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Namesdays in Sweden

The celebration of namesdays has been a tradition in Sweden since middle ages. The namesdays originates in the list of holidays celebrated in commemoration of saints and martyrs of the Catholic Church. During medieval times the namesdays were of little significance in the Nordic countries, except for the celebration of patron saints for various guilds.

A more widespread celebration of namesdays began in the 17th century, at first in the royal court and among aristocracy, but successively also among the general population. The Church of Sweden promoted celebration of namesdays over birthdays, as the latter was seen as a pagan tradition. From the 18th century and onwards the list of namesdays was modified in Sweden and Finland, but not in any other countries. Names used by the royal family was intruduced and then followed by other common names. In 1901 a comprehensive modernization was made to make list up to date with current names. The monopoly on almanacks, held by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, expired in 1972 and so did the official namesday list. Competing namesday lists began to emerge but the official list was still in general use until 1985. The present list with a wide acceptance was established based in 1993.

This is the last official Swedish namesday calendar (1901):

Table of contents

January

  1. Nyårsdagen
  2. Svea
  3. Alfred
  4. Rut
  5. Hanna
  6. Trettondag jul
  7. August
  8. Erland
  9. Gunnar
  10. Sigurd
  11. Hugo
  12. Frideborg
  13. Knut
  14. Felix
  15. Laura
  16. Hjalmar
  17. Anton
  18. Hilda
  19. Henrik
  20. Fabian
  21. Agnes
  22. Vincent
  23. Emilia
  24. Erika
  25. Paulus
  26. Botilda
  27. Göte
  28. Karl (*)
  29. Valter
  30. Gunhild
  31. Ivar
February
  1. Max
  2. Kyndelsmässodagen
  3. Disa
  4. Ansgar
  5. Agata
  6. Dorotea
  7. Rikard
  8. Berta
  9. Fanny
  10. Eugenia
  11. Yngve
  12. Evelina
  13. Agne
  14. Valentin
  15. Sigfrid
  16. Julia
  17. Alexandra
  18. Frida
  19. Gabriella
  20. Hulda
  21. Hilding
  22. Martina
  23. Torsten
  24. Mattias
  25. Sigvard
  26. Torgny
  27. Lage
  28. Maria

