Culture

Why can one family have different surnames?

The endings son and dóttir describe a relationship.

Icelandic surnames are often formed from a parent’s given name rather than inherited unchanged. Endings such as son or dóttir express that relationship. A name may refer to the father, the mother or both.

Members of one family can consequently have different surnames. People with a neutral gender registration may use forms such as bur. Hereditary family names also exist under certain exceptions, so the pattern is not universal.

A surname can describe parentage rather than a shared family name.