @slavicpolymath
    @slavicpolymath 10 років тому +262

    The other thing is that individuals in Iceland are therefore addressed only by their given names, even in very formal settings. In other words, mononymous Björk isn’t just being arty.

  • @Compootor
    @Compootor 9 років тому +1405

    My name is Thorsteinn Eiriksson. I was named Thorsteinn after my Grandfather, and because my father's first name is Eirikur, my last name became "Eiriksson".
    You know when you hear of a viking in movies or books, and he's introduced as "Leif, Son of Eirik"? That's exactly what we in Iceland do to this day, only we've streamlined it a little. Instead of saying "Thorsteinn, Son of Eirikur", we say "Thorsteinn Eiriksson"!

    • @Freakschwimmer
      @Freakschwimmer 8 років тому +125

      +Thorsteinn Eiriksson
      Thorstein Eiriksson must be the most awe-inspiring name I have ever come across :D

    • @tibiademon9157
      @tibiademon9157 8 років тому +38

      +Freakschwimmer Then you need to look at more Nordic names! How does "Skallagrim Nilsson" sound?

    • @Freakschwimmer
      @Freakschwimmer 8 років тому +30

      Mh, I kinda feel an English speaking person would expect a cool nordic name to end in E(i)rikson. Nilson just doesn't quite pack as much of a punch. An while Skallagrim might ethymologically be interesting (Bald guy with a mask) I doubt many English-speaker would pick up on that :/

    • @Compootor
      @Compootor 8 років тому +28

      +Freakschwimmer Yeah, Nilsson being just about the most Swedish name in existence, for me as a Nordic person, it calls to mind a Swedish farmer.

    • @Skracken
      @Skracken 8 років тому +8

      +Fabrizio Illuminati Me being Swedish, I can safely say you would be hard pressed to find anyone actually named Skallagrim in any of the scandinavian countries nowdays.

  • @robbiebrownvox
    @robbiebrownvox 4 роки тому +361

    This was quite informative, Tom Fatheroftomscottson

    • @kokako5214
      @kokako5214 2 роки тому

      Tom Fatheroftomfatheroftomfatheroftomfatheroftomfatheroftom....sonsonsonsonsonson...

  • @yoymate6316
    @yoymate6316 8 років тому +535

    You forgot to say that if you're setting up an electronic form that asks for the name, it should be able to read any letter character. I know a _Fabíola,_ for instance, who keeps being called _Fabéola_ in e-mails and letters due to lack of diacritics support

    • @parsatayebi7652
      @parsatayebi7652 3 роки тому +84

      Ah yes, the famous Icelandic name, Fabéola

    • @ThreadBomb
      @ThreadBomb 3 роки тому +6

      Is the underscore _ part of the name?

    • @yoymate6316
      @yoymate6316 3 роки тому +11

      No, that was just bad formatting.

    • @columbus8myhw
      @columbus8myhw 3 роки тому +8

      Put ,_ instead of _,

    • @yoymate6316
      @yoymate6316 3 роки тому +3

      @@columbus8myhw omg thanks

  • @RKBock
    @RKBock 8 років тому +413

    Russians have it as a kind of second name. for example Putin's full name is Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. the second part means "vladimir's son"

    • @pitaya4151
      @pitaya4151 6 років тому +9

      Same in Bulgaria.

    • @firefish111
      @firefish111 5 років тому +2

      @@pitaya4151 Actually, it means "Of Vladimir" or something.

    • @konradpiotrpaszkowski631
      @konradpiotrpaszkowski631 4 роки тому +59

      @@firefish111 Aye, it transaltes directly as "of Vladimir", but the sense is "son of Vladimir"

    • @theyoshi202
      @theyoshi202 4 роки тому +2

      Isn’t there something similar in Germany and the Netherlands with “von” and “van”? Or are those used for location rather than family?

    • @RhenusFilms
      @RhenusFilms 4 роки тому +27

      @@theyoshi202 No, the "von" ("van" in dutch) refers to royalty or aristocracy, it stems from times when there were hundreds and thousand of little counties and shires and city states and you had an aristocratic family ruling over them. The "von" indicated, that they were of that family, which usually the county (or shire or whatever) was named after.

  • @wickedest-witch
    @wickedest-witch 8 років тому +1056

    Yeah it always makes me uncomfortable when I'm addressed by my last name, because I'm Icelandic and that doesn't make sense to me.
    It does make those spam emails that try to convince you you have some rich lost Scottish ancester who you are the only heir to or whatever a lot funnier, because even when they're in English instead of horribly google translated Icelandic, they try to convince me that I had a male ancestor with the last name "-dóttir", which doesn't make sense, not to mention that none of my ancestors have the same last name as me (me and my little sister are actually the first ones because our dad's name is very rare).
    We also don't use titles much/at all in Iceland - you don't address your doctor as "Doctor lastname", it's just "firstname", and teachers aren't "Mr./Mrs./Ms. lastname", they're just "firstname". I don't even know all of my teachers' last names hahaha.

    • @ClarksonNo1
      @ClarksonNo1 8 років тому +64

      +wickedest-witch That actually sounds really nice.

