Fribergs

[Julie Watson]

Can anyone explain why Hans Friberg would have the Friberg surname, when his father was Per Hansson and his mother was Boel Swensdotter both born in Vasby (dots on a) in the late 1700s?
Thanks for any help.  Julie Watson

[Britt Börjesson]

Hej Julie,
it might be so that he just felt for a change, or he might have enlisted as soldier and got a soldiers name. Can this be the man you are looking for?
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Friberg, Hans  
  Född:  1754  
   
  Regemente:  Skånes husarregemente  
  Kompani:  MAJORENS  
  Socken:  Väsby  
  Rote:  Tjöröd 6  
 
Aktnummer: SH-03-0111-1776  
 
Ansvarigt register:  Adress: SKÅNES KNEKTREGISTER
Skånes Genealogiska Förbund
Arkivcentrum Syd
Porfyrvägen 16
224 78 Lund
 
 Webbadress:  www.sgf.m.se  
 
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[Jan-Inge Friberg]

Hi Julie
 
Your information about Hans Friberg is not very complete so it is impossible to give a correct answer, I can only guess.
 
He might have become a soldier. They always got special names, and Friberg was not an unusual name among soldiers, especially in some parts of Sweden.
 
He might have got a new and another profession than his father, and he wanted to show this and took the name Friberg.
 
These are the two reasons I can think of just now. My great grandfathers surname was Andersson and I am happy that he changed.
 
Jan-Inge Friberg

[Christina Skagerborg]

Hello Julie,  
 
It was very common in the 1800s to take a surname instead of a patrinymicon (-son). The reasons behind could vary, he might have used the name Friberg as a soldier. Some changed to surnames  to mark a step up in society. I have an ancestor who was born out of wedlock and married if not well at least better and had an occupation and I guess he changed names to mark this. At the end of the century when many moved into towns it was common to change names to distinguish yourself from others with the same patronymicon. Some took names that reminded them of their home villages (like Lundgren if you came from the village Lundby) or they took names that sounded more like noble names which you weren't allowed to use as a commoner.  
 
Today many new surnames are still constructed according to the same pattern (two words forming a compound). Often the words have connections to Nature (-berg = mountain). Other common elements are Väster- (west) or like in this case Fri- (free).
 
Without knowing more about Hans Friberg it's not posible to say why he changed names. See if any of the reasons above fit.
 
Christina

[Elisabeth Thorsell]

You can read more on Swedish naming customs here