Some examples will help to clarify. Lars Eliasen names his son Jens Larsen , who then names his son Christian Jensen . The surname of the child is derived from the given name of the father. The naming was transposed and the apostrophe dropped, hence, Johann Harms. Subjects are allowed to use any name except names of cities and places.
Permanent surnames are to be passed on to all of the children and the descendants.
Due in part to the low level of communication available to the agrarian society and lack of desire for change, examples of patronymic naming can be found well into the 1860's. These town listings, although alphabetical on surname, also provide a relational reference by number. With a continuing influx of new given names, it is possible that after five generations one could conceivably find five different family names. In your German and Scandinavian research keep in mind the possibility of patronymics as you search for parentage. You might also find a common family name in a second generation search.