Converting Non-Norwegian Name Cultures into the Norwegian National Census Register
Ivar UTNE
Introduction A central aim of the current Norwegian Personal Name Act, in force from 2003, is to take care of name traditions, both Norwegian and foreign. The motivation is liberalized acceptance of names and name traditions which differ from traditional Norwegian name culture. This stemmed from increasing immigration and global communication. The law-making was based on a general liberalized cultural ideology, and in the interests of simplification of decision-making, which also implied other moves not discussed here (see Utne 2012). The work to some extent took care of central structures in Norwegian name traditions, where immigration concerns could not be solved at the same time. The Norwegian Name Act is in a continental European tradition, differentiating between given names and surnames, and between men’s and women’s given names. The determination of protected and free surnames is also regulated, depending on exclusivity. This protection causes some difficulties for immigrants who want to change to a sur- name from their culture, but is not treated further here. Even though all these traditional European principles have strong political support in Norway, they have nevertheless been liberalized as of 2003. The Norwegian Name Act of 2003 is regarded as more liberal than most other contemporary name acts in Northern Europe. This article will review the considerations that formed the basis of the Name Act regarding non-Norwegian name cultures, and present how the rules have worked since then. The law and the official docu- ments from the law-making process are collected in Utne 2011. The practicing of the act since 2003 has shown some types of applications for which there are no prescribed clear solutions in the act or the legislative history. One of these cases, cultures using only single names, is treated in the final part.
Onoma 47 (2012), 81-100. doi: 10.2143/ONO.47.0.3085140. © Onoma. All rights reserved.
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The author was a member of the working group planning the Name Act prior to 2003, and has to a great extent been consulted by the Census Register since then. This presentation will mainly be based on questions which have arisen during such consulting, partly based also on the law-making process. Experiences for non-Norwegian names cultures up to 2007 are also published in Utne 2005a, Utne 2005b, Utne 2006, and Utne 2008. The focus will be on name traditions for immigrants, mainly in Muslim and Tamil cultures, but also in other cultures represented by immigrants to Norway. The treatment of non-Norwegian name cultures in Norway before 2003 is presented in Reisæter 2004: 126–130, Reisæter 2007: 286–289, Utne 2002, Utne 2005a, and documents from the law-making process listed in Utne 2011.
Equal Treatment of Persons, Unequal Treatment of Names The target group for the act is all persons domiciled in Norway, i.e. who intend to stay. It includes also persons staying on a humanitarian basis and asylum seekers. In Norway it is an aim to let immigrants’ name traditions be continued to a considerable extent after immigration. This regards use of first names as surnames for children and spouses, and use of gen- der specific endings in surnames. It has been difficult to decide how broadly this should be permitted for persons, for what names, and whether there should be a limit for how many generations these tradi- tions may be upheld. The situation is resolved from another point of view, through the names and not through the persons’ cultural or ethnic background. The actual rules are tied to names from specified cultures. This means that persons who are transferring these cultural expressions, i.e. the names, may also pursue their names’ cultural usage. Connecting this to names means that persons from other cultural backgrounds may follow the same rules for use of surnames, etc. if they are bearing such names (Circular 2002: 49, subsec. 5.1). The act is intended to avoid negative as well as positive discrim- ination. This means that what should be allowed to meet the demands of immigrants, should also be allowed for ethnic Norwegians, and vice versa. Acceptance of names and name traditions which would look
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strange in Norway, was introduced or expanded, e.g. allowing more foreign spellings, use of given names as surnames, and gender-specific surname endings. Despite substantial liberalization, some traditional Norwegian rules were upheld in a somewhat liberalized manner for all inhabitants of Norway, including immigrants. This covered gender-specific given names, differentiation between given names and surnames, protection of exclusive surnames, hyphenated double surnames, and the require- ment for both given name and surname for all persons. In official Nor- wegian records, personal names are registered according to the Norwe- gian name categories (given name, middle name, and surname) and the Roman alphabet (§1; and p. 91-92). At least one given name and one surname are required (§ 1). In Norwegian terminology, a middle name is a name of surname origin in the family, and not a second given name (§ 9). General principles that are not important for some of the immi- grant cultures were also implemented. An example is the allowing of mother’s Muslim and Tamil names as surnames for children, not only the father’s, due to equal rights (cf. p. 81). To help executive officers to identify names’ cultural belonging, the author of this article has published name lists on the internet, partly following enquiry from the Ministry of Justice (Utne 2013). Such lists cannot be complete for all names. Additional support is available.
