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Swedes change last names in droves

Published: 31 Dec 09 11:30 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/24146/20091231/

Despite occasional interference by the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket), Swedes have set a new record in changing their last names.

In 2009, the Swedish Patent and Registration Office (Patent– och registreringsverket – PRV) received almost 8,000 name change requests, making it a record-breaking year.

As of the end of 2009, PRV had received around 7,740 name change applications, reported the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper.

PRV's Jan Ekengren osaid that despite the 1,500 kronor fee (to be raised to 1,800 kronor as of Jan 1st 2010), 2009 was a record year.

The most common practice is to take an old family name or a maiden name. Others want to change the spelling, Ekengren said.

One Swedish couple, Fredrik Nilsson and Sara Olsson of Upplands Väsby north of Stockholm, chose the last name “Krusare” when they got married.

“Since our names are so common, we felt that we wanted to have something that we could both have. We haven't thought so much about what it means, but it's our own,” they told TT news agency.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

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15:05 December 31, 2009 by peropaco
By changing their last names, the plebses strongly believe their insecurities will disappear; they will become respectable and more confident overnight.... I can only imagine the names of choice are NOBLER sounding....
21:15 December 31, 2009 by Osokin
Exacto, like polishing a turd.
22:19 December 31, 2009 by simepal
Or maybe they believe the indignity they confer others based on their names shall soon catch up with them or their siblings sometime in the future..So a name change to them is a subterfuge to the backlash they foresee.

INCREDIBLE
00:03 January 1, 2010 by someoneonthenet
Do most swedes change their name after marriage ?
03:18 January 1, 2010 by Davey-jo
I'd like to change my name to Murdoch or maybe Obama; hmmm?
03:24 January 1, 2010 by Greg in Canada
"I'd like to change my name to Murdoch"

LOL!! My dog is named Murdoch. The good news is he's a wonderful half black lab/golden retreiver.
03:54 January 1, 2010 by tennent
Unfortunately, changing fingerprints is still very expensive.
10:36 January 1, 2010 by EGS
I want to change my name to MAx Power like Homer Simpson.
10:43 January 1, 2010 by Da Goat
Maybe they should just change their person number !

this is some thing that really amuses me, swedes are indexed by person number so you are free to change your name pretty much as you like!

every where else you are known by name so changing it confers new identity !
11:37 January 1, 2010 by Céitinn
Blimey, they have moved Upplands Väsby to the south of Stockholm....... Isn't that the bigger news story here? Especially as I live there......
22:47 January 1, 2010 by Hairdont
The Barbarian. End of debate.
13:28 January 25, 2010 by Rutkowski
Me and my wife was two of those that changed our names in 2009 and we did indeed change it to an old family name of mine. Before, my last name was Fredriksson and her's were Lundgren but since both of us wanted for us to have the same name but neither wanted the others' name we decided on Rutkowski, an old family name of mine from my German/Polish side.

It got nothing to do with insecurity or attention-whoring or anything, it's just that Swedish names in general are butt-ugly.
08:16 November 12, 2010 by jwlundgren
I am proud to have a Swedish last name, but as an American immigrant, the US Social Security and IRS would have had numerious problems if my husband would have had an ö, å, or ä in his name. Fortunately, it was quite simple, otherwise he would have had to change his name before we got married.
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