Icelanders continue to use their traditional name system where for the majority of the population people have a last name that is comprised from their father’s name. The naming system works by using the father’s name with the addition of -dóttir for his daughter or -son, you’ve guessed it, for his son. This means that a member of the same family will have a different last name to both of their parents and their siblings of a different gender – a little confusing huh?
Don’t be offended if an Icelander calls you by your first name the first time you meet as that’s standard nature. Everyone – even the prime-minister – is addressed by their first name.