Identical or Homonymous Given Names for Both Sexes Identical given names of the same linguistic background for men and women are used in some cultures. Homonymous names are wide- spread, and may sometimes resemble names of different origin.
Identical Given Names for Both Sexes Identical names include almost all names for Sikhs (mainly in India) and Burmese (in Myanmar), and parts of the name vocabulary in other Asian and African cultures, for instance in China, Japan, Vietnam, Thai- land, Mongolia, and in middle and southern parts of Africa. Sikh names are Amandeep/Amandip, ‘the light of peace’; Gurpreet/ Gurprit, ‘the love of the Guru’ (Singh 1995: 5, 38 ). Burmese names are Aung, ‘succeed’; Aye, ‘cool’; Hla, ‘beautifulʼ; Thant, ‘clean’ (see also
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section 10.1). Sikhs use additional names to express gender: Singh for men and Kaur for women. Some Chinese names are identical for both sexes. Examples are Mei, ‘beautiful, excellent’, ‘plum’; Ming, ‘bright, clear’; Xin, ‘new’; Xiu, ‘elegant’ (Creamer 1995: 911; Louie 1998: 45). We find some African examples, among other places, in Botswana, like Mariga, ‘winter (time of birth)’; Tseleng, ‘on the road (birth place)ʼ (Obeng 2001: 23, 35). Furthermore, a few Muslim names are identical, like Anwar, Iman, Inam, Iqbal, Raja, and Nur/Noor. A similar development in modern name usage of identical given names for both sexes can be seen in the USA, with diffusion to Europe, e.g. for -ie/-y-names (Connie), traditional men’s or women’ s names (Linda, Eric); new names (Jayden, Jaylin, Kayden, Kerry, Laverne); and surnames (Bailey, Cameron, MacKenzie, Ryan, Shannon).
Homonymous Names for Both Sexes Homonymous names (homographs or homophones) are common all over the world. A man’s name in one culture may look like a woman’s name, with a different etymology, in another culture, and even within the same culture. The traditional Norwegian woman’s name Eli, based on classical Greek Helene, is similar to the Hebrew and biblical man’s name Eli. Isa is the Muslim variant of the name Jesus. Isa is a woman’s name in Europe, based on the Spanish Isabella and the Swedish and Nor- wegian Lovisa (Louise). Ola is a traditional Norwegian and Swedish name for men, from Norse (old Nordic) Óláfr. In the USA Ola has been more common for women than for men, maybe because of the a-ending. Ola is used in many languages with different etymologies. It is used for both genders in Serbo-Croatian, Arabic (a variant of Ula), and in the Yoruba- and Igbo-cultures in Nigeria, and for women in Polish. Names may be homonymous for men and women in Norwegian registers because distinctions may be lost by romanization, e.g. Arabic Amine, for Muslim Amin (m) and Amina (f), and Hindu Krishna ini- tially with short a for men and long a for women. The romanized form of the Chinese name Wei represents at least ten different Chi- nese given names, initially written as ideograms, spread out over both sexes (Lu and Millward 1989: 273; Goh and Goh 2001: 234, 276, 288; Lip 1997: 23).
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Solutions for Identical and Homonymous Given Names Approval of homonyms from the opposite sex and identical names for both sexes is based on the names’ tradition somewhere in the world. It is not based on the ethnic background of the person who is named. The main rule is that names will be accepted as given name for the current sex when there is a proven tradition for such use. Tradition means use as a given name for that sex by at least five persons born over a period of at least 20 years, and used in a country with legislation that differs between men’s and women’s names. For use in countries without such legislation, e.g. the UK and USA, a limit is set to at least 500 bearers of the name as a given name for the current sex (practice in advices from author of this article, and not reviewed by complaint). Usage in the USA of the same name for both sexes may also be accepted in Norway according to this, for instance for Kristian/Christian, Bobbie/ Bobby, Whitney, and Shawn. Similar rules for surnames used as given names are presented below.