    • @lewisnorth1188
      @lewisnorth1188 8 років тому +48

      +wickedest-witch We used to have that naming system here in Wales. If someone called Gruffudd had a son called Aled, he would be Aled ap Gruffudd. But it's not so common anymore, because we're part of the UK, and we're connected to England and Stuff, but I sill know a few people with names like that.

    • @Gynra
      @Gynra 8 років тому +34

      +Lewis North It also explains why quite a few Welsh surnames start with the letter "P", because the "A" has been dropped. "Ap Robert" became "Probert" and so on. Another way to denote "son of" was to add an "S" after the name - like my own, for example.

    • @fluffydestroyer8336
      @fluffydestroyer8336 8 років тому +26

      +wickedest-witch Yeah, it always rubs me the wrong way when people on the internet call me Mr. Garpsson. like wtf do you even 30 seconds of google

    • @NarwahlGaming
      @NarwahlGaming 8 років тому +48

      +wickedest-witch "Excuse me, but I didn't spend 8 years in Evil Icelandic Medical School to be called 'Mr'. Thank you."

  • @gwenynorisu6883
    @gwenynorisu6883 6 років тому +161

    The funny thing about referencing e.g. "Peterson", showing that the same system used to hold sway in English, is that other mention of the Icelandic phonebooks being broken up by region and occupation.
    Like... Scott. Or Baker, Smith, etc. Even my own surname is, best as anyone can make out, sort of derived from the notion of a sheep pen constructed halfway up a hillside ... you just need one shepherd known for largely preferring to use that particular enclosure and building their house there, and, boom. Surname.
    The weird thing is that we've largely stopped giving people new surnames based on anything other than what one of their many-times-great grandparents happened to do (or where they lived, or who their father was) hundreds of years ago. Perhaps it should be an option for children on reaching the age of majority to forge a new surname for themselves if they feel up to it. Or most particularly where the partners in a marriage want an egalitarian ceremony and to not just take the surname from one of them (or join them together double-barrel style, which is particularly difficult if they're _already_ DB'd).
    The main problem with that though is that people don't stay in one place so much any more, and have less sense of identity from where they live... and similarly there are very few full-on career jobs any more. Plus "Teacher", "Priest", "Singer" and "Doctor" already exist as surnames (as do "Telford" and, at least in theory, "De Birmingham")... but presumably you could have Copper, Firefighter, Paramedic, Presenter, Actor, Entrepreneur, UA-camr, Burgerflipper, Civilservant, Counciltenant, Towerblock, Sinkestate, Yuppieyurt, Bedsit, Miltonkeynes, Aberystwyth, Brexiteer...
    Hi, I'm Joseph Milton-Keynes... pleased to meet you, I'm Stephanie UA-camr.
    ...it could work.
    _(with apologies to "Jennifer Government" et al)_

    • @thehiddenninja3428
      @thehiddenninja3428 5 років тому +10

      Any adult can legally change their name

    • @dojelnotmyrealname4018
      @dojelnotmyrealname4018 3 роки тому +4

      Sorry to gravedig this this comment 2 years later, but you might wanna check out Ryan George :P

    • @elgoog-the-third
      @elgoog-the-third 3 роки тому +17

      @@thehiddenninja3428 in most countries, that is a huge and expensive pain in the ass to do.

    • @allyj4322
      @allyj4322 6 місяців тому

      Not sure I’d love to be called ‘Ally Marketer’
      but I guess that’s just how it worked a long time ago

  • @iabervon
    @iabervon 10 років тому +253

    Here's something you may not have known: In Iceland, your name is "(Given name) fra (from) (Childhood home)". Assuming, of course, that you're a horse. It's just the humans who use that unwieldy naming system.

    • @clockworkkirlia7475
      @clockworkkirlia7475 4 роки тому +12

      "Fra" (or "fae") is how we say "from" in Scotland, in dialect. We do have a fair bit more Nordic than the rest of the English- and Gaelic-speaking world, to be fair, so it makes sense that we'd be closer to the source.

    • @aphr0d
      @aphr0d 3 роки тому +4

      I love this comment

    • @jamiel6005
      @jamiel6005 3 роки тому +18

      this was so jarring to read, thanks for intentionally flouting Grice’s maxims for comedic purposes.

    • @gnaskar
      @gnaskar 3 роки тому +7

      This is also the way German lords were named in English. Otto von Bismarck means Otto of Bismarck for example.

  • @pollaeng
    @pollaeng 9 років тому +44

    God bless you finally I stumbled upon an English who understands that Surname Firstname is not a standard for the whole world.

  • @AgglomeratiProduzioni
    @AgglomeratiProduzioni 9 років тому +189

    1:41 "Just ask them how they want to be addressed"
    Well said, Tom, well said. Because to respect someone you don't have to call him the way the burocracy wants: you have to call him with the name he feels, the name he identifies himself with.
    Here's why in Italy, Spain and France we never ask "What's your name?".
    We ask "How do you name yourself?". It's sort of deeper.

    • @NightDoge
      @NightDoge 8 років тому +11

      +Ruben -- Convention, not bureaucracy. Just how saying "How do you call yourself" is traditional convention in Italy, Spain, and France.

