windows 10: Norway Renames Itself

Friday, January 27, 2012

Norway Renames Itself

Can you guess the most popular name for newborn “Norwegian” boys in Oslo and environs?

Hint: It’s not “Erik” or “Bjørn”.

Our Norwegian correspondent The Observer sends his translation of an article about the latest trend in baby names. The translator includes this note:

Here’s some more statistical data that confirms what most of us have known for a long time: Norway is undergoing demographic change at breakneck speed.

Some people apparently find this fact very pleasing.

The translation from Human Rights Service:

Mohammed now also the most popular name in Romeriket

27.01.12: According to SSB’s annual statistics of names, Mohammed in various spellings has for several years been the most popular name in Oslo. Now two other municipalities in Romeriket [traditional district located north-east of Oslo], Nittedal and Lørenskog have caught up with Oslo. This fact pleases the mayor of Lørenskog.

By Hege Storhaug, HRS

According to SSB’s [Statistisk sentralbyrå, the Central Statistics Bureau] yearly statistics of names, Mohammed in various spellings is yet again the most popular name in Oslo. On a national basis the name comes in at number 38. What’s new this year however is that two of Oslo’s neighbouring municipalities, Lørenskog and Nittedal have caught up with the capital and the name Mohammed is now also the most popular name among newborn baby boys in these two municipalities. This is something that the mayor of Lørenskog finds very pleasing, according to the local newspaper Romerikets Blad:

“How excellent. This is great. Lørenskog is the third biggest immigrant municipality in Norway, only by surpassed Oslo and Drammen on a per-capita basis. There are people from all over Norway and the rest of the world living here in Lørenskog, so it’s not strange that many people called Mohammed live here. It is extremely exciting,” says Tovan to rb.no.

He considers Mohammed to be a completely ordinary name.

“The name Mohammed is found all over the world, and we are a part of the world. Some people are called Mohammed and some people are called Åge. My name is Åge,” says Åge Tovan.