Surnames and Given Names—Identical or Homonymous Names Many surnames look like given names, for varying reasons. In many cultures the fathers’ given names become surnames for children, e.g. for Muslims and Tamils. In some cultures, the husbands’ given names become surnames for their wives, especially among Tamils. In other cultures, surnames are transferred to given names, e.g. in the USA and some African countries. Homonyms will also exist. With some restric- tions, all these types of given names used as surnames are approved as given names even though they are registered as surnames in Nor- way (Circular 2002: 48, subsec. 4).
Homonymous Given Names and Surnames As with given names for both sexes, there is also homonymy between given names and surnames with different etymologies. Examples are the given names Velde from Ethiopia and the Tamil Mogan (a variant of Mohan), homonymous respectively to traditional Norwegian and British (initially Irish) surnames.
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Surnames as Given Names Original surnames may also be accepted as given names when there is a proven tradition as a given name, like Troy, Cameron, and Taylor, which are all well known as given names from the USA. A modern development for use of surnames as given names can be seen in the USA with diffusion to Europe. The same has happened with American surnames in Africa. In Norway the restrictions for accepting original surnames as given names are as strict as for names used for both sexes (cf. p. 85).
Given Names as Surnames A wide range of cultures in Asia and Africa use fathers’ given names as surnames for children. In some of the cultures, husbands’ given names are used as surnames for wives. Names from forefathers tell who the persons’ fathers are, and often also who their forefathers were. The same concerns husbands’ names for wives. Strictly speaking these denote not surnames, but bynames. These names are treated as surnames at least outside their central cultural areas, e.g. in Europe. In case of three names, including the name of the father and his father, then the father’s name is handled as a middle name in Norway. See tables 1, 2, and 3, commented on below. The customs described above mean that identical names are used both as given names and bynames, corresponding to surnames, in these name cultures. Names from Muslim name cultures will because of tradition be accepted as both given names and surnames in the Norwegian Census Register. The practice is the same for Tamil names and names from other name cultures in Africa and Asia, where equiv- alent traditions exist.
Muslim Tradition—Some Variants Muslims often have more than two names, such as given name, father’s name, and name of father’s father. The use of two or three names is primarily in official registers. For the persons themselves, these two or three names are part of a series of names denoting their ancestors.
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For Muslims it is also common to use other categories of per- sonal names, e.g. the name of their firstborn preceded by prefixes, such as Abu Hassan (‘father of Hassan’) and Umm Hassan (‘mother of Hassan’); a hereditary surname, like al-Husseini (‘descendant of Hus- sein’, i.e. a forefather); or a byname, like Haji (‘has been a pilgrimʼ) (Utne 2002: 77–82).
Muslim Tradition—Given Name and One Byname Table 1 shows use of Muslim names in a family with a two-name- system. Children get the father’s given name as their byname, i.e. as a surname in Norway. Muslim wives traditionally do not change their names after marriage.
Name, Father’s name, Name before given name surname marriage Father Amir Husayn Mother Fatima Hassan no change Son Rashid Amir Daughter Aisha Amir
Table 1. Muslim tradition for two names, examples. Transferred names in italics.
Other Cultures Using Given Name and One Byname For Kurds the two-name system is common, often composed of Kurdish, Muslim or Persian names. Similar systems may also be seen among immigrants from Central Asia, where hereditary surnames are also used today. In Central Asia, older Turkish, Persian and Muslim name traditions are mixed with the modern Russian system (the Rus- sian system, see p. 89). The Coptic Christian tradition in Ethiopia and Eritrea, separated from Ethiopia, is much older than Christianity in Europe. Names from the Bible are common there, e.g. in the Amharic language and other languages. Examples for men’s names are, in selected romanizations (English variants in brackets): Petros, Paulos, Yohannes, Yaikob, Yosef, Yesus, Gebriel, Giorgis (George), Binyam (Benjamin), Zekarias, Isaac, Elias, and Abraham. Some women’s names from the Bible: Mariam (Miriam, Mary), Yodit (Judith), and Hirut(e) (Ruth). (See also p. 89)
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In Ethiopia and Eritrea there is a widespread use of double given names, where the first one refers to a Christian concept. Such names are Gebre Yohannes, ‘servant of Johnʼ, and Hayle Sellase, ‘power of the Trinity’. In this Coptic culture there has been a long tradition for use of the father’s given name as a byname for children, i.e. like the two-name- system described above. Even though Ethiopia introduced regular sur- names in 1960 (surname + given name + patronymic; IFLA 1996: 64), use of inheritable surnames is uncommon among immigrants from both Ethiopia and Eritrea to Norway. In Norway these names are normally accepted like the systems above.
