No Last Name For You in Iceland

Icelanders don`t have last names - in the way we know them. People`s last names are given in association with their fathers' names - and their own gender.

So, if your name is John, and your dad`s name is Mark, then your full name would be John Marksson.

And if your sister`s name is Maria, then her full name would be Maria Marksdottir.

And your dad`s name might be Mark Gustavsson. And your mom`s name might be Lisa Andreysdottir.

Now imagine if you and your sister were from different marriages.

Bottom line: everyone has their own last name. But somehow Icelanders make sense in all of this and moms don`t get questioned on their not-matching last name when they pick up their kids at schools.