    • @matthewsteele99
      @matthewsteele99 8 років тому +13

      in Russian we basically say "What are you called?" Or "What so they call you?"

    • @MichaelMoore99
      @MichaelMoore99 8 років тому +27

      +Ruben I work in Tech Support, and we have a nice little phrase that I quite like. "Who am I speaking with?" Or, if I were to be a bit more formal: "Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?" It's personal on the part of the listener. It allows the listener to give as much or as little information as they like. It gives the listener a small bit of agency. And it doesn't ask for definitive facts. Your name might be Steve Smith, but if you tell me to call you Bob, then during our Tech Support phone call, I will call you Bob, mainly because I don't really need to know your name. I only need to have something to call you or refer to you by.

    • @NarwahlGaming
      @NarwahlGaming 8 років тому +21

      +Michael Moore My name is Inigo Montoya. I do not mean to pry, but you don't, by any chance, happen to have six fingers on your right hand?

    • @Freakschwimmer
      @Freakschwimmer 7 років тому +1

      *Whom* do I have the pleasure of addressing
      FFS!

  • @12301231234
    @12301231234 9 років тому +132

    If you wish to communicate with a person, speak to them in the language they understand.
    This goes beyond just French and German and English and whatever. It means understand their background, their perspective, their mindset, their paradigms. Getting their name right is only one step in accomplishing this.

    • @Armistice023
      @Armistice023 9 років тому +14

      For the most part, knowing a few phrases is enough to break the ice and show that you at least tried to learn a little about their language

    • @StonyRC
      @StonyRC 3 роки тому +2

      Too difficult - just talk ... if they don't understand, then ... SHOUT!

  • @U014B
    @U014B 8 років тому +547

    When you said you don't go by your legal name, I was afraid you were going to say it was actually "Valerie" or something.

    • @ashleighrowe2565
      @ashleighrowe2565 8 років тому +26

      that's an issue?

    • @U014B
      @U014B 8 років тому +70

      Amelia Tovey Not if his name was actually Valerie.

    • @ashleighrowe2565
      @ashleighrowe2565 8 років тому +3

      +Noel Goetowski fair enough. I can see that making sense

    • @AlexOnTheBus
      @AlexOnTheBus 7 років тому +52

      No, that's his "weekend" name.

    • @zimzimma5688
      @zimzimma5688 5 років тому +19

      Funny enough here in Ireland there was loads of men who were christened with the name Mary for reasons of weird catholic ruin your life before it begins religious insanity, but obviously they all go by their middle names which would be ordinary men's names, but legally their actual name is in fact Mary!

  • @EaglesQuestions
    @EaglesQuestions 10 років тому +29

    Read a story by a missionary in a far-off village (don't remember which), where names were extremely casual. On a second visit, he had a hard time finding the same children he'd met during the first one, because everyone was always changing their names on a whim.

    • @michaelcherokee8906
      @michaelcherokee8906 Рік тому

      Well that's a freakin nightmare.

    • @geoffroi-le-Hook
      @geoffroi-le-Hook Рік тому +3

      The Pirahã of Brazil change their names somewhat regularly when they are visited by another spirit

  • @eljestLiv
    @eljestLiv 9 років тому +15

    This is the only thing on "Things you might not have known" that I did know before :D

    • @Pacvalham
      @Pacvalham 7 років тому +1

      Which is why it says "might"

  • @theywalkinguptoyouand4060
    @theywalkinguptoyouand4060 7 років тому +10

    For some reason, in high school we called each other by our last names unless we were close friends. Back then we didn't want to presume we were close unless we were.

    • @musicaltheatergeek79
      @musicaltheatergeek79 6 років тому +5

      That's funny. In my high school, only close male friends referred to each other by their surnames.

  • @robdoghd
    @robdoghd 8 років тому +200

    esteban julio ricardo montoya dela rosa ramirez

    • @AshtonSnapp
      @AshtonSnapp 8 років тому +2

      You took that from The Suite Life

    • @TheTyrori
      @TheTyrori 8 років тому +21

      sick reference to a reference, brah.

    • @AmusedToast
      @AmusedToast 7 років тому +1

      When I am good and ready! Now, I am good and ready!

    • @mr.majkenocs
      @mr.majkenocs 6 років тому

      robbie Y Azvedo

    • @cimiez1
      @cimiez1 5 років тому

      Hernan equal hernández

  • @raney150
    @raney150 6 років тому +8

    I love it when forms ask what name I go by. I go by one of my middle names, and when you do that it gets tiring having to explain the situation over and over again for years.

  • @dresib
    @dresib 8 років тому +13

    Icelandic naming laws prohibit most Icelanders from carrying family names. Icelanders who carry family names are either recent immigrants (or their descendants) or descendants of people who adopted family names before the naming laws were adopted (the law grants exemptions to these people). The patronymic (increasingly also matronymic or both) tradition is a tradition held up by force. Parliament is considering whether to abolish this prohibition but among the most vocal opponents have been people that carry family names.