Muslim and Somalian Traditions—Given Name and Two Bynames In the modern Muslim tradition it is common to use both father’s and paternal grandfather’s (father’s father’s) names as additional names. According to Norwegian rules these names of forefathers are converted to middle name and surname. See table 2.
Name, Father’s name, Name of father’s father, given name middle name surname Father Amir Husayn Ahmad Mother Fatima Hassan Ibrahim Son Rashid Amir Husayn Daughter Aisha Amir Husayn Table 2. Muslim tradition for names from three generations. Transferred names in italics
In Somalia a three-name system is in common use in registers, often with names from the Somali language, beside Muslim names in Somalian variants. These Somalian names are handled in the same way as Muslim names in Norway. Some Somalian names for women are: Deeqa, Idil, Kinsi, Negeeye and Warsan, and for men: Diiriye/ Diriye, Dhoof, Sugule/Sugulle, Suudi/Sudi, and Warsame. Somalian variants of Muslim names for women are (common Muslim variants in brackets): Fadumo/Faduma (Fatima), and for men: Abdi (short for Abd al-/Abdul-compounds), Abdirahman (Abd al Rahman, Abdul Rahman), Abdullahi (Abdullah), Mahamed (Muhammad).
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Tamil Tradition, Given Name and Byname for Children and Wives An example of how Tamils use names in the family is shown in table 3. The husband’s given name is the byname of his wife, and it is registered as a surname in the Norwegian Census Register. His given name is also a byname, and surname, for their children.
Name, Father’s name, Name before marriage given name husband’s name, surname Father Srinathanakumar Yogalingam Mother Jeyaluxmy Srinathanakumar Jeyaluxmy Mohanachandran Son Ramarajah Srinathanakumar Daughter Jeyakumari Srinathanakumar
Table 3. Tamil byname and surname tradition, examples. Transferred names in italics.
Christian and Other European Names in Cultures Using Given Names as Surnames As stated in on p. 82-85, the Norwegian rule for accepting the father’s name etc. as a surname is limited to names with specific cultural tradi- tions (Circular 2002: 49–50, subsec. 5.2.1). This rule does not nor- mally allow the same for European names which are sporadically used by people with ethnic background from these cultures, e.g. Muslims and Tamils. Some Christian names widely used in the Tamil tradition for many generations, e.g. John and George, have been accepted. Christian names used in Ethiopian and Eritrean cultures usually differ in spelling from the European use (p. 87-88). Therefore they are accepted as traditional names from these cultures.
Gender Specific Endings in Surnames In eastern European cultures, i.e. Slavic, Lithuanian, Latvian and Greek cultures, and in parts of Central Asia there are gender specific endings in surnames. For Slavic and Greek traditions there is also such differentiation for patronymics, i.e. father’s given name plus ending, placed between given name and surname. A short overview of such cultures is presented in Utne 2008: 95–97.
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Table 4 shows this for Russian names. For Sergey Andreyevich Pavlov and Olga Ivanovna Pavlova, Andreyevich and Ivanovna are their patronymics, and Pavlov and Pavlova are their surnames. The e and o in their patronymics are dependent on linguistic rules and not on gender.
Woman before Olga Ivanovna Nikolaeva marriage (father: Ivan Igorovich Nikolaev) Spouses Sergey Andreyevich Pavlov Olga Ivanovna Pavlova Son, daughter Igor Sergeyevich Pavlov Yelena Sergeyevna Pavlova Table 4. Russian patronymics and surnames, in English variants. A common variant of English romanization is used for Russian names in this presenta- tion. Gender specific endings both in patronymics and surnames are printed in italics.
In Lithuanian, and former Polish, there are also variations between surnames for unmarried and married women. Table 5 shows this for Lithuanian names. For Lithuanian names there also exist lots of end- ings depending on linguistic rules.
Woman before Marija Vasiliauskaitė marriage (father: Petras Vasiliauskas) Spouses Antanas Butkus Marija Butkienė Son, daughter Jonas Butkus Ona Butkutė Table 5. Lithuanian surnames. Gender specific endings in surnames are printed in italics.
