Scandinavian family name etymology
Encyclopedia
Heritable family names
were generally adopted rather late within Scandinavia
. Nobility
were the first to take names that would be passed on from one generation to the next. Later, clergy
, artisan
s and merchant
s in cities
took heritable names. Family names (surnames) were still used together with primary patronyms (father's name plus an affix
denoting relationship), which were used by all social classes. This meant that most families until modern times did not have surnames. Scandinavian patronyms were generally derived from the father's given name with the addition of a suffix
meaning 'son' or 'daughter'. This naming tradition remained commonly used throughout the Scandinavian countries during the time of surname formation.
Forms of the patronymic suffix
es -son, -sen, -sson, -zen, -zon/zoon, and -ssen
s are patronymic and end in-sen; for example Rasmussen originally meaning "son of Rasmus". Descendants of Danish or Norwegian immigrants to the United States frequently have similar names ending in the suffix "-sen" or have changed the spelling to "-son".
Approximately one-third of the Danish population bear one of the ten most common surnames. More than two-thirds have a patronym ending in -sen in their full name. Many of these patronymics are, however, very rare, local or testimony of unusual descent, e.g. Heilesen from Northern Jutland
, Holdensen and Boldsen from the former Duchy of Schleswig or Israelsen and Nathansen taken by early Jewish immigrants. Common etymological classes of surnames are occupational (e.g., Møller - miller, Schmidt - smith, Fisker - fisher) and toponyms, for example names taken after a village or farmstead inhabited by ancestors.
The first naming act in Denmark
was issued in 1526 and made heritable names compulsory for nobility
. Other higher class people took heritable surnames during the following centuries, clergy
often Latinized names (e.g. Pontoppidan made from Broby) and artisan
s often Germanized names. Naming acts applying to all citizens were issued 1771 (for the Duchy of Schleswig only) and in 1828. The rural population only reluctantly gave up the traditional primary patronyms. Several naming acts replaced the first; in 1856, 1904, 1961, 1981, 2005. The result of the first act was that most people took a patronymic surname as their heritable family name, with the overwhelming dominance of a few surnames as a consequence. Later acts have attempted to motivate people to change to surnames that would allow safer identification of individuals.
In the table, the top surnames in Denmark
are listed as of 1971 and 2009. The general tendency over the past century has been to give up the commonest names and adopt less frequently-used ones.
The most common Norwegian surnames would include many names which originated as farm names:
Bakke/Bakken (hill or rise), Berg/Berge (mountain or hill), Dahl/Dal (valley), Haugen/Haugan (hill or mound), Lie (side of a valley), Moen (meadow), or Rud (clearing).
The listing of 20 most common Norwegian surnames:
Many family names consist of items from nature, for example Lind/Lindberg (linden/lime + mountain), Berg/Bergkvist (mountain/mountain + twig), Alström/Ahlström (alder + stream), or Dahl/Dahlin (valley). Sometimes the first part of such a composite name refers to the family's place of origin e.g. the Strindberg
family originating from Strinne; the second part being just ornamental. Families also frequently have military-oriented names such as Skarpsvärd (sharp sword), Sköld
(shield) and Stolt (proud). Those names were originally assigned to soldiers under the military allotment system in effect from the 16th century. As in Denmark, the clergy Latinized their names up to about the 18th century, e.g. Linnaeus. Due to the greater diversity of these names each specific name is less common than most patronymic names.
The listing of 20 most commonly Swedish surnames as of December 31, 2008:
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
were generally adopted rather late within Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. Nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
were the first to take names that would be passed on from one generation to the next. Later, clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
, artisan
Artisan
An artisan is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewellery, household items, and tools...
s and merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
s in cities
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
took heritable names. Family names (surnames) were still used together with primary patronyms (father's name plus an affix
Affix
An affix is a morpheme that is attached to a word stem to form a new word. Affixes may be derivational, like English -ness and pre-, or inflectional, like English plural -s and past tense -ed. They are bound morphemes by definition; prefixes and suffixes may be separable affixes...
denoting relationship), which were used by all social classes. This meant that most families until modern times did not have surnames. Scandinavian patronyms were generally derived from the father's given name with the addition of a suffix
Suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
meaning 'son' or 'daughter'. This naming tradition remained commonly used throughout the Scandinavian countries during the time of surname formation.
Forms of the patronymic suffix
Suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
es -son, -sen, -sson, -zen, -zon/zoon, and -ssen
Denmark
The most common Danish family name surnameSurname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
s are patronymic and end in-sen; for example Rasmussen originally meaning "son of Rasmus". Descendants of Danish or Norwegian immigrants to the United States frequently have similar names ending in the suffix "-sen" or have changed the spelling to "-son".
Approximately one-third of the Danish population bear one of the ten most common surnames. More than two-thirds have a patronym ending in -sen in their full name. Many of these patronymics are, however, very rare, local or testimony of unusual descent, e.g. Heilesen from Northern Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
, Holdensen and Boldsen from the former Duchy of Schleswig or Israelsen and Nathansen taken by early Jewish immigrants. Common etymological classes of surnames are occupational (e.g., Møller - miller, Schmidt - smith, Fisker - fisher) and toponyms, for example names taken after a village or farmstead inhabited by ancestors.
