Changes in the Icelandic Onomasticon in the 9th—13th Centuries as an Indicator of Political Status of the Icelandic Commonwealth

Abstract

The paper analyzes the changes in the frequency of name use from the settlement of Iceland to the time it lost its independence. In the first period, in an effort to assert their own isolation from Norway, the Icelanders form a separate layer of family names that does not coincide with the Norwegian one. This tradition persists until the middle of the 13th century, when representatives of noble Icelandic families, trying to assimilate among the Norwegian nobility, begin to actively use, among other things, Norwegian names for their own children. The composition of Icelandic names is also affected by the greater ethnic diversity of Icelandic pioneers and their descendants, with Celtic names firmly occupying their niche in the Old Icelandic onomasticon. However, the adoption of Christianity was not reflected in any way in the Icelandic nomenclature for a long time, and pagan names continued to prevail throughout the entire period under study.