a.^ Based on table of given countries above. Includes those of partial Norwegian ancestry but does not include people ofFaroese,Icelandic,Orcadian orShetland ancestry.
b.^ There are millions ofBritons ofScandinavian ancestry and ethnicity, though mixed with others.
c.^ 2,908 were born in Norway; 31,934 claim Norwegian ancestry or partial Norwegian ancestry.
Norwegian or Norse Vikings[31] raided and settled inShetland,Orkney, Ireland, Scotland, and northern England. In the United Kingdom, many names for places ending in -kirk, -ness, -thorpe, -toft and -by are likely Norse in origin.[32] In 947, a new wave of Norwegian Vikings appeared in England whenErik Bloodaxe capturedYork. In the 8th century and onwards, Norwegian and Danish Vikings also settled inNormandy, most famously those led byRollo; some of theirNorman descendants would later expand to England,Sicily, and otherMediterranean islands.
Apart from Britain and Ireland, Norwegian Vikings established settlements in largely uninhabited regions.[citation needed] The first known permanent Norwegian settler in Iceland wasIngólfur Arnarson. In the year 874 he settled inReykjavík.
After his expulsion from IcelandErik the Red discovered Greenland, a name he chose in hope of attracting Icelandic settlers.[citation needed] Viking settlements were established in the sheltered fjords of the southern and western coast.[citation needed] Erik's relativeLeif Eriksson later discovered North America.
Netherlands
During the 17th and 18th centuries, many Norwegians emigrated to the Netherlands, particularlyAmsterdam.[33] The Netherlands was the second-most popular destination for Norwegian emigrants after Denmark.[34] Loosely estimated, some 10% of the population may have emigrated, in a period when the entire Norwegian population consisted of some 800,000 people.[citation needed]
The Norwegians left with the Dutch trade ships that when in Norway traded for timber, hides, herring, andstockfish (dried codfish). Young women took employment as maids in Amsterdam, while young men took employment as sailors. Large parts of the Dutch merchant fleet and navy came to consist of Norwegians and Danes. Mosttook Dutch names, leaving no trace of Norwegian names in the later Dutch population.[citation needed]
The emigration to the Netherlands was so devastating to the homelands that the Danish-Norwegian king issued penalties of death for emigration, but repeatedly had to issue amnesties for those willing to return, announced by posters in the streets of Amsterdam. Increasingly, Dutchmen who search their genealogical roots turn to Norway. Many Norwegians who emigrated to the Netherlands, and often were employed in the Dutch merchant fleet, emigrated further to the many Dutch colonies such as New Amsterdam (New York).[citation needed]
Many Norwegians emigrated to the US between the 1850s and the 1920s. The descendants of these people are known as Norwegian Americans. Many Norwegian settlers traveled to and through Canada and Canadian ports while immigrating to the United States. In 1850, the year after Great Britain repealed its restrictiveNavigation Acts in Canada, more emigrating Norwegians sailed the shorter route to the Ville de Québec (Quebec City) in Canada, to make their way to US cities likeChicago,Milwaukee, andGreen Bay bysteamship. For example, in the 1850s, 28,640 arrived at Quebec, Canada, en route to the US, and 8,351 at New York directly. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, three million Americans consider Norwegian to be their sole or primary ancestry. It is estimated that as many as a further 1.5 million more are of partial Norwegian ancestry. Norwegian Americans represent 2–3% of the non-HispanicEuro-American population in the U.S. They mostly live in both theUpper Midwest andPacific Northwest.[citation needed]
As early as 1814, a party of Norwegians was brought toCanada to build a winter road from York Factory on Hudson Bay to the infantRed River settlement at the site of present-dayWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Norway House is one of the oldest trading posts and Native-Canadian missions in the Canadian West. Willard Ferdinand Wentzel served the North West Company of Canada in the Athabasca and Mackenzie regions and accompanied Sir John Franklin on his overland expedition in 1819–20 to the Canadian Arctic.
Norwegian immigration to Canada lasted from the mid-1880s until 1930, although Norwegians were already working in Canada as early as 1814. It can be divided into three periods of roughly fifteen years each. In the first, to about 1900, thousands of Norwegians homesteaded on the Canadian prairies. In the second, from 1900 to 1914, there was a further heavy influx of Norwegians immigrating to Canada from the United States because of poor economic conditions in the US, and 18,790 from Norway. In the third, from 1919 to 1930, 21,874 people came directly from Norway, with the peak year in 1927, when 5,103 Norwegians arrived, spurred by severe depression at home. They came with limited means, many leaving dole queues.
7% of the population inSaskatoon inCanada is of Norwegian ancestry.