The first naming act in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
was issued in 1526 and made heritable names compulsory for nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
. Other higher class people took heritable surnames during the following centuries, clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
often Latinized names (e.g. Pontoppidan made from Broby) and artisan
Artisan
An artisan is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewellery, household items, and tools...
s often Germanized names. Naming acts applying to all citizens were issued 1771 (for the Duchy of Schleswig only) and in 1828. The rural population only reluctantly gave up the traditional primary patronyms. Several naming acts replaced the first; in 1856, 1904, 1961, 1981, 2005. The result of the first act was that most people took a patronymic surname as their heritable family name, with the overwhelming dominance of a few surnames as a consequence. Later acts have attempted to motivate people to change to surnames that would allow safer identification of individuals.
In the table, the top surnames in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
are listed as of 1971 and 2009. The general tendency over the past century has been to give up the commonest names and adopt less frequently-used ones.
| Rank | Surname | Number of bearers 1971 | Number of bearers 2009 | Type | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jensen | 368.631 | 278.782 | patronymic | son of Jens Jens (given name) Jens is a male given name and a Danish and Frisian derivative of Johannes.- List of people with the given name Jens :*Jens Blauenfeldt, television actor, screenwriter, and director for Danmarks Radio*Jens Eriksen, Danish Olympic badminton player... |
| 2 | Nielsen Nielsen Nielsen , is a Danish patronymic surname, literally meaning son of Niels, Niels being the Danish version of the Greek male given name Νικόλαος, Nikolaos . It is the second most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 5% of the population. It is also used in Norway, although the form Nelsen and... |
349.126 | 275.744 | patronymic | son of Niels Niels Niels is a common Danish man's name, equivalent to Nicholas. The Norwegian and Swedish variant is Nils, and the pet form is Nisse. It may refer to:In science:... |
| 3 | Hansen Hansen (surname) Hansen is a Danish-Norwegian patronymic surname, literally meaning son of Hans. It is the third most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 4.3% of the population. Hansen is the single most common surname in Norway, not counting spelling variations such as Hanssen, which are also quite common... |
297.937 | 231.221 | patronymic | son of Hans Hans (name) Hans is a masculine given name. In German, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Icelandic and Swedish, originally it is short for Johannes but is also recognized in Sweden, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands as a name in its own right for official purposes.... |
| 4 | Pedersen Pedersen Pedersen , is a Danish patronymic surname, literally meaning "son of Peder". It is the fourth most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 3,4% of the population... |
203.426 | 173.639 | patronymic | son of Peder |
| 5 | Andersen Andersen Andersen is a Danish-Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Anders"... |
188.359 | 165.871 | patronymic | son of Anders Anders Anders is a name in Scandinavian languages, the equivalent of the Greek Andreas and the English Andrew. Anders is the German and Dutch word for different.... |
| 6 | Christensen Christensen (surname) Christensen , is a Danish patronymic surname, literally meaning son of Christen, a sideform of Christian. The spelling variant Kristensen has identical pronunciation. Christensen is the sixth most common name in Denmark, shared by about 2% of the population... |
159.943 | 125.192 | patronymic | son of Christen |
| 7 | Larsen Larsen (surname) Larsen , is a Danish-Norwegian patronymic surname, literally meaning "son of Lars" . It is the seven most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 2,4% of the population.Larsen may refer to:-In engineering:... |
148.214 | 122.712 | patronymic | son of Lars Lars Lars is a common male name in Nordic and German-speaking countries. In Sweden, people named Lars are commonly nicknamed Lasse.-Origin:Lars is derived from the Roman name "Laurentius", which means ”from Laurentum” or "crowned with laurel." Lawrence and Laurence are of the same origin.Lars was also... |
| 8 | Sørensen Sørensen Sørensen is a Danish-Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Søren" . It is the eighth most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 2,3% of the population.... |
139.111 | 117.300 | patronymic | son of Søren Søren (given name) Søren is a Danish given name originating from Latin Severinus, derived from severus "severe, strict, serious".-List of people with the given name Søren:*Soren Sorensen Adams , American inventor*Soren Fulton , American actor... |
| 9 | Rasmussen Rasmussen The surname Rasmussen is a Danish and Norwegian surname, meaning "Rasmus' son" . It is the ninth most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 1.9% of the population.... |
117.355 | 99.238 | patronymic | son of Rasmus |
| 10 | Jørgensen | 110.132 | 93.182 | patronymic | son of Jørgen George (given name) George, from the Greek word γεωργός , "farmer" or "earth-worker", which became a name in Greek: Γεώργιος , and Latin: Georgius. The word γεωργός is a compound word, formed by the words ge , "earth", "soil" and ergon , "work"... |