There is also a new common ending used both for unmarried and mar- ried women, i.e. connected to the surname of parents as unmarried, and to the husband’s surname as married, if she changes her surname. The ending is -ė, illustrated by the surnames Vasiliauskė and Butkė. Up to the late 1990s, none of these gender specific systems were allowed according to Norwegian rules, because the form was foreign. Liberalizing for the a-ending was introduced in 1997 (Circular 1999, subsec. 7). By the act of 2003, use of all gender-specific endings was allowed for surnames with such cultural traditions (Circular 2002: 45–46, subsec. 3.8.3).
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Equal Rights for Women and Men The Norwegian Name Act is based on equal rights for women accord- ing to Norwegian principles and international treaties (Council of Europe 1978, 1995, 1998; United Nations 1979; American Conven- tion on Human Rights; Utne 2006: 158). The Norwegian rules for children’s surnames also permit a given name from their mother in cultures where the father’s name is usually the surname for children. The mother’s given name Fatima may thus be used as a surname for children. Also a wife’s given name can be registered as a surname for her husband in cultures where the given name of a husband usually becomes the surname for his wife. Mr. Sri- nathanakumar (given name) can get his wife’s given name Jeyaluxmy as his surname. Both these possibilities differ from the traditional use in local cultures. A given name from the mother or wife is almost not used in Norway.
Spelling and Romanization In the Norwegian Census Register, generally all characters from the Roman alphabet in different countries may be registered for immi- grants (Circular 2002: 16, subsec. 2.3.5). Information about characters deviating from the ones usually used in Norwegian is written in a note field. This means that the correct name form may be printed in birth certificates, driving licences etc., but will not be seen in automatic lists or mail. In practice this concerns names from Eastern Europe, but is hardly done. Usually names from the Roman alphabet are converted to the English subset of characters, normally according to the inter- national name form in passports. Children can only get names from the Norwegian variant of the Roman alphabet, plus some diacritical signs used in Norwegian texts (Circular 2002: 16, subsec. 2.3.4). Romanization from other non-Roman alphabets and writing sys- tems is not regulated, but is normally done according to verified roman- ization systems in use in or outside Norway, as is exemplified below. This is accepted due to a considerable migration between countries and an absence of strictly established norms. In Norway the preferred solution for persons who are not Norwe- gian citizens, is romanization according to what is used in the persons’
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passports. In that way all their documentation will have identical names, and will cause fewer conflicts while travelling, etc. In some other European countries there are common standards for romanization of names (CIEC 1973).
Romanization from Russian Cyrillic Alphabet For Russian names in the Cyrillic alphabet, some variation may be shown by the Russian names Елена Николаевна Васильева and Сергей Иванович Николаев. In English these names will often be romanized as Yelena Nikolayevna Vasilyeva and Sergey Ivanovich Nikolayev. In Russian passports from 2010 and later these should be Elena Nikolaevna Vasileva and Sergei Ivanovich Nikolaev. The Nor- wegian romanization is Jelena Nikolajevna Vasiljeva and Sergej Iva- novitsj Nikolajev, commonly used in the media, but not demanded in the Census Register.
Romanization from Arabic Alphabet Romanization of the Arabic script varies greatly, depending on goal languages, pronunciation within the area of the Arabic language, and other traditions and rules for romanization. This may also be illustrated by a few examples, with information about the involved characters in brackets: ;(ي ,Karim, Kareem (/i:/, the Arabic character Yā ;(ج ,Jamal, Djamal, Gamal (/ʒ/, Jīm Hosain, Hosein, Hossain, Hossein, Houssein, Hocine, Husain, Husein, Hussain, Hussein, Hussayn, Husayn (/u/ [short], Wāw, aj/ [diphthong], Fathah/ ;س ,single s in Arabic script, Sīn ;و (ﻴ ,short a), َ, and Ya) Mohamad, Mohamed, Mohammad, Mohammed, Muhamad, Muhamed, Muhammad, Muhammed (double m in script, Mīm = .( َ ,two times /a/ [short], Fathah ; ّم = double Mīm ,م The definite article, al, may also be romanized in many ways, some- times assimilated to the next consonant, like: al-Din, ad-Din, ud-Din, ed-Din, eddin, uddin; Abd al, Abdel, Abdul, Abdur Rashid, Anwar as-Saadaat, Saddam Hussein at-Tikriti. Further Arabic examples are commented in Utne 2002.
