In Norway, families took the name of their farms as their surnames. Gudmundsrud (pictured at left) was the name of the farm that Nils Knudsen Gudmundsrud purchased in 1833 and sold to his son Nils in 1868.
Gjeldaker (or Gjeldokk) is the name of the farm that Nils K. Gudmundsrud bought in 1857 and sold to his son, Lars Gjeldaker, in 1869.
The farms were near Ål, Hallingdal, high in the mountains of central Norway.


2 comments:
Fascinating. Do you know what the farm names translate to? Like, "Mosquito Acres," etc.? And one who lives there is a Mosquitoite? Just curious. This way of naming is so much more fun than typical patrimonial ways.
I'm checking to see if my relatives know what the names mean. Also, here's a call out to any Norwegian speakers who can give us the answer!
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