Holmstrom - Jansdotter from Grasmark,Varmland

[Tami]

Hello, I'm researching my family tree. I'm wondering if Holmstrom is a common last name? Also I have a girl who seems to go by the last name Jansdotter, why would that be? My family are Jan and Kajsa Holmstrom (1836&1834). Their children: Erik Olaf(1867), Nils Magnus(1870), Anna Kajsa Jansdotter(Holmstrom)(1879), and August (1881). Is Anna last name Jansdotter or is it a middle name? Can anyone tell me where Holmstrom originated?

[Bo Johansson]

1) Holmström [o with dots] is a relatively common name, today there are 7413 persons named Holmström in Sweden, these are not neccesarily related.
 http://www.scb.se/befovalfard/sakomraden/namn/namnsok.asp
 
2) Jansdotter means Jan's daughter and just tells her fathers name. See http://www.genealogi.se/roots/ for Swedish naming practices.
 
// Bo Johansson

[Robert Hill]

Hello Tami,
About the name Holmström,
 In Sweden People sometimes had an additional name that had to do with things like the place where they lived, things in nature, or their occupation, and also when a man joined the Swedish army or navy he recieved a sailor's or soldier's name that he used while in the military and went back to his original name when he quit, however some kept that name when they quit. So, there are different reasons to having a additional name. You asked about how Anna Kajsa Jansdotter Holmström's name came to be. Anna was her first name, Kajsa was here middle name and Jansdotter was her last name and Holmström
was the additional last name. The reason she has the name of Jansdotter is because of a Swedish naming Pattern in which a child recieved as a last name, a name that came from the first
name of the father plus the word son (if the child was a boy,) and the word dotter,(Swedish word for daughter)if the child was a girl, so therefore you have Jansdotter,(Jan's+daughter) because she was the daughter of the father Jan.
If the child was a boy then his last name would be Jansson(Jan's+son) because he was the son of the father Jan.  
I don't know how the name Holmström originated or
how common it is, but it is one those additional names. Here are the names of your acestors that you listed with a little more information:
 
Jan Jansson Holmström, born Feb 2 1836
His wife was:
Kajsa Eriksdotter
They were married on March 11, 1859 in Gräsmark.
They had the folowing children:
 
Erik Olaf Holmström born Dec. 14 1867.
Nils Magnus Hölmström born July 23, 1870.
Anna Kajsa Holström born born Sept. 4, 1879.
August Holmström Sept. 25, 1881.
They might have used the last name Jansson/Jansdotter  and or Holmström.
Jan and Kajsa also may have had these two children:
Johannes Holmström born Sept. 26, 1859.
Christina Holmström born Feb. 23 1862.
 
The father of Jan Jansson Holmström might have been Jan Jansson Skroling, who was married to Katarina Eriksdotter.
 
Well, hope this helps you with your family tree. Maybe somebody who has a more comple source of records can help you, as a lot of people have excellent sources of the Swedish Church book records who can give you a more detailed list of  
many of your ancestors.  If you need any information on Swedish naming patterns you can send me an e-mail.
Good luck,
Robert Hill

[Kajsa Norman]

Hello Robert!
I only wonder from where you have your records, which sources you have.