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Name Order Surname in first position is common in parts of South-East Asia, e.g. China, Japan, South and North Korea, Sri Lanka (e.g. Tamils), and Mongolia; and also in Hungary in Europe. Tamils have this name order in their home culture, which looks reversed for most Europeans and Americans. In addition to this Tam- ils often abbreviate their surnames to one character, i.e. father’s given name. Yogalingam Srinathanakumar (surname + given name) may be written Y Srinathanakumar. In the Norwegian Census Register we find some cases of such initials as a given name, possibly by mistakes. Mongolian surnames are written before the given name in Mon- golian registers, and the same persons are normally registered in the opposite order outside Mongolia. Registering of father’s name as sur- name may cause confusion outside Mongolia, because the order is not always clear. A man with the given name Eruult and who is son of Batbayar, may be found like this: Batbayar Eruult (or Batbayar, Eruult), or Eruult Batbayar This may be solved by documentation from the bearer. When the patronymic ending, like -in, -yn etc., or other types of surnames are registered, the name is unambiguous. For Tamils and Mongolians it causes no formal difficulties for which names are allowed for their children, because both given names and surnames from parents in these cultures may be given as surnames for children. Also Muslim names are sometimes reversed in Norwegian name records. Women may be registered with a woman’s name in the sec- ond or third posititon, and men’s names in remaining position or posi- tions. These kinds of errors are due to insufficient knowledge about the name cultures, and weakness in communication between the name bearer and executive officer. Such errors may be corrected when the name bearers apply for it (Circular 2002: 38, subsec. 3.5.8).
Appropriate or Not for Personal Names Given names, and surnames as well, from all over the world may be homonymous or nearly homonymous with Norwegian words not
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suitable for personal names. Such a given name is the Albanian wom- an’s name Drita, which is like the Norwegian drita, meaning ‘pissed’ / ‘dead drunkʼ. Another name is the Muslim Musa for men. It is like the Norwegian word musa, meaning ‘the mouse’, which is also used in slang about women’s genitals. Musa was rejected under the former name act. The examples above are not dealt with under the current name act. The executive officers will inform the parents about the Norwegian meaning of words which may be unfavourable as names for children. In very special cases the names may not be accepted (Circular 2002: 52–53, subsec. 5.4). Up to the 1990s, some foreign spellings, particularly from distant cultures, were also rejected, like Sheikhsadibou and Mpho (Circular 1991: 41, Circular 1999, subsec. 2.3). Today names with traditions abroad will not be rejected because of their spelling.
Single Name Cultures Both given name and surname are required for all inhabitants in Nor- way (cf. p. 82-89). There exist name cultures that use only one or more names which are all equivalent to given names. Immigrants with such names arrive from Rwanda, Burundi, and Myanmar (Burma). There are also other countries with purely a given name structure, particularly some areas in Indonesia. In Mongolia, surnames were introduced around the turn of the millennium, and Mongolians with single names seem to be out of question in the Norwegian Census Register. Persons with at least two given names usually get their names transferred to given name and surname. For persons with only one given name creative solutions are practiced.
Single Names in Myanmar (Burma) In Myanmar, former Burma, traditionally until now it has been common to use only one given name for each person, and the names are usually identical for both sexes. For a couple of decades it has been common to use two or more names, still given names. See table 6.
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Father’s father and mother U Pha (m), Daw Suu (f) Parents Aung San (m), Khin Kyi (f) Children Aung San Suu Kyi (f), Aung San Lin (m), Aung San Oo (m)
Table 6. Burmese example, Aung San Suu Kyi’s family. m = masculine, f = feminine.
In case the names for a Burmese consists of at least two names, when they are entered into registers abroad which demand given names and surnames, the last name is usually transformed to a surname. Persons with a single name may for instance be registered with titles equivalent to Mr., Miss or Mrs. as the given name, and the real given name as the surname. The title U is common for adult men (cf. Mr.), Ko for young men, Ma for young women, and Daw for adult women. See table 6. The given name may also be identical to these titles, so such classification may be difficult, because titles are not names. To register the single given name as both given name and sur- name, i.e. twice, is also a solution, even though I have not identified such cases in the Norwegian Census Register for Burmese names.