From 1825 to 1900 some 500,000 Norwegians landed at Ville du Quebec in Canada (and other Canadian ports) for travelling through Canada was the shortest corridor to the United States' central states. In spite of efforts by the Government of Canada to retain these immigrants for Canada, very few remained because of Canada's somewhat restrictive land policies at that time and negative stories being told about Canada from U.S. land agents deterring Norwegians from going to Canada. Not until the 1880s did Norwegians accept Canada as a land of opportunity. This was also true of the many Americans of Norwegian heritage who immigrated to Canada from the US with "Canada Fever" seeking homesteads and new economic opportunities. By 1921 one-third of all Norwegians in Canada had been born in the US.
These new Canadians became British subjects in Canada, and part of the British Empire. Canadian citizenship, as a status distinct from that of a British subject, was created on 1 January 1947, with Canada being the first Commonwealth country to create their own citizenship. Prior to that date, Canadians were British subjects and Canada's nationality law closely mirrored that of the United Kingdom. On 1 January 1947, Canadian citizenship was conferred on most British subjects connected with Canada. Unlike the US, Canada was part of the British Empire and most Norwegians would have become Canadians and British subjects at the same time.
According to the2011 Census, 452,705 Canadians reported Norwegian ancestry (Norwegian-Canadians).[35]
In the 19th century a community known as theKola Norwegians settled in the environs of the Russian city ofMurmansk. They have suffered persecution underJoseph Stalin and after 1992 were offered a chance to get back to Norway. There are very few of them left there today.
According to recent genetic analysis, both mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA) and Y-chromosomepolymorphisms showed a noticeable genetic affinity between the Norwegian population and other ethnic groups inNorthern andCentral Europe, particularly with the Germans. This is due to a history of at least a thousand years of large-scale migration both in and out of Norway.[36]
The Norwegian population is typical of the Northern European population withHaplogroup I1 being the most common Y-haplogroup, at about 37,3%.[40][41] Norwegians also show the characteristicR1a genes of the paternal ancestorship at 17.9%[42] to 30.8%.[43] Such large frequencies of R1a have been found only in East Europe and India.[44]R1b gene showing paternal descent is also widespread at 25.9%[42] to 30.8%.[43]
Norwegian genetic ancestry also exists in many locations where Norwegians immigrated. In particular, several northern states in the United States (Michigan,Minnesota,North Dakota,South Dakota, andMontana) show Scandinavian (which includes Norwegian) ancestry proportions among European descent (white) persons of 10 to 20%.[45] Similarly, Norwegian ancestry has been found to account for about 25% of ancestry of the population ofthe Shetland Islands andDanish-Norwegian ancestry has been found to account for about 25% of ancestry of the population ofGreenland.[46][47]
Y-chromosome DNA
Y-Chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) represents the male lineage, The NorwegianY-chromosome pool may be summarized as follows where haplogroupsR1 &I comprise generally more than 85% of the total chromosomes.[48]
Norwegian culture is closely linked to the country'shistory andgeography. The uniqueNorwegian farm culture, sustained to this day, has resulted not only from scarce resources and a harsh climate but also fromancient property laws. In the 18th century, it brought about a strongromantic nationalistic movement, which is still visible in theNorwegian language andmedia. In the 19th century, Norwegian culture blossomed as efforts continued to achieve an independent identity in the areas of literature, art and music.
Reinsdyrsteik (Reindeer steak), a traditional Norwegian dish served withlingonberry jam. It is served from the south to the north of Norway.
Norway's culinary traditions show the influence of long seafaring and farming traditions withsalmon (fresh and cured),herring (pickled or marinated),trout,codfish and other seafood balanced by cheeses, dairy products and excellent breads (predominantly dark/darker).Lefse is a common Norwegian potato flatbread, common around Christmas. For renowned Norwegian dishes, seelutefisk,smalahove,pinnekjøtt,Krotekake andfårikål.
Norwegians celebrate their national day on 17 May, dedicated to theConstitution of Norway. Many people wearbunad (traditional costumes) and most participate in or watch theNorwegian Constitution Dayparade that day, consisting mostly of children, through the cities and towns. Thenational romanticist authorHenrik Wergeland was the founder of the 17 May parade.CommonChristian holidays are also celebrated, the most important beingChristmas (calledJul in Norway after the pagan and earlyViking winter solstice) andEaster (Påske). In Norway, theSanta (calledNissen) comes atChristmas Eve, the 24 December, with the presents, not the morning after as in many English speaking countries. He usually comes late in the evening, after the Christmas dinner many children consider long, boring and unnecessary.
