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Njål might sound like
an ancient Norwegian
name to native
Norwegian speakers,
but the name has an
Irish background. The
same is true for other
"Norwegian" names.
All names have an origin, although it is
not always easy for researchers to agree
on where the name first came into use, or
what it actually means.
The name Njål, for example, has been
known in Norway since the 10th century
AD and has its roots in the name Niall,
which is of Irish origin. But there is
controversy over what the name actually
means. Some believe the name means
giant, others think it means passionate,
while a third group thinks it means cloud
(as in sky).
Thus says Gulbrand Alhaug, a professor
of Nordic Languages at the University of
Tromsø.
Kjartan, naval warrior
To Norwegians, the name "Kjartan" may
sound as Norwegian as "Njål", but it only
came into use in Norway from 1850. It
has Irish origins.
According to the
Laksdølasaga
, Kjartan
Olavvson was named after the Irish king
Myrkjartan, a name that comes from
the word "muircheartach," which means
naval warrior. Another explanation for
the name is that it comes from the Irish
name Certán.
Synnøve is another Norwegian name
with its origins in Old English: Sunngifu
(which today is Sunniva). "Sunn" means
"sun" in English, and "-gifu" means
"gift." There is also the legend of the Irish
Princess Sunniva,
who escaped from
a forced marriage
in Ireland and was
stranded on the
island of Selje in
Nordfjord. She died
there in a cave,
and King Olav
Tryggvason is said
to have found her
there. She was later
named to sainthood.
English-
Norwegian
Contact between the
Nordic Vikings and
Englishmen also led
to mutual influen-
ces on each other's
language. Mildrid
can be found in the
14th century in its
Old Norse form,
Mildriðr
. But it was
probably borrowed
from the Old English Mildthryth, which
means mild
+ power.
The English name Earl has it roots in the
title that is associated with nobility (an
Earl), and means Earl or Count. Earl is
the same as the Nordic name Jarl, which
means chief or chieftain. Harold is an
English form of Harald, and Ivor is an
English form of Ivar.
Howard probably has its origins in Old
Norse, and is similar to the Norwegian
name Håvard. Ronald is also a Scottish-
English name that corresponds to the
Nordic Ragnvald. Perhaps Ragnvald
was lent from Scandinavia to Scotland
early on, and it is therefore possible that
Ragnvald is actually the origin for the
name Ronald.
Herry and Merry
While the trend today is for Norwe-
gian parents to choose English names
for their children, this is nothing new.
At the beginning of the 20th century,
Norwegians tended to spell English
names the way they sounded to the Nor-
wegian ear. So Michael could become
Maikel, Harry could be Herry, Mary
could be Merry, Frank might be Frenk,
and Gladys could be Gledis.
Another variant is for the English name
to be pronounced in Norwegian exactly
as it is written in English. An example
of this is Steve. "Especially in north-
ern Norway, I have heard the name
Steve pronounced Ste-ve (Stayh-vayh in
English)," said Alhaug.
"The latest development is to add a
silent 'h' to the end of the name, which
is another English influence," he says.
"The names Sarah, Hannah and Noah
are all examples of this. The silent 'h' is
a modern phenomenon in Norway, the
Norwegians never say 'h' at the end of
their words."
Not as Norwegian as you might think
38
•••
Labyrint E/11
– University of Tromsø
When it comes to names, Scandinavia and the British Isles have both influenced each
other. Not surprisingly, the Nordic name Harald is the source of the English name
Harold. Illustration photo: Torbein Kvila Gamst