What does Løndahl mean

[Paul Londahl-Smidt]

My direct ancestor, Jørgen Simonsen, and his brother, Rasmus Simonsen, both living in Fåborg, Sallinge, Svendborg, adopted the name Løndahl sometime between 1750 and 1782.  My question is what does Løndahl mean?  Thanks for any ideas.

Med venlig hilsen
Paul

[Niels Bjøreng]

Løn today is an archaic word for a secret place.
Dahl or dal means valley, dale.

Venlig hilsen
Niels Bjøreng   9400

[Paul Londahl-Smidt]

Hej Niels,

Mange tak for din Hjælp.

Med venlig hilsener fra USA
Paul

[Inger Buchard]

Or:
Løn is the name of a tree, = ahorn: lat. Acer pseudoplatanus quoting my Da-En dictionary

Inger

[Paul Londahl-Smidt]

Mange tak Inger.  It seems the tree is a sycamore maple.  Now I have an idea as to what Løndahl means.

Med venlig hilsen
Paul

[Niels Bjøreng]

I think Inger's suggestion is perhaps the better one.

Hilsen
Niels

[Paul Londahl-Smidt]

Mange tak Niels.  Danish genealogy is so interesting.

Med venlig hilsen
Paul

[Inge Nissen]

Løn also means pay or wage - but I think tree is the right word here.

Inge

[Paul Londahl-Smidt]

Mange tak Inge.

Med venlig hilsen
Paul

[Ralph Rasmussen]

I have read that a gårdfæster might have the privilege of renaming himself or his fæste, with all of the vageries of folk etymology.  In a rolling countryside, a wooded glen could also be a bit secluded.

[Paul Londahl-Smidt]

Hej Ralph,

Thanks for your input on this mystery.  It is really appreciated.

Med venlig hilsen
Paul

[Flemming Willum Petersen]

Hi Paul

Løndahl, also spelled Løndal is a danish place name.
A small village named Løndal is located near Silkeborg:

https://www.google.dk/maps/place/8740+L%C3%B8ndal/@56.0513502,9.5889239,15z/data=

And there is two danish farms named Løndal as well; one close to Silkeborg and one at Stevns.

I'll bet your ancestors have some kind of relation to one of these places.
Regarding the etymology of the place name, I think Inger Burchard is right.  

[Paul Londahl-Smidt]

Hej Flemming,

You might be right.  Although all the connections I have found so far are in Svendborg, Hillerslev and Fåborg but I know they were master masons, Rasmus Simonsen, who became Rasmus Simonsen Løndahl, was in charge of the building of Ærøskøbing church.  Perhaps he built something on Jylland and thus the name Løndahl.  Thanks for you ideas.

Med venlig hilsen
Paul

[Eva Morfiadakis]

Löndahl/Lönndahl is also a Swedish family name. Some soldiers have the name but also craftsmen like carpenters. The Swedish word lönn is maple in English.

Eva M

[Paul Londahl-Smidt]

Hej Eva,

Tusind tak.  Every bit of information I get helps me explore all avenues.

Med venlig hilsen
Paul

[Bjørn Marcher]

Hi Paul,

The name Løndahl is a typical example of a locality name (in contrast to a patronym) - so "the valley with maple trees". It probably existed in several places in Denmark, Sweden and Norway....

In some cases, a farmhouse was named after this - and thus the persons living there could then get it as a nickname - which gradually turned into a family name. Only the last 150 to 200 years, these names became fixed - before this, they could change in time.... 

Another route to the name is when you leave the place (then it becomes an origin name) - Imagine a Simon Rasmussen leaving the locality Løndahl and settling down in the city of Svendborg close to another guy Simon Rasmussen originally from the village of Brylle. To distinguish, one is called Simon Rasmussen (from) Løndahl and the other Simon Rasmussen of Brylle. Over the years this is shortened to Simon Løndahl and Simon Brylle.....

In 1904 or so, a namegiving law allowed danes to take a name as an official family name - simply to reduce the amount of patronym names. Many danes invented their own synthetic names, others took an old locality name which had been used generations ago and almost forgotten....

kind regards

Bjørn 

[Paul Londahl-Smidt]

Hej Bjørn,

Thank you so much for your explanation of names.  I think it must mean maple forest and came from a locality in or near Fåborg.  I think the mystery is solved.

Med venlig hilsener fra USA
Paul