Jonsok (St. John's Passing), orSt. Hans (St. John's Day), i.e. 24 June, is also a commonly revered holiday. It marksmidsummer and the beginning of summer vacation, and is often celebrated by lightingbonfires the evening before. In Northern areas of Norway, this day has 24 hours of light, while southern areas have only 17.5 hours.
Heddal Stave Church is the largest stave church and one of the oldest preserved churches in Norway.
The conversion of Norway toChristianity fromNorse paganism began in 1000. By the middle of the 11th century, Christianity had become well-established in Norway and had become dominant by the middle of the 12th century. The Norwegians wereCatholics until theDanish kingChristian III of Denmark forced them to convert toLutheranism and established a state-governed church. Thechurch undertook a program to convert theSámi in the 16th and 17th century, with the program being largely successful.
In the 19th century, emigration from Norway for political and religious motives began and Lutheranism spread to the United States. As a result of this,[citation needed] many of the Norwegians remaining in Norway were religiously moderate; subsequently,church attendance declined throughout the 20th century, as reflected by 78% of the population stating that religion is unimportant in a Gallup poll[55] and low weekly church attendance, at 2%,[56] particularly when compared to that ofNorth Dakota, the state in which Norwegians constitute approximately 30.4% of the population. Of all U.S. states, North Dakota has the lowest percentage of non-religious people and the largest number of churches per capita. It weekly church attendance is at 43%.[57][58]
In Norway theChurch of Norway and state are not entirely separated. An act approved in 2016 created the Church of Norway as an independent legal entity, effective from 1 January 2017.[59][60] The Church of Norway was previously the country's official religion, and its central administrative functions were carried out by the Royal Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs until 2017.[61] The Lutheran Church is still mentioned in theconstitution, for example, theKing is still required to profess a Lutheran faith.[62] When baptised, children are registered in theChurch of Norway's member register, leading to a large membership, although many people do not remain observant as adults. A majority of both ethnic Norwegians and Sámi are nominally Christian, but not necessarily observant. InNorway as of 2018, 70% of the population are members of theLutheran Church,[63] though only 47.1% answered "Yes" to the question "Do you believe in God?" in a 2018European Values Study.[64]
Other terms used
The Norwegians are and have been referred to by other terms as well.
Some of them include:
Nordmenn: a term used by Scandinavians to denote Norwegians. It translates as "Northmen". (Singular:Nordmann)
Northmen: old term used by other European peoples to denote the peoples originating in the northern regions of Europe.
Vikings: used in the Nordic countries to denote people who went raiding, pillaging orslave catching during the Viking Age. Used in a similar way by other peoples but can also meanScandinavians in general.
Norski: common name for Northern American Norwegians.
Norrbagge: a Swedish (derogatory) term for Norwegians (first attested use in 1257) of uncertain meaning. Some claim that it is based on the rootbagge meaning sheep's testicles in some Swedish dialects. Another explanation is that "bagge" refers to Bagaholm whereBohus Fortress lies, at an ancient border between Norway and Sweden. Nordbagge then means people who lives on the north (Swedish: norr) side of Bagaholm.[65]
^Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2003). "Norse".The Oxford Dictionary of English (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 1200.ISBN0-19-8613474.
^Van Lottum, Jelle. Across the North Sea: The Impact of the Dutch Republic on International Labour Migration, c. 1550–1850. Vol. 1. Amsterdam University Press, 2007, pp. 73–77
^de Bles, Harry, and Erlend des Bouvrie. Dutch Light in the" Norwegian Night": Maritime Relations and Migration Across the North Sea in Early Modern Times. Uitgeverij Verloren, 2004, p. 8
^ab"Maintenance Page". Archived fromthe original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved8 April 2012. Estimating Scandinavian and Gaelic Ancestry in the Male Settlers of Iceland – Agnar Helgason et al., 2000, Am. J. Hum. Genet. 67:697–717, 2000
^F. Luca, F. Di Giacomo, T. Benincasa et al., "Y-Chromosomal Variation in the Czech Republic," American Journal of Physical Anthropology 132:132–139 (2007).
^Offisielt frå statsrådet 27. mai 2016Archived 9 September 2017 at theWayback Machine regjeringen.no «Sanksjon av Stortingets vedtak 18. mai 2016 til lov om endringer i kirkeloven (omdanning av Den norske kirke til eget rettssubjekt m.m.)Lovvedtak 56 (2015–2016) Lov nr. 17Delt ikraftsetting av lov 27. mai 2016 om endringer i kirkeloven (omdanning av Den norske kirke til eget rettssubjekt m.m.). Loven trer i kraft fra 1. januar 2017 med unntak av romertall I § 3 nr. 8 første og fjerde ledd, § 3 nr. 10 annet punktum og § 5 femte ledd, som trer i kraft 1. juli 2016.»
