Ola Nordmann is a name for to the average Norwegian, a representative for the whole population in general.^[1]

Caricatures of Ola Nordmann are quite common. This is a drawing from 1905 by caricaturist Olaf Krohn illustrating how Ola Nordmann had to carry the burden of two referendums (The Norwegian union dissolution referendum, 1905 and Norwegian monarchy plebiscite, 1905, both of which resulted in some of the most lopsided returns of a legitimate election) in one year, while an amused Europe is observing from a distance.

Usage of the name Ola Nordmann

As a national personification

The media often uses "Ola Nordmann" to describe trends in the population.^[2]

For example: A headline in a newspaper that reads Norwegians consume less milk could be just as well read Ola Nordmann drinks less milk.

Caricatures of Ola Nordmann as a national personification of Norway usually depict him as a blond-haired man dressed in bunad-like traditional folk clothing and wearing a woollen red top cap - the traditional headwear of a Norwegian gnome or nisse. This headwear were also worn by the traditional Norwegian farmer, mostly in the old norwegian farm culture. In the romantic national period, the farmer often came to represent the Norwegian people as a whole, hence the representation.

As a collective pseudonym

Ola Nordmann is also used as a default name in examples used to guide people in how to fill in forms etc.(Similar to John Doe or John Q. Public).

Etymology

Ola is used as it is a common male Norwegian name and Nordmann is the Norwegian word for a citizen of Norway, so the literal translation of this personification is "Ola Norwegian".

Kari Nordmann

The female equivalent or variant is personified as Kari Nordmann, "Kari and Ola Nordmann" is often used together to describe the archetypical Norwegian family or household.

See also

• Britannia
• John Doe
• John Q. Public
• Joe Bloggs
• Ole and Lena
• Uncle Sam

References

de:Ola und Kari Nordmann no:Ola Nordmann sv:Ola och Kari Nordmann

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