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Why are bad things linked to Swedish names like Maja and Pelle?

A handful of Swedish first names appear occasionally at the tail end of Swedish words denoting everything from cry babies to sleazebags. Maja takes a lot of the heat, but Pelle is not far behind. Advertisement Knutte, Lisa, Maja and Pelle are all names that look innocent at first glance – but there's more to these Swedes than meets the eye. Listen closely and you'll soon hear that everyday Swedish language is peppered with references to first names that are often used to signify some sort of personality or character trait when deployed at the back end of compound nouns. Måns Sweden's one-time Eurovision winner Måns Zelmerlöw may have brought his first name into the global mainstream but the dictionary is an unforgiving place. There a Måns is either a bore (tråkmåns), a moaner (gnällmåns) or a braggart (skrytmåns). In fact, the dictionary writers are keen to point out that almost any negative characteristic you can think of has a Måns attached. He can be lazy (latmåns), sulky (surmåns), dirty (sölmåns) or slow on the uptake (trögmåns). Maja Poor old Maja, what did she do to draw the wrath of the lexicographers upon her? A Maja is a girl or woman who can't seem to get anything right. She's shabbily dressed (trasmaja), a messy eater (kladdmaja), lazy (latmaja), sloppy (slarvmaja) and of course a terrible gossip (sladdermaja). As if this wasn't enough indignity, a Maja can also be a receptacle for unpleasant things. Campers put their rubbish in a designated sopmaja, or waste disposal area, and festival-goers use a portaloo that's literally a Poop Maja (bajamaja). An expert from Sweden's Institute of Language and Folklore believes the negative connotations stem from a time when Maja was a name given to girls in lower social classes. Advertisement Knutte A form of the name Knut, the affectionate Knutte is reserved for men with special interests who like to wander down endless rabbit holes. So, for example, a muscle-bound fitness enthusiast is a muskelknutte and a biker is a brilliantly named skinnknutte (Leather Knut). Two great words, neither of which are in massively widespread use but useful to know nonetheless. You might also come across the occasional expert on financial markets (finansknutte) or computer nerd (dataknutte). Kalle Kalle is a guy with a job to do. Unlike some of the previous Swedes, he doesn't have unpleasant connotations. He just needs to complete his task, whether that's as a ballboy (bollkalle) or the guy who leaps ashore to moor a boat (hoppilandkalle). READ ALSO: 26 unique Swedish words that we dare say are simply untranslatable Petter Petter can really be a pompous ass sometimes (viktigpetter). Also, much like Maja, he can also be a receptacle, although his contents are more appealing: a kaffepetter is a coffee pot. Lisa In case you were wondering about the female equivalent of a bollkalle, a growing consensus is coalescing around bollisa, although it's not yet used that often. Another Lisa who doesn't get much positive press is the lapplisa, a female parking attendant who just stuck a big yellow ticket under your window wiper. Also, a girl who's considered a cry baby is sometimes called a piplisa, although the word is quite dated. Advertisement Olle A male cry baby is a grinolle. Who's Olle and what's he got to whinge about? We don't know. But according to the dictionary he's been in the known language since 1807. READ ALSO: Eight phrases to get back in the groove like a Swede after the summer holidays Nisse If you ever see a spelling error in a newspaper, you can rest assured that subeditors will blame it on the tryckfelsnisse, a mythical creature that causes typos. Another Nisse of note is the smörgåsnisse, a male apprentice waiter, or a smörgåsnissa for a female trainee who's becoming ever more adept at distributing sandwiches. Fia A girl who's engaged in mindless fun and mild mischief can be referred to as a tokfia. Frans Tokfrans is doing the same stuff as tokfia but in boy form. Advertisement Pelle Much like Måns and Maja earlier, Pelle is not doing what society expects of him. If the dictionary is to be believed, the guy is a sleazebag (snuskpelle) and a troublemaker (strulpelle) who's overly talkative (snackepelle), dirty (smutspelle), indecisive (velpelle) and sloppy (slarvpelle) And he's probably a heavy drinker too. Otherwise why is he swerving all over the road on his bicycle (vingelpelle)? READ ALSO: Fjortis to lattepappa: 21 compound words for Swedish stereotypes