The game of the name, Swedish edition

[Al B. Sure!]

Umm... where is Sven? Olaf? Karl? Erik? Names like that? They're not on the list.

[Kitschum]

Umm... where is Sven? Olaf? Karl? Erik? Names like that? They're not on the list.

Erik is there right? But yes, that's an acute observation. Parents of today don't like (most) "traditional" names because they sound "old" or are too "common". So they name their runts after movie stars, Lord of the Rings characters and famous feminists.

If I had posted a quiz of the most common names of the entire population all of the ones you mentioned - and other staples like Johan, Marcus, Thomas, Per, Fredrik, Henrik, Lars, Stefan and so on - would be top 20 or 30.

[duke o' york]

Anni-Frid
Björn
Benny
Agnetha

(why hasn't this been done already? )

[BlackCat]

Did I/we pick the wrong set of vikings?

Swedes aren't real vikings, they only sailed around on russian rivers

I didn't had much luck either and sweden is some 30 km from me - got Adam, Gustav, Oscar and Alice rigth.

[Ben Kenobi]

Hans?

[BlackCat]

Anni-Frid
Björn
Benny
Agnetha

(why hasn't this been done already? )

It is about the most popular names today, not back in the 70'ies

[Kitschum]

Anni-Frid
Björn
Benny
Agnetha

Fernando?

Björn (= Bear, and not in the gay sense) is a good, strong name. Agnetha is also respectable.

I don't think Anni-Frid and Benny were ever considered cool. Benny sounds like an alcoholic or small-time criminal.

[BlackCat]

Hans?

Christ, polytubbies ability to read isn't very good

[BlackCat]

Benny sounds like an alcoholic or small-time criminal.

Yeah, it's probably as bad as Børge

[Kitschum]

Yeah, it's probably as bad as Børge

Actually, we have this expression, Y-namn.

All male names ending with -y are considered low status, trashy names and a curse to their bearer: Lenny, Kenny, Benny, Danny, Johnny, Ronny, Sonny, etc. - and most legendary of all, the king of the moped gang - Conny.

[BlackCat]

Well, y-ending names isn't common here, so I can't say that the same goes here.

Concerning Børge, have you seen Olsen banden, that is the danish version where the there is a boy called Børge ? I'm not saying that he was a wunderkind, but after those movies he really screwed up on booze and drugs - suddendtly he popped up on the danish version of Talent 2009 with this :



I guess that you have to like such to appreciate it, but he is actually pretty good (oh, and he lost). Sorry for the threadjack.

[Kitschum]

The guy I best remember from Olsen banden is the one with the big hat, the "brains" in the group. But as you probably know we have our own version that was very popular so I've never had much opportunity to get to know the Danish version.

Börje is the not the most statused of names (nor popular), but I haven't encountered any particular stereotype with it. The most famous Börje I can think of is Börje Salming, pretty legendary ice hockey player so the name can't be all bad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B6rje_Salming

[BlackCat]

An ice hockey player Well, if he at least had been a football player, so .... oh, wait, never mind

[Nikolai]

In Oslo the most popular name is Muhammad, with Ali not too far away. Sweden has a much larger immigrant population base, so I'd guess something similarily surprising.

[Nikolai]

Checked the links. Lots of good, old Swedish names there. Surprisingly old school.