View Message

Patronymics like these were used in Scandinavia are still used in Iceland (I'm Kristinsson, my father is Kristinn Björnsson, his father was Björn Sigurðsson, his father was Sigurður Jónsson.....). Women also have these, only with dóttir (daughter) instead of son. My mother is Friðgeirsdóttir, so her father's name is Friðgeir. It's possible that Carlson used to be Karlsson, but I guess it could also be English originally as Carlson.

---

They are also used in many slavic languages, although usually they have a family name as well. For example Hristo _Ivanov_ Demirov's father could be named _Ivan_ Bonchev Demirov etc.. Of course, those don't have -son affixed to them like the Scandinavan names :)