Very few Icelanders have original surnames, so it can often be difficult to decipher out the telephone directory, which lists people by their first names. This is why Icelanders call each other by their first names - not because they all know one another - though, nevertheless, this often seems to be the case! Most people have a patronymic rather than a family surname. For example, Hróarsson, means the son of Hróar, and Finnbogadóttir means the daughter of Finnbogi.