Icelandic names are based on a parent's name, rather than family names (e.g. Yrsa Sigurd's daughter); the Wikipedia article explains it pretty well,

Kathy, Donnamira has it. Because we mostly use patronymics and matronymics, we alphabetise by the first name. If you are unsure of the gender of an Icelander, just look at the last name. If it ends in "dóttir" they are female, and "son" if they're male.

That is so interesting! I'll have to share this info with the library worker. So Netla, I suppose that your libraries use the same method of intermingling the alphabetizing of first-name Icelandic authors with last-name non-Icelandic authors. Is that correct?

I believe I'm correct that Iceland is the only country in the developed world that still doesn't have last names--just the patronymic, which as explained, is not a last name. Members of a family of four--mother, father, daughter, son--have four completely different patronymics, and there is nothing to indicate that they are related to one another except perhaps the children's patronymics that differ only in the "son" "daughter" designation.

I find this fascinating. Even more fascinating to me is Icelandic pronunciation. Even with the word in front of you, it's often nearly impossible to connect it with the correct pronunciation. I spent some time a while ago watching and listening to Utube trying to fathom the whole thing.

I believe I'm correct that Iceland is the only country in the developed world that still doesn't have last names--just the patronymic, which as explained, is not a last name. Members of a family of four--mother, father, daughter, son--have four completely different patronymics, and there is nothing to indicate that they are related to one another except perhaps the children's patronymics that differ only in the "son" "daughter" designation.

I find this fascinating. Even more fascinating to me is Icelandic pronunciation. Even with the word in front of you, it's often nearly impossible to connect it with the correct pronunciation. I spent some time a while ago watching and listening to Utube trying to fathom the whole thing.

I recall reading 2 interesting things about Iceland, some years ago: it had the highest rate of literacy in the world, and also is famous for having the oldest parliament.

Woodnymph, it's something of a sport among Icelanders to seek things at which we are the biggest or best or were the first to do and then proudly tell the world about it. I put to down to a sense of inferiority due to the small size of the population.

Example: the happiest population (actually no. 4 as of the latest report, but that's nearly the happiest, right?), the least corruption (this belief took a blow during the economic crash), the biggest percentage of chess grand masters and of people who believe in ghosts and elves, the largest breeding colonies of Atlantic puffins and Arctic terns, the strongest men and the prettiest women (how you assess this, I'm not sure, but perhaps it's international beauty queens per capita). There's more, but I don't like to boast ;-)

Iceland's Book Flood - NPR

Here is a really interesting story about Iceland and it's annual book flood. :)

Donna

Netla, I thought everyone knew that Kentucky is where you find the fastest horses and the most beautiful women, although some say it's the other way around--the most beautiful horses and the fastest women.