Single Names in Rwanda and Burundi Among the Hutu and Tutsi people in Rwanda and Burundi, in Africa, there is also a sole given name use. Traditionally there was a one-name culture. Due to influence from Western culture through colonialism, evangelism, and commerce every person often gets two or more given names, i.e. a European (often French from Belgium) and a local name, usually in that order. Examples are: Paul Kagame, Valérie Nyirahabi- neza, and Pierre Damien Habumuremyi (politicians in Rwanda 2012 and 2007, the last one with two European names). By registration abroad the names are converted to one or more given names and a surname. The European names usually become given names and local names become surnames.
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Single Names in Conflict with Protected Surnames Surnames registered for persons from Myanmar, Rwanda and Burundi are, as stated above, one of their given names. Because these name cultures do not differentiate between given names and surnames, i.e. they do not have real surnames, the names may be accepted as given names as well as surnames in Norwegian registers. A problem occurs in Norway when parents want to give their chil- dren a second name unlike any of the parents’ names. As stated above, the second (last) name will normally be registered as a surname in the Norwegian Census Register. Sometimes this last name is a protected surname because there are other persons from the same name tradition in the country bearing this name as a surname. This case is not regu- lated explicitly in the Name Act or in the legislative history. During the first years of the new act, such cases were solved by use of exceptional rules, taking into consideration a person’s special cultural ties to the name. Such solutions have mainly been brought to an end by now. The normal solution for second names (surnames) at present is to register a name from one of the parents (given name or surname) or to ask the parents to choose another name which is not protected.
Summing up and the Future A combination of rules reflecting Norwegian name culture and immi- grants’ name culture has been central in this presentation of how non- Norwegian names are converted into the Norwegian Census Register. The adaptation of all details into practical solutions requires juridical and onomastic research and creativity. As new immigrant cultures enter Norway in the future, there will still be new kinds of demands, which are not yet known to us. Some Norwegian name traditions will influ- ence Norwegian practice into the future, like differentiating between given names and surnames, and between men’s names and women’s names, with some exceptions for specified name traditions. The prin- ciple of protected surnames will also be upheld. Even though these are principles of strong political support, immigrants’ name cultures have been adapted in the law to a great extent. The Norwegian Name Act seems to make it possible for immigrants to transfer their name tradi- tions in most aspects, with some exceptions, like protected surnames, name order and single names.
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References § [digit] = Section number in the Norwegian Name Act of 2002. LOV 2002-06-07 nr 19: Lov om personnavn (navneloven). [Personal Name Act (the Name Act)]. Available at: 997898.indb7898.indb 9797 66/07/15/07/15 08:5308:53 98 IVA R UTNE assembly.coe.int/documents/adoptedtext/ta98/erec1362.htm> [accessed 10 February 2014] Creamer, T.B. I. 1995. Chinese Place and Personal Names. In: E. Eichler et.al.: Namenforschung. Ein internationales Handbuch zur Ono- mastik 1, 906–912. Berlin: de Gruyter. Goh, K.Y., Goh, K.C. 2001. The Book of Chinese Names. A Guide to Auspicious and Elegant Names. 3. ed. Singapore: Rank Books [popular presentation]. IFLA 1996 = International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. 1996. Names of Persons: National Usages for Entry in Catalogues. München et.al.: K.G.Saur. Lip, E. 1997. Choosing Auspicious Chinese Names. Torrance, Califor- nia: Heian International, Inc. [popular presentation]. Louie, E.W. 1998. Chinese American Names. 