Translation of a surname suffix
bomberdomination18	Hi everyone Just wondering if anyone here can help me out. I am trying to find a translation for the Danish/Norwegian surname suffix "kjær" as in Grønkjær and Solskjær. If anyone can help me out, it's be much appreciated. My email address is bomberdomination18@hotmail.com hope to hear from someone soon. BD18
askeroi	Your examples are not one suffix, but two: Grøn-KJÆR and Sol-SKJÆR. And names like that can't be translated "just like that" - names like that comes from a locality. You'll have to treat each name (place) for itself and do quite a research of local terrain, local language development, how sounds have changed throughout the centuries, etc. Let me give you an example: Close to where I live we have a lake called "Nøklevann". Vann = water, that's easy. But "Nøkle"? A norwegian would believe it has something to do with a "Nøkkel" (a key). And if you look at the map you can see simularities in the shape of the lake and an oldfashion farm key. BUT it's wrong. The lake doesn't have it's orginal shape due to the building of a dam - and the name is much older than the dam. Historians have found out that the original name was "Miklavann", where "Mikla" is a form of the oldnordic word "mikjil" which means big - a word (and language) we skipped approximately 700 years ago. The lake was originally named "the big lake". And there's no chance anybody would translate today's name to that without a very deep research... That's how difficult a name "translation" can be. Of course all names are not that difficult. The names could be rather new. If so in your examples it could be as "easy" as Grønkjær meaning a beloved green place (refering to the growth of grass and/or trees and/or plants) and Solskjær could mean a rock (preferably by the sea?) lying in the sun. But don't buy that without a research on each single place. Or don't translate names...
jwiborg	Yes, there are different suffixes in Grønkjær and Solskjær. kjær = dear as in "beloved one" grøn = green (color) skjær = rock (in the ocean), ie. a cliff that comes up from sea surface. Sol = Sun //Jan
Borge	Hi In this case I think kjær is an old form of what we today write Kjerr, also kalled Kratt. This can be translated: thicket, scrub, underbush and that goes with the first part of the word: Grøn = Green Grønkjær could be translated "Greenscrub" or something similar to that [:D]
askeroi	The last posts underline my point: It's dangerous to translate names without a proper research of the origin of the name's age, the place's position in the terrain, language development etc....
bomberdomination18	Hi, Thanks for that. I am aware of the fact one has to research everything - as I've been trying to trace our family for a few years now, and I've had to take into account the different spellings of some names (Our Norwegian name is Mathieson) Being ble to speak a fair bit of Norwegian - but not as much as you guys, I knew Grøn was green and Sol was sun but had no idea what s/kjær meant. Initially I thought Grønkjær may have been a translation of Greenland - as I know it is mainly called Grønland - and was wondering if kjær meant land or something else. The kjær was the same in both names and I thought there may have been a link like with sen and son. I then did a bit of a search and thought kjær may have been a change in spelling from kjøre, though their sounds aren't at all similiar so I dismissed it and thought I may as well ask around to see if anyone knew. Thanks for the help though. BD18