"Landskrona", "Sibirien" and "Jeriko": Borrowed Place Names in Sweden down the Ages
Abstract
Since the Middle Ages, a succession of names has been added to the place nomenclature of Sweden that
have been borrowed, ready-made, from other countries. In many cases, these names have the form native to
Swedish, e.g., 'Kina' (China) and 'Sibirien' (Siberia). Names borrowed in something closer to their original
form have often been reshaped linguistically, once they have been incorporated into the Swedish placename
stock. Borrowed names may sometimes be examples of ‘pure name transfer’, the principal reason for
their adoption being the prestige and glory associated with their original bearers. Others may have become
attached to the site in question as a result of their secondary associations, e.g., 'Kina' for a yellow house or
'Sibirien' to refer to fields that are remote, exposed to frost or difficult to cultivate.
Medieval examples of loan names of German origin are the town names 'Landskrona' and 'Falkenberg'
and the common settlement name 'Rosendal' (Ger. 'Rosenthal'). In the 18th century some French and Italian
names were introduced. In the 17th and 18th centuries, many smallholdings on large estates were named
after foreign places associated with Sweden’s many wars, e.g., 'Lützen' and 'Narva'.
A special group of name borrowings consists of Biblical names, e.g., 'Betlehem' and 'Jerusalem'.
have been borrowed, ready-made, from other countries. In many cases, these names have the form native to
Swedish, e.g., 'Kina' (China) and 'Sibirien' (Siberia). Names borrowed in something closer to their original
form have often been reshaped linguistically, once they have been incorporated into the Swedish placename
stock. Borrowed names may sometimes be examples of ‘pure name transfer’, the principal reason for
their adoption being the prestige and glory associated with their original bearers. Others may have become
attached to the site in question as a result of their secondary associations, e.g., 'Kina' for a yellow house or
'Sibirien' to refer to fields that are remote, exposed to frost or difficult to cultivate.
Medieval examples of loan names of German origin are the town names 'Landskrona' and 'Falkenberg'
and the common settlement name 'Rosendal' (Ger. 'Rosenthal'). In the 18th century some French and Italian
names were introduced. In the 17th and 18th centuries, many smallholdings on large estates were named
after foreign places associated with Sweden’s many wars, e.g., 'Lützen' and 'Narva'.
A special group of name borrowings consists of Biblical names, e.g., 'Betlehem' and 'Jerusalem'.