  • @binnus_boppus
    @binnus_boppus 8 років тому +20

    scottish mac- names are the same mac meaning son also nic for daughter is scots gaelic

  • @marsgal42
    @marsgal42 9 років тому +2

    A few years ago I was contemplating a trip to Russia, and how I would introduce myself in Russian sounds almost Klingon. "Menya zavut Laura Denisovna" ("They call me Laura, daughter of Dennis")

  • @vitamenecavit
    @vitamenecavit 6 років тому +4

    In german you can ask someone for their "Rufname", which translates to something like "calling name" - thus giving the adressed person the opportunity to which name they want to give to you.

    • @Grivian
      @Grivian 2 роки тому

      James Franco

  • @micahphilson
    @micahphilson 5 років тому +19

    I know this well. My last name is Philson.
    There hasn't been a Phil in my family probably since we lived in Ireland. That was more than a century and a half ago. This naming system is a bit archaic, or else I'd be Davidson.

    • @rishi-m
      @rishi-m 3 роки тому +1

      I went like, oh hi Phil Davidson, then was like, oh wait a minute, hi Micah Davidson!

    • @NakAlienEd
      @NakAlienEd 3 роки тому +3

      Well, once that last name becomes standard, it could get a bit awkward to name someone Phil.
      "Hi, I'm Phil Philson."

  • @lovelyperson9
    @lovelyperson9 10 років тому +7

    I go by my middle name normally, so it is extremely confusing for other people when I accidentally refer to my first name. Interesting video.

  • @TheMaplestrip
    @TheMaplestrip 9 років тому +93

    "Ask them how they want to be addressed" - yay for usernames!
    Also, UA-cam really needs to learn this lesson > ~ < Damn last names...

    • @gordonfreemanthesemendemon1805
      @gordonfreemanthesemendemon1805 4 роки тому +8

      even though they are technically the same thing, on a formal or semi-formal document you should never call it a 'username' or you might get people like me showing up

    • @TheMaplestrip
      @TheMaplestrip 4 роки тому +2

      @@gordonfreemanthesemendemon1805 I just call everything a name. "Username" is a weird distinction. So is "nickname".

  • @mariaer9692
    @mariaer9692 8 років тому +8

    Yes, I've always found it very difficult to figure out how to fill in forms on websites and stuff. And people used to look at my dad, mom, my sister and me oddly when we traveled to foreign countries and had different last names.

  • @miskee11
    @miskee11 10 років тому +14

    FINNBOGADOTTIR is great in scrabble.

  • @MollyBlueDawn
    @MollyBlueDawn 10 років тому +8

    This is a good idea. I know a woman named Marjorie who chooses to use only one name, so she had her name legally changed to Marjorie, with no last name at all. When she fills out forms, she write "No Last Name" or "NLN" in the Last Name box, and she gets a lot of mail for Miss Marjorie NLN.

  • @realcolby
    @realcolby Рік тому +2

    In case anyone is curious, enbies are able to use the suffix -bur meaning child, instead.

  • @nisa6231
    @nisa6231 7 років тому +5

    this is quite similar to the malaysian naming system: for malays, its your name and then bin(for boys)/binti(for girls) and then your fathers name

  • @Exnem
    @Exnem 3 роки тому +3

    Many countries used to do this, however in a number of countries people were forced to take a surname from conquering powers or a wave of "modernization". In Sweden for example where this convention was a thing (IIRC it was in every country in Scandinavia) surnames like "Larsson" is common which means son of Lars, but this does not mean their parents name is "Lars", just that some ancestors father's name was Lars who took this as a surname when they were forced to do so. This also happened in England, where people also didn't have surnames until a point. There many took occupational names as surnames, "Smith" for example.

  • @k0rc
    @k0rc 9 років тому +6

    It isn't just Iceland who used this naming system, pretty much all Scandinavians followed this system. At least until families immigrated to North America. It is known as the Patronymic naming convention. The tables in the Wiki article illustrate the problem he was eluding to when looking for someone in a directory.
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_family_name_etymology

    • @AndersJackson
      @AndersJackson 9 років тому

      Tim Stahel well, actually the most common now is family names, that looks like the partronymicons in Iceland. But they are actually family names. There are some that starting to use patronumicons, but they are few. Then are there some names from finland, belgium, germany, swiss etc that are old. They are usually also family names.
      The use of patronymicon came out of fashion during the end of the 19:th century.

    • @gordontaylor2815
      @gordontaylor2815 9 років тому

      +k0rc Don't the Scots use something like this too? (The Mac/Mc prefix meaning "son of".)

    • @AndersJackson
      @AndersJackson 8 років тому

      Gordon Taylor might have been, but do they change surname each generation? That is what patronymicons means.
      Or is it like my name, which is close to Jacks son (except for one missing s). It is a family name.

  • @GamesFromSpace
    @GamesFromSpace 9 років тому +111

    As a programmer, I cringe when somebody hands me design requirements with "First name, Initial, Last name".

