Roland Andersson: Ekberg, Ljung och Rattfält: Soldatnamn i Värmland 1684–1900

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation in the field of onomastics is to examine the presence of soldiers’ names and to describe patterns and changes of such names in Värmland’s Infantry Regiment and in Värmland’s Riflemen Regiment. The geographical area of interest includes the province of Värmland, parts of the province of Närke, and parts of the province of Dalsland. The examined period regarding the infantry regiment is 1684–1900, and regarding the riflemen regiment 1790–1900. Early soldiers’ names can be adulatory but can also in some cases be derogatory. In the 1684 general inspection list there are also a number of soldiers’ names based on place-names – single-part names or two-part names – such as Elg from the homestead Elgåna and Fiällman from the homestead Fiäll. At Värmland’s regiment soldiers were thereafter given names based on place-names from the homesteads that provided each and every soldier with a soldier’s cottage. Some of the names were changed, often shortened (from two-part names to single-part names), over the years but the connection between soldiers’ names and place-names remained. The Royal Värmland’s riflemen regiment was formed in 1788. Riflemen were all given soldiers’ names, but their names are quite different compared to the infantry soldiers’ names above. Many of the names among the riflemen are similar to contemporary family names (surnames). Some examples are Nyström, Strandberg and Wahlberg. This means that it is necessary to investigate both military and civilian documentation in order to decide whether a certain name was initially a soldier’s name or a family name. At the turn of the century in 1900 the tradition of giving soldiers certain names came to an end. Many of these names are however still in use as family names, which indicates that soldiers and riflemen found their »professional» names worth keeping. All soldiers’ names in this dissertation have been gathered from general inspection lists, that is military sources.