About female viking names
How female viking names are built
This set uses two patterns. The male pattern joins a 1667-entry given bank to a 1660-entry second-element bank ending in -son (Atli Ragnarsson, Skolmr Thorbrandsson, Gudki Traustisson). The female pattern joins a 486-entry given bank to a 1666-entry second-element bank ending in -dottir (Rikulata Gismundsdottir, Ulfrun Vestgeirsdottir).
Atli Ragnarsson
Atli + Ragnarsson
male given name plus -son second element
Rikulata Gismundsdottir
Rikulata + Gismundsdottir
female given name plus -dottir second element
Skolmr Thorbrandsson
Skolmr + Thorbrandsson
male given name plus -son second element
Naming notes
The second-element banks are separate pools: men draw a -son element and women a -dottir element, each as a stored whole entry rather than a fixed inherited surname. The banks are very large, over 1600 entries each for the male given, male second-element and female second-element pools, so the combination space is wide; the female given pool is smaller at 486. This is a Viking Age label set, roughly the 8th to 11th centuries.
Questions about female viking names
- Why do the male and female second elements differ?
- The male pattern draws its second element from a -son bank and the female pattern from a -dottir bank; they are separate pools, so the ending tracks the gender of the pattern.
- Are the second elements inherited surnames?
- No. Each second element is drawn fresh from its own bank (-son for men, -dottir for women) rather than copied from the given name, so it is not a fixed family name passed between results.
- How large are the banks?
- The male given, male -son and female -dottir slots each hold over 1600 entries, while the female given slot holds 486, giving a wide combination space.