  • @Freakschwimmer
    @Freakschwimmer 8 років тому +41

    Even worse, Amazon.de (German) can't handle titles properly.
    In Germany certain Titles (such as "Doktor" and "Professor") legally become part of your name. Yet it can't handle them properly....
    As a sidenote not adressing a stranger with name and title is rather uncurteous. But much more important; certain age-restrictred goods must to be shipped to you with your EXACT and full legal name - as it is printed in your ID. What a cock-up

    • @mariusbaltazarrozenberg-ho9367
      @mariusbaltazarrozenberg-ho9367 8 років тому +2

      you mean discourteous

    • @mariusbaltazarrozenberg-ho9367
      @mariusbaltazarrozenberg-ho9367 8 років тому

      . . . & you started a written sentence with "but" . . . (I have a lot of free time)

    • @Freakschwimmer
      @Freakschwimmer 8 років тому +10

      Marek Cieslik
      Yes, Discourteous!
      I'm sorry, English as a third Language

    • @mariusbaltazarrozenberg-ho9367
      @mariusbaltazarrozenberg-ho9367 8 років тому

      no worry, we all make mistakes, English is my 2nd language of 5

    • @epender
      @epender 4 роки тому

      @@PerfectLotus Exactly, I was told that I shouldn't start a sentence with "and" or "but" in primary school. But it isn't always wrong to do, I think that was just to stop us adding unnecessary full stops or something like that.

  • @hedgehog3180
    @hedgehog3180 8 років тому +3

    This used to be (mostly) the case in Denmark but with the introduction of the CPR (Central Person Register) it was made illegal because it didn't work with the ammount of Jensens out there.

  • @Irongrip62
    @Irongrip62 10 років тому +99

    You have a bit of a sound glitch problem at the end.

    • @TomScottGo
      @TomScottGo  10 років тому +149

      Whoops! Good spot. And fortunately, you caught it early enough that I can trim it off using the UA-cam video editor, and not have to upload. Thanks!

    • @Irongrip62
      @Irongrip62 10 років тому +40

      ***** Keep up the good work, I really enjoy your videos ever since subscribing after you did those bits with Brady.

  •  8 років тому +4

    And also make sure to support special characters in the name field. I saw a website once, where they did support UTF-8 characters in the field, but for some reason they had validation that would disallow certain accents (Such as umlaut).

    • @jlammetje
      @jlammetje 5 років тому +1

      umlaut being a very common accent, why would you not allow that :')

    • @Liggliluff
      @Liggliluff 3 роки тому +2

      Even worse when you try to buy stuff internationally. If there's at any time you need to support special characters and Unicode, it is for international shipping.

  • @fenianlewis
    @fenianlewis 7 років тому +3

    In Scotland "Mac" and "Mc" come are the Scots versions of that systems. Your Mackinnons, Mckennas, McGregors, Mactavish even Macdonald comes from that. Mac meaning "son of".

    • @oz_jones
      @oz_jones 7 років тому

      There can only be one McCloud though :p

  • @Kitechi12
    @Kitechi12 10 років тому +1

    Come to think of it, I do not recall any written words showing up in my dreams whatsoever. Not that I remember many of my dreams, granted.
    The closest is when I had to deliver a message in my dream. It was absolutely critical that I delivered this message, and lives were at stake. There was a woman I had never met whom I needed to speak to before the morning. Then my alarm was about to go off, so I thought to myself, "eh, I'll do to it tomorrow night." Sadly, I didn't remember dreaming the following night, so I never had any closure.
    No point, just wanted to share the story.

  • @Aumscuba
    @Aumscuba 4 роки тому +2

    In Welsh you had the "ap" for "son of, as in Dafydd ap Llywelyn.

    • @jamiel6005
      @jamiel6005 3 роки тому

      or my personal favourite, the last Prince of Wales being Llywelyn ap Llywelyn ap Llywelyn

  • @RealationGames
    @RealationGames 10 років тому +11

    Oh, I thought this was about Greenland and Iceland name thing. That would be also very interesting to hear about.

    • @TheMrMe1
      @TheMrMe1 10 років тому +7

      Basically, the story goes a little something like this:
      Iceland was discovered around the year 850. There are three notable people that partook in the discovery, with decades in between them, all naming the island different names. One of these arrived on a cold winter day, saw some glaciers and floating sea-ice, and thus named the island Ísland, or Iceland.
      The name stuck, people started settling and things were good. Until Eiríkur the Red committed homicide and was expelled. As he was expelled from Norway as well he decided to sail west, landing on the shore of Greenland. Now, here there are two theories. One goes that he named it for the green ice near the land, the other that he basically lied in order to lure people in.
      Either way, the name stuck.

    • @RealationGames
      @RealationGames 10 років тому

      TheMrME1
      Green ice?
      Is it a established fact that greenland was never vegetated though?

    • @TheMrMe1
      @TheMrMe1 10 років тому +1

      No, there is/was grass there, there actually were settlements on Greenland for a few centuries after Eiríkur. How easy life there might've been, I cannot tell.
      Of course, there do live people there and have for hundreds if not thousands of years.

