150-200 years ago the choice of names was limited. A large percentage of the population was given one of the 20-25 most popular names. This was partly due to the tradition of naming a newborn after a deceased family member. Naturally this meant that it was difficult to introduce new names.
There are no rules without exceptions; nonetheless, people often followed a certain pattern when they had to name a newborn child:
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First daughter
paternal grandmother
Second daughter
maternal grandmother
First son
paternal grandfather
Second son
maternal grandfather
The "rules" were not always followed. For a long period of time it was customary not to use the names of living people. For example, a couple whose parents were still alive might choose names of more distant generations, and name a child after a great-grandmother. Also, for instance, if the child's maternal grandfather had a higher social status than the paternal grandfather, the couple might decide to use his name for their first son; likewise, if they had inherited a farm or house that had originally belonged to that grandfather.
If somebody lost a spouse and remarried, it was customary to name the first child of the new marriage after the deceased. A child could have been named after a parent if it was born after the father's death, or if the mother died in childbirth. A baby might also be named after an older sibling who had died.
Usually a child would be the same sex as the person he or she was named after, but this was not always the rule. In memory of a deceased grandfather called "Søren", a little girl could be baptized "Sørine", being the female version of the same name. A little boy might be named after a grandmother called "Marie", and he would receive the name "Marinus".
In the period from about 1880 through 1920 it became popular to give children several Christian names - often as many as four or five! "Foreign" or "unusual" names were also fashionable. During that period one found names like "Thorvald Julius Gotfred Amandus" or "Alvilda Margrethe Dagmar Ernestine" and so forth. Naturally, children thus encumbered would usually use only one name, or possibly just an abbreviation of one. During that period one also sees the name "Skyldfri" (meaning "Innocence") used as a female name; this was particularly popular for illegitimate girls.
