MeiserEnglish 110September 27, 2000Whats in a Name? I have always been very proud of everything that I have accomplished in my life. I am proud of one thing more than anything else; my heritage. Ever since I was a child I was told all about my grandparents and their trek from Denmark to the United States. I was curious what their homeland was like, but it never seemed to be a topic of discussion. My grandmother boasted the Danish flag in her home, and displayed little trinkets that said velkomen on them. My knowledge was limited to these few things I saw when I was a child. Since both of my grandparents had passed away, I started my research by picking up the phone and calling my father. My father, Larry Jensen, didnt know very much about Denmark either. He knew a few names from his family and their birth dates, so I started from there. I hit the internet with my newly obtained knowledge and I searched for anything that could link me to my past. I did not find anything about any of my specific relatives, but I learned about how and why I got my last name. Apparently, Danish people did not have last names until the late 19th century when new laws were introduced forcing them to take on a surname. The common people of Denmark didnt use family names to identify themselves. Before it was required to have a last name, people used patronymics, meaning they took on their fathers first name with an ending to make their last name. It was also common for people in a town that was large to use their occupation or place of Jensen 2residence as a last name. Many of the girls would get the fathers first name with datter or dotter attached to it (meaning daughter of.) The boys would get their fathers first name with sen or son attached to it (meaning son of.) In Denmark, datter and do...