    • @krim7
      @krim7 9 років тому +1

      RealationGames
      "Interpretation of ice core and clam shell data suggests that between 800 and 1300 AD, the regions around the fjords of southern Greenland experienced a relatively mild climate several degrees Celsius higher than usual in the North Atlantic,[30] with trees and herbaceous plants growing and livestock being farmed. Barley was grown as a crop up to the 70th parallel.[31] What is verifiable is that the ice cores indicate Greenland has experienced dramatic temperature shifts many times over the past 100,000 years.[32] Similarly the Icelandic Book of Settlements records famines during the winters in which "the old and helpless were killed and thrown over cliffs".[33]"
      From wikipedia

    • @CzechAvailabilitie
      @CzechAvailabilitie 9 років тому

      TheMrME1
      Most modern Greenlanders are descendants of people who came from Alaska around 1300 AD. There were people living in Greenland before that but it's unknown whether they got assimilated by the newcomers or if they were killed or driven of. Most evidence seems to suggest a little bit of both.

  • @pedrojuglar
    @pedrojuglar 10 років тому +2

    "...and that is something you might not have known." Thanks for sharing, it's really useful for me.

  • @noigunason8137
    @noigunason8137 7 років тому +4

    Also, not all words or legal names. There is a government branch for names of both humans and, get this, horses. Yes, your horse can not be named whatever you want in Iceland.

  • @marthaloven9385
    @marthaloven9385 7 років тому +1

    The system of handing down surnames based on the name of your father is the patronymic system. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patronymic_surname

  • @RonaldHapchwarae
    @RonaldHapchwarae 8 років тому +6

    Some Welsh people still use the ap, ab and ferch system.

    • @eggroll3055
      @eggroll3055 4 роки тому

      Welsh people just do whatever.

  • @johnvangilbergen3063
    @johnvangilbergen3063 3 роки тому +1

    Very interesting with total freedom ...

  • @Quintinia
    @Quintinia 10 років тому +2

    My boyfriend is from Singapore, has an English given name and grew up speaking English but still has trouble with this. Complicating matters, he has two middle names, so in Singapore he is officially Familyname Middle Middle Givenname, the complete opposite of English.

  • @peabody1976
    @peabody1976 7 років тому +2

    Thanks, Tim!
    There are a few Icelanders (especially of note) who use matronyms, which is allowed under Icelandic law. The few Icelanders who have true surnames in the English sense are over 92 (when the 1925 law came into effect).
    But if you ever end up in Mongolia (or Indonesia as linked in your description/caption box), then I wonder what name you'd get...
    **ha** In Hungary you'd be Scott Thomas!

    • @Liggliluff
      @Liggliluff 3 роки тому +3

      And if you want to go even further, his Hungarian phonetic name will be Szkatt Tamasz.

    • @ihopeicanchangethisnamelat7108
      @ihopeicanchangethisnamelat7108 Рік тому

      Now I want to know what naming systems Mongolia, Indonesia and Hungary use… thank you for the rabbit hole

  • @jesusnthedaisychain
    @jesusnthedaisychain 8 років тому +117

    The idea of a government banning what you can name your kid isn't appealing to me, but then I look around and see instances of kids being named Neveah, or Audio Science, or Albert, and suddenly it doesn't seem like such a bad thing.

    • @jesusnthedaisychain
      @jesusnthedaisychain 8 років тому

      ***** If you don't know, then I'm not gonna tell you!

    • @jesusnthedaisychain
      @jesusnthedaisychain 8 років тому +6

      ***** Temper, temper, lad. Perhaps you've never heard of Murder, Arson, and Jaywalking? It's called a joke, you pud.

    • @ClarksonNo1
      @ClarksonNo1 8 років тому +1

      jesusnthedaisychain I could say the same to you,in the fact you couldnt tell i wasnt being serious by using the insult "twatwaffle"

    • @violacola
      @violacola 8 років тому +2

      What is wrong with Naveah?

    • @jesusnthedaisychain
      @jesusnthedaisychain 8 років тому +6

      I meant Nevaeh. But either one is stupid.

  • @leonguyen896
    @leonguyen896 3 роки тому +2

    It's funny you mention listing people by occupation because last names like Baker, Fletcher, Smith, White(smith), and Black(smith) came from occupations. IIRC people's names used to be like "John the Baptist." And since your father's occupation determined your occupation, it eventually became the last names we know now.

  • @LUNE.44
    @LUNE.44 3 роки тому +3

    alternative title: tom scott roasts my lack of friends

  • @zawarudowryyyyyy
    @zawarudowryyyyyy 8 років тому

    I can tell you're near the Harpa just from the mountain range and sea. I gotta go back there again, really beautiful place.

    • @justawatchin2
      @justawatchin2 7 років тому

      Yeah I think he's next to that whale boat sculpture.

  • @s6th795
    @s6th795 7 років тому +1

    This is also how the surnames McCool (short for mac Cumhall) and Penry (short for ap Henry) came around

  • @SpkyGht
    @SpkyGht 8 років тому +2

    I've been to Iceland with my school!! It's my favourite country

  • @stoutyyyy
    @stoutyyyy 6 років тому +1

    The Russian system is kind of similar, except there is also a family name attached to the end, so it’s firstname fathersnameovich lastname

  • @Manuel-jr6op
    @Manuel-jr6op 8 років тому +7

    I'm Venezuelan, and so is my entire family, but I was born in the US and I've lived here all my life. My brother and parents both have two last names because none of them were born here, but my birth certificate only has one last name because they didn't let my parents put two. To this day I'm still angry that the government is forcefully trying to assimilate me into a culture that isn't my own. Just because I live here doesn't mean this is where my roots are from. When I'm 18, I'm going to get my named changed to have both of my last names.

