A friend of mine called Eric Johansson is considering changing his surname to something like Vallmoblad (Poppyleaf) which he knows will be quite unique, unlike Johansson which is the most common surname in Sweden. When asked for the reason he jokingly replied that he was tired of being told “Sorry, we’re full” whenever he calls to book a table at an exclusive restaurant.
Jokes aside, it is not an uncommon practice for Swedes with surnames ending in –son (like Persson or Karlsson) to change to something less common. Perhaps it is a sign that social homogenisation has reached a stage where people want to stand out and be noticed.
There is also a tendency these days for parents to give their children uncommon first names like Metallica (a hard rock band). But they have to contend with the Registrar of Names who have a tendency to reject names which in their opinion may cause future problems for the poor kids. Like the couple who wanted to call their son Grus (Gravel) but was stopped by the Registrar who suggested that they call him Sten (Stone) instead, a common boy’s name in days of yore.
Then there is the sad story of a Russian immigrant, a lady called Svetlana Diatchkova. She is a graduate teacher with 18 years of teaching experience in her home country. She has applied for more than 400 jobs here over the past 18 months but has never been called up for an interview. Her friends have suggested that she change her name to something more local. Perhaps as Svea Danielsson she might have better luck.
So what’s in a name? Apparently, somewhat more than you're inclined to think.
A group of ‘Reclaim the Streets’ demonstrators went amok in the city centre. The police were called in but were ordered by their chiefs not to act even when they saw the mob prising cobblestones off the streets and hurling them at shop windows … the reason being we should accept some broken windows as opposed to further potential damage should the police do what they were sent there to do.
