18 new names have been added to the Icelandic lexicon over the past two months, Fréttablaðið reports, while six names were rejected.
Amongst the given names approved for women were Franzisca and Zíta which, while not entirely in keeping with Icelandic grammar, have existed in Iceland before, therefore making it pass the test as far as the Naming Committee is concerned. Other names for women that passed include Helgey, Sumarlín, Sál and Lella.
Middle names (not truly “middle names” in the English sense, but rather a kind of second part of a given name) that were approved include Maí, Ká, Lár and Svæk, as well as the names for men Dittó, Berti, Ram, Ernest, Friðríkur and Diego.
Eykam, while rejected as a middle name, was approved as a given name for men. However, Bell was rejected on the grounds of Iceland grammar, while Tindur as a woman’s name was rejected because the name already exists but is reserved solely for men.
All of this might actually become a moot point if a bill submitted by the Reform Party passes. Doing away with Iceland’s naming laws—and with it, the Naming Committee—has been gaining increasing support.
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