    • @BR-jt6ny
      @BR-jt6ny 7 років тому +3

      I'm really surprised that the US doesn't allow two family names for children "at birth" It's a relatively common practice in Britain to have two last names and I have always assumed that it is legal from birth (I'm not actually British)

    • @greatwolf5372
      @greatwolf5372 6 років тому +8

      Well yes you live in US, it's expected that you adopt American culture. There is a reason your parents left Venezuela. And besides most of your ancestors probably came to Venezuela from other countries yet they adopted Venezuelan culture. As the saying goes, "In Rome do as Romans do".

  • @allyj4322
    @allyj4322 6 місяців тому

    It was stressful to fill out forms when I lived in Spain. I only have one last name, but most forms require 2 surnames/family names.
    I don’t have any legal documents with two last names. I just put my last name twice, and it looked silly.
    Some people suggested I add my mother’s last name, as that’s Spanish convention, but that isn’t my name.

  • @davidm.johnston8994
    @davidm.johnston8994 6 років тому

    Always great videos, Tom. Thanks

  • @baldurjokull
    @baldurjokull 6 років тому +1

    Most children in Iceland inherit their father's name as their last name + sonur or dóttir (son or daughter) altough sometimes it's the mother's name.

  • @binilissac3376
    @binilissac3376 3 роки тому +1

    in Kerala (Indian state) too, this type of naming system is used, but only one difference. In the case of men his last name is his father's name but without adding 'Son'. Like wise in the case of women full name end with father's name but without adding ' dottire/daughter'. My name is Binil, and father's name is Issac. so my full name is Binil lssac. One more interesting fact, when a women is married her Second name changes from Father's name to husband's name.

  • @TechLaboratories
    @TechLaboratories 10 років тому

    Fantastic, Tom, once again! Love your videos!

  • @Chris_Cross
    @Chris_Cross 3 роки тому

    Thank you, Thomas. That was very interesting.

  • @bogwife7942
    @bogwife7942 Рік тому

    I heard about this when i was in iceland a few years ago. apparently they have a lot of trouble in airports

  • @rohithkumarsp
    @rohithkumarsp 6 років тому +1

    As an Indian. Never understood what fist name middle name and sir name meant, we just have a name and a family name, and that's not always the case. When an website insists to enter my last name. The hell should i put? My name a single word.

  • @Thoomas2001
    @Thoomas2001 8 років тому +14

    My last name is the 'son of' thing too. Son of Joost.

    • @frostycreeper1055
      @frostycreeper1055 8 років тому +2

      Are one of your parents' names Joost?

    • @Thoomas2001
      @Thoomas2001 8 років тому +1

      FrostyCreeper10 No

    • @frostycreeper1055
      @frostycreeper1055 8 років тому +1

      Thomas Joosten Why would you be named Joosten then?

    • @Thoomas2001
      @Thoomas2001 8 років тому +4

      FrostyCreeper10 Some Joost way back in history had a son who got the last name Joosten and the name got adapted over the many years... So my last name came from one guy who had a father named Joost all those many years ago.

    • @frostycreeper1055
      @frostycreeper1055 8 років тому

      Thomas Joosten that's interesting......

  • @sibzter
    @sibzter 10 років тому +1

    Never thought you would visit my country!

  • @thedeadlypacifist
    @thedeadlypacifist 6 років тому +9

    Also if someone gives you their name, don’t reply with “but what is your real name”

  • @theolitocaramba4464
    @theolitocaramba4464 7 років тому +1

    It was the same in Sweden (Andersson, Eriksson)

  • @asterisque9252
    @asterisque9252 3 роки тому +1

    I immediately thought of Thor Odinson/Loki Laufeyson

  • @YTfancol
    @YTfancol 6 років тому

    Well said.I agree.

  • @aaaaa359
    @aaaaa359 8 років тому +1

    It's quite common.
    Fernandez
    Fitzgerald
    Johnson
    Johansson
    Johansen
    Eerikinpoika(obsolete)

  • @jomiga1999
    @jomiga1999 6 років тому

    So there could be a family of four, father, mother, son, and daughter, all with different last names? That must be fun for customs officers.

  • @sIightIybored
    @sIightIybored 10 років тому

    Welsh surnames used to do a similar thing, it would be parents name (same gender usually) at the end, preceded by mab/ab/ap (son of) or merch/ach (daughter of) and the given name first. Sometimes the structure is broken, for example using a grandparent's name at the end usually for reasons of honour. System since replaced by the English system but surnames such as 'Parry' owe the 'P' to the mashing together of the connective word.

  • @MaartenBlij
    @MaartenBlij 10 років тому +4

    How is it that you are on so many different locations all the time?

  • @ThekadaWr
    @ThekadaWr 10 років тому +5

    In Russian we have the best of the two worlds.We have the first name. Then the Family name or "Familia".And then the "Father's Name" (kind of like the "parents name" in Islandic).