Leap day on the 24th

March
  1. Albin
  2. Ernst
  3. Gunborg
  4. Adrian
  5. Tora
  6. Ebba
  7. Ottilia
  8. Filippa
  9. Torbjörn
  10. Ethel
  11. Edvin
  12. Viktoria[?] (*)
  13. Greger
  14. Matilda
  15. Kristofer
  16. Herbert
  17. Gertrud
  18. Edvard
  19. Josef
  20. Joakim
  21. Bengt
  22. Viktor
  23. Gerda
  24. Gabriel
  25. Marie bebådelse[?]
  26. Emanuel
  27. Rudolf
  28. Malkolm
  29. Jonas
  30. Holger
  31. Ester
April
  1. Harald
  2. Gudmund
  3. Ferdinand
  4. Ambrosius
  5. Nanna
  6. Vilhelm
  7. Ingemund
  8. Hemming
  9. Otto
  10. Ingvar
  11. Ulf
  12. Julius
  13. Artur
  14. Tiburtius
  15. Olivia
  16. Patrik
  17. Elias
  18. Valdemar
  19. Olaus Petri[?]
  20. Amalia
  21. Anselm
  22. Albertina
  23. Georg
  24. Vega
  25. Markus
  26. Teresia
  27. Engelbrekt[?]
  28. Ture
  29. Tyko
  30. Mariana
May
  1. Valborg
  2. Filip
  3. Göta
  4. Monika
  5. Gotthard
  6. Sigmund
  7. Gustava
  8. Åke
  9. Jonatan
  10. Esbjörn
  11. Märta
  12. Charlotta
  13. Linnea
  14. Halvard
  15. Sofia
  16. Hilma
  17. Rebecka[?]
  18. Erik
  19. Alrik
  20. Karolina
  21. Konstantin
  22. Henning
  23. Desideria
  24. Ragnvald
  25. Urban
  26. Vilhelmina
  27. Blenda
  28. Ingeborg
  29. Baltsar
  30. Fritjof
  31. Isabella
June
  1. Nikodemus
  2. Rutger
  3. Ingemar
  4. Holmfrid
  5. Bo
  6. Gustav
  7. Robert
  8. Salomon
  9. Börje
  10. Svante
  11. Bertil
  12. Eskil
  13. Aina
  14. Håkan
  15. Justina
  16. Axel
  17. Torborg
  18. Björn
  19. Germund
  20. Flora
  21. Alf
  22. Paulina
  23. Adolf
  24. Johannes Döparen
  25. David
  26. Rakel[?]
  27. Selma
  28. Leo
  29. Petrus
  30. Elof
July
  1. Aron
  2. Rosa
  3. Aurora
  4. Ulrika
  5. Melker
  6. Esaias
  7. Klas
  8. Kjell
  9. Götilda
  10. Anund
  11. Eleonora
  12. Herman
  13. Joel
  14. Folke
  15. Ragnhild
  16. Reinhold
  17. Alexis
  18. Fredrik
  19. Sara
  20. Margareta
  21. Johanna
  22. Magdalena
  23. Emma
  24. Kristina
  25. Jakob
  26. Jesper
  27. Marta
  28. Botvid
  29. Olof
  30. Algot
  31. Elin
August
  1. Per
  2. Karin
  3. Tage
  4. Arne
  5. Ulrik
  6. Sixten
  7. Arnold
  8. Sylvia[?] (*)
  9. Roland
  10. Lars
  11. Susanna
  12. Klara
  13. Hillevi
  14. Ebbe
  15. Stella
  16. Brynolf
  17. Verner
  18. Helena
  19. Magnus
  20. Bernhard
  21. Josefina
  22. Henrietta
  23. Signe
  24. Bartolomeus
  25. Lovisa
  26. Östen
  27. Rolf
  28. Augustin
  29. Hans
  30. Albert
  31. Arvid
September
  1. Samuel
  2. Justus
  3. Alfhild
  4. Moses
  5. Adela
  6. Sakarias
  7. Regina
  8. Alma
  9. Augusta
  10. Tord
  11. Dagny
  12. Tyra
  13. Ambjörn
  14. Ida
  15. Sigrid
  16. Eufemia
  17. Hildegard
  18. Alvar
  19. Fredrika
  20. Agda
  21. Matteus
  22. Maurits
  23. Tekla
  24. Gerhard
  25. Signild
  26. Enar
  27. Dagmar
  28. Lennart
  29. Mikael
  30. Helge
October
  1. Ragnar
  2. Ludvig
  3. Evald
  4. Frans
  5. Bror
  6. Jenny
  7. Birgitta
  8. Nils
  9. Ingrid
  10. Helmer
  11. Erling
  12. Valfrid
  13. Teofil
  14. Manfred
  15. Hedvig
  16. Fingal
  17. Antoinetta
  18. Lukas
  19. Tore
  20. Sibylla
  21. Birger
  22. Seved
  23. Sören
  24. Evert
  25. Inga
  26. Amanda
  27. Sabina
  28. Simon[?]
  29. Viola
  30. Elsa
  31. Edit
November
  1. Allhelgonadagen
  2. Tobias
  3. Hubert
  4. Sverker
  5. Eugen
  6. Gustav Adolf
  7. Ingegerd
  8. Vendela
  9. Teodor
  10. Martin Luther
  11. Mårten
  12. Konrad
  13. Kristian
  14. Emil
  15. Leopold
  16. Edmund
  17. Napoleon
  18. Magnhild
  19. Elisabet
  20. Pontus
  21. Helga
  22. Cecilia
  23. Klemens
  24. Gudrun
  25. Katarina
  26. Torkel
  27. Astrid
  28. Malte
  29. Sune
  30. Anders
December
  1. Oskar[?]
  2. Beata
  3. Lydia
  4. Barbro
  5. Sven
  6. Nikolaus
  7. Agaton
  8. Virginia
  9. Anna
  10. Malin
  11. Daniel
  12. Alexander
  13. Lucia
  14. Sten
  15. Gottfrid
  16. Assar
  17. Inge
  18. Abraham
  19. Isak
  20. Israel
  21. Tomas
  22. Natanael
  23. Adam
  24. Eva
  25. Juldagen
  26. Stefan
  27. Johannes
  28. Menlösa barns dag
  29. Abel
  30. Set
  31. Sylvester

See also: Holidays in Sweden, Flag days in Sweden, Calendar of saints

External links



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