Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1964, Síða 153
Norn in Shetland
161
observable in these two documents is this. In the earlier
there are 496 names of the Magnus a Brek type to only
122 of the sson names. Among the wills the farm name
is not much used. There certainly was a change in emp«
hasis in naming, but the territorial name is widely used in
speech to this day. Perhaps wills were official documents,
and in any case the place of residence is given with each
entry. Occasionally a person may have a surname, a ^son
name, and a farm name, thus making trebly sure.
Of the Scots surnames Sinclair, the earldom name, came
first, followed by Smith and Sutherland. But Magnusson
orManson, Olason, Johnson, Nicolson, Thomasson, Ander*
son, Williamson and Erasmusson, in that order, accounted
for over half the surnames in Shetland in the early 17th
century.
In the next generation these names would change. In
the forenames Magnus again had an overwhelming lead,
John being next. James (ninth in popularity in 1577) was
third, Andrew fourth, Ola, Nicol and Thomas had moved
down, William and Erasmus were as before, but the latter
as a forename had already begun to decline to practical
extinction, though the process was to take nearly 300 years.
Ola and Nicol have shared the same fate.
Of women’s names Marion (Merran) was twice as common
as any other. Then came Katherine (Ketrin), Margaret,
Agnes, Bryde (Bretta), Christian (Kirsten) and Ingagarth,
all widely used Scandinavian names.
The Norse forenames underwent a quick change with the
Scots clergy, who refused to baptise in »heathen« names.
Ola, Nicol, and Magnus survived as saint’s names, Rasmus
(Rasmi) through the scholar Erasmus. Hákon was trans*
formed to Hector and Hercules (colloquially Hakki or
Hekki), apparently not regarded as heathen, and rarely found
to this day. Ási was changed to the Biblical Hosea, though
still verbally Ossi, and originated a surname Hoseason.
Sigurðr became George, and George is sometimes still