  • @CrippleX89
    @CrippleX89 8 років тому

    Iceland is really one of the nicest countries I've visited!

  • @AndreJacquesDrew
    @AndreJacquesDrew 9 років тому +5

    Does "Full name" could be international friendly?

  • @gomalley411
    @gomalley411 8 років тому +2

    did they even mention Russia/Slavic names? Not only do they change by gender (eg: Ivanov for males and Ivanova for females in the same family) but middle names are assigned based on the father's name (eg: if his name is Vladimir then his son's middle name would be Vladimirovich)

  • @dudleymacleay3694
    @dudleymacleay3694 3 роки тому

    Very well said!

  • @yosoyysoyyo
    @yosoyysoyyo 5 років тому

    How about the fields "name", "more name", "additional name", and "okay, this time for keeps"

  • @itsNatalieAtLeast
    @itsNatalieAtLeast 3 роки тому

    Six years.
    It took six years for UA-cam to recommend this to me.
    Great job, UA-cam.

  • @hillsinhighplaces
    @hillsinhighplaces 2 роки тому +1

    Finally something I already knew!

  • @TonksMoriarty
    @TonksMoriarty 9 років тому +3

    Oh, so that's why my uni asked if I wanted to be called by a nickname.

  • @DenisRyan
    @DenisRyan 10 років тому

    Thumbs up for that comment about naming boxes. Very true.

  • @GrubbyZebra
    @GrubbyZebra 3 роки тому +5

    So I just watched this, in 2020. And it is only recently that such online form fields (name and preferred name) are becoming common practice.

  • @RohanTej
    @RohanTej 7 років тому +1

    YES! PLEASE! My name has, well 3 names in it. And their order is Surname, Firstname, Middlename. And I never understand which name to use where. Its so confusing.

  • @ThreeLetters3
    @ThreeLetters3 7 років тому

    What a great video Tom spott

  • @pyramid360
    @pyramid360 8 років тому

    so true. I face this problem with my name every day

  • @valeried8542
    @valeried8542 3 роки тому

    I wish this were longer

  • @TitaniusAnglesmith
    @TitaniusAnglesmith 7 років тому

    It was like that in Sweden, and still is fairly common.

  • @aidenbagshaw5573
    @aidenbagshaw5573 3 роки тому +10

    One of the biggest problems with inherited surnames is that you have to decide between traditions with sexist origins, or over-hyphenization.

    • @Nilo1310
      @Nilo1310 3 роки тому +1

      Or you can give your sons the father's last name and your daughters the mother's last name

  • @Thekisu999
    @Thekisu999 10 років тому +7

    It's even better here in Finland since you can tell so much by the name... For example if your last name ends with nen it means that your family comes from a rich family. If your last name is an animal (like mine) it means that your family comes from the Karelia area...

    • @Mega3rn3st
      @Mega3rn3st 10 років тому +2

      In Estonia most people have very short last names meaning things like rock - Kivi, oak - Tamm or smith - Sepp. Some estonians have german names nativesed (like mine -Štofenbörg) or just newly created ones

    • @piennuivelo
      @piennuivelo 7 років тому +2

      nonsense

    • @VSaccount
      @VSaccount 6 років тому +1

      yeah and if you have a pretentious sounding last name you’re an art student from kallio

    • @SocialistFinn1
      @SocialistFinn1 6 років тому

      what? How does having name ending with "nen" like "Korhonen" or "Karjalainen" mean that you come from a rich family??

  • @thekidfromiowa
    @thekidfromiowa 7 років тому +3

    I would be Adam Jonson
    My dad and uncle would be Jon and Dave Elmerson
    My grandpa would be Elmer Albertson

  • @adnanilyas6368
    @adnanilyas6368 8 років тому

    Once upon a time, my family's sir name was the first name. Then, in my grandfather's generation, it was switched to the English system. So, the name that identified him as an individual, Ilyas, became my family name.

  • @Nat-jf2ge
    @Nat-jf2ge 3 роки тому

    They should do this for when you create an online profile.

  • @gaarajeffri1512
    @gaarajeffri1512 8 років тому

    some years ago i was staying at my best friend house and his dad invited us for a conversion(chat) and later he asked us(but kinda directing the question to his son) i always hear my son calling you by your family name (which is something i very used to) i giggled a bit and jokingly told my best friend to answer , he was silent till i answered , it felt so awkward since we have known each other for like four years back then x3.
    (sorry about my grammar) another cool video tom thanks for making it ^^

  • @samwilliams6679
    @samwilliams6679 10 років тому

    Your videos are so interesting.

  • @kidaz
    @kidaz 8 років тому +1

    By merging first+last fields into one, you lose the ability to correctly abbreviate. Your customer services person would end up saying your whole name all the time. See the movie Demolition Man for how weird that would sound.... "Enhance your calm Jon Spartan".

    • @Mashfi23
      @Mashfi23 Рік тому

      Not all names can be abbreviated

  • @Gyroglle
    @Gyroglle 10 років тому

    "stunningly cold"? When I was there last february it was about 4 to 5 C.