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[...] into force 3 September 1981. Available at: 997898.indb7898.indb 9898 66/07/15/07/15 08:5308:53 CONVERTING NON-NORWEGIAN NAME CULTURES … 99 inom nordiskt namnskick. Handlingar från den trettonde nordiska namnforskarkongressen i Tällberg 15–18 augusti 2003, 307–331. Uppsala. Utne, I. 2005b. Innpassing av nye navnekulturer i det norske folkere- gisteret [Accomodating of new name cultures into the Norwegian Census Register]. Namn og Nemne 22, 75–96. Bergen. Utne, I. 2006. Flerkulturell navnenormering i Norge [Multicultural standardizing of names in Norway]. In: H. Sandøy & K. Tenfjord (ed.): Den nye norsken. Nokre peilepunkt under globaliseringa, 147–164. Oslo: Novus forlag. Utne, I. 2008. Afrikanske, asiatiske og aust-europeiske namneskikkar i det norske folkeregisteret [African, Asiatic, and East European name customs in the Norwegian Census Register]. Språk i Nor- den 2008, 87–100. Oslo: Språkrådet, Språknämnderna i Norden. Utne, I. 2011. Lovtekst, rundskriv og forarbeider til navneloven [The wording of the Personal Names Act, Circular, and the official documents from the law-making process] [online] Available at: Ivar Utne Department of Linguistic, Literary and Aesthetic Studies (LLE) University of Bergen Sydnesplassen 7 NO-5007 Bergen Norway [email protected] Summary: Converting Non-Norwegian Name Cultures into the Norwegian National Census Register The article reviews the considerations that formed the basis of the current Norwegian Name Act, in force from 2003. It also presents how the rules have worked since then, and includes some questions not discussed in the law-making 997898.indb7898.indb 9999 66/07/15/07/15 08:5308:53 100 IVA R UTNE process. The focus is on how name traditions for immigrants were taken care of, mainly in Muslim and Tamil cultures, but also other cultures in Africa, Asia, Europe, and America. The most central onomastic theme concerns given names used as surnames for children and spouses. Other themes are use of surnames as given names, gender specific surnames, equal rights and surnames for both sexes, romaniza- tion, name order, names that may not be appropriate, and names from cultures using only single names. Even though traditional Norwegian principles also are implemented in the law, it seems to make it possible for immigrants to transfer their name traditions in most cases. Résumé : Changement des noms de culture non norvegienne pour l’enregistrement sur l’état civil norvegien L’article présente les considérations qui ont formées la base de la loi sur les noms norvégiens actuel depuis 2003. Il présente aussi comment la legislation a fonctionnée depuis, et inclut des questions non discutées pendant le procés- sus de création de cette loi. La priorité est comment les noms traditionnels des immigrés étaient sauvegardés, principalement les cultures musulmanes et tamouls, mais aussi d’autres cultures en Afrique, Asie, Europe et Amerique. Le thème onomastique le plus central concerne des noms donnés, prénoms, utilisés comme nom de famille pour les enfants et les épouses. D’autres thèmes dont l’utilisation des noms donnés, noms spécifique garçon/fille, noms spéciaux pour les deux sexes, transcription, l’ordre des noms, noms qui peuvent être inap- propriés, et noms des cultures qui utilisent un seul nom. Même si les principes traditionnels norvégiens sont aussi compris dans la loi, il semble possible pour des immigrés de transférer leurs traditions des noms dans la plupart des cas. Zusammenfassung: Eingliederung von nicht-norwegischen Namenskulturen in das norwegische Personenstandsregister Der Artikel stellt die Überlegungen vor, die dem gegenwärtigen norwegi- schen Namensrecht, das 2003 in Kraft getreten ist, zugrunde liegen. Des Wei- teren wird aufgezeigt, wie die Regeln seitdem in der Praxis funktionieren und es werden Fragen aufgeworfen, die bei der Formulierung des Gesetzes nicht berücksichtig wurden. Der Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf der Frage, wie Namenstraditionen von Immigranten hauptsächlich von muslimischen und tamilischen Kulturen, aber auch von anderen Kulturen in Afrika, Asien, Europa und Amerika, berücksichtigt wurden. Das wichtigste onomastische Thema ist der Gebrauch von Vornamen als Nachnamen bei Kindern und Ehepartnern. Weitere Themenstellungen sind der Gebrauch von Nachnamen als Vornamen, geschlechtsspezifische Nachnamen, gleiche Rechte und Nachnamen für beide Geschlechter, Transkription, Rei- henfolge der Namen, ungeeignete Namen sowie Namen von Kulturen, die nur einen einzigen Namen benutzen. Obwohl traditionelle norwegische Prinzipien in das Gesetz eingearbeitet wurden, scheint es für Immigranten in den meisten Fällen möglich zu sein, ihre Namenstradition zu übernehmen. 997898.indb7898.indb 100100 66/07/15/07/15 08:5308:53