| 11 | Petersen Petersen Petersen is a common Scandinavian patronymic surname, meaning "son of Peter". There are other spellings. Petersen may refer to:* Ted Petersen, American football player* Adolf Dahm-Petersen, Norwegian voice specialist... |
130.236 | 85.268 | patronymic | son of Peter |
| 12 | Madsen | 76.441 | 67.075 | patronymic | son of Mads Mads (given name) Mads is a male given name, a Scandinavian form of Matthew and may refer to:In sports:* Mads Albæk, Danish professional football player who currently plays for FC Midtjylland* Mads Glæsner, Danish professional swimmer... |
| 13 | Kristensen | 58.990 | 62.549 | patronymic | son of Kristen Kristen (given name) Kristen was originally a male first name, the Danish or Norwegian form of Christian. However, in English speaking countries Kristen is usually now a female first name, used as an alternative spelling of Kristin, a Scandinavian form of Christine.-Actors:... |
| 14 | Olsen Olsen (surname) Olsen is a Danish-Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Ole". The surname Olesen has a similar origin. The Swedish parallel form is Olsson - "son of Ola"... |
65.194 | 50.904 | patronymic | son of Ole Ole (name) Ole is a Danish and Norwegian masculine given name, derived from the Old Norse name Óláfr, meaning "ancestor's descendant".-People named Ole:* Ole Anderson, former wrestler* Ole Barman, Norwegian novelist* Ole Barndorff-Nielsen, Danish mathematician... |
| 15 | Thomsen Thomsen Thomsen is a Danish patronymic surname meaning "son of Tom ", itself derived from the Aramaic תום or Tôm, meaning "twin". There are many varied surname spellings, with the first historical record believed to be found in 1252... |
40.180 | 39.860 | patronymic | son of Thomas Thomas (name) Thomas is a masculine given name. It is based on the Biblical Greek , which is itself a transcription of the Aramaic "twin", the Hebrew cognate being... |
| 16 | Christiansen Christiansen Christiansen is a Danish and Norwegian patronymic surname, literally meaning son of Christian. The spelling variant Kristiansen has identical prononciation... |
45.984 | 38.528 | patronymic | son of Christian Christian (name) Christian is a given name borne by males and females. The name is derived from the Latin Christianus, meaning "follower of Christ". It has been a commonly used as a name, since the Middle Ages - especially amongst females.... |
| 17 | Poulsen Poulsen Poulsen is a Danish patronymic surname meaning "son of Poul" . The form Paulsen is a less common cognate.It may refer to:People*Christian Poulsen, Danish professional football player... |
36.544 | 33.106 | patronymic | son of Poul Poul Poul is a masculine given name and is the Danish equivalent to the English Paul. Notable people with the name include:*Poul Adado*Poul Agger*Poul Andersen*Poul Anderson*Poul Anker Bech *Poul Bang*Poul Bjerre*Poul Bjørndahl Astrup*Poul Bundgaard... |
| 18 | Johansen Johansen Johansen is a Scandinavian patronymic surname meaning "son of Johan". It is most common in Denmark and Norway. The Swedish variant is Johansson, while the most common spelling in the US is Johanson. There are still other spellings. Johansen is an uncommon given name... |
36.470 | 32.166 | patronymic | son of Johan Johan (given name) Johan is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin. It is a variation of the Hebrew word Yochanan, meaning "God is gracious", and uncommon as a surname... |
| 19 | Knudsen Knudsen Knudsen is a surname of Scandinavian origin, derived from the personal name Knud and literally meaning "Knud's son."Knudsen refers to:*Persons... |
34.660 | 30.634 | patronymic | son of Knud |
| 20 | Møller Møller Møller is a Danish surname, referring to an occupation as a Miller, equivalent of the Scottish/English Miller, the German Müller etc.Møller is the twentieth commonest surname in Denmark... |
31.645 | 30.516 | occupational | miller Miller A miller usually refers to a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a cereal crop to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents in other languages around the world... |
Norway
The most common Norwegian surnames were originally patronymic, commonly ending with the suffixes "-ssen", "-sson", "-sdatter", "-sdotter" which is the genitive s plus the word sen or son for son or datter or dotter for daughter. The genitive s was often dropped; compare Hanssen and Hansen. In 1923, it was ordered by law that each family should have a single, hereditary last name. Surnames derived from placenames commonly originated as farm names. Most families took a patronymic name, but some adopted a farm name.. Today, the patronymic names are increasingly being left for the typonyms; 22.4% of the Norwegian population had a "-sen"-name in 2009, while the share is down to 18.4% for the newborns of 2009 .The most common Norwegian surnames would include many names which originated as farm names:
Bakke/Bakken (hill or rise), Berg/Berge (mountain or hill), Dahl/Dal (valley), Haugen/Haugan (hill or mound), Lie (side of a valley), Moen (meadow), or Rud (clearing).
The listing of 20 most common Norwegian surnames:
| Rank | Surname | Number of bearers 2008 | Type | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hansen Hansen (surname) Hansen is a Danish-Norwegian patronymic surname, literally meaning son of Hans. It is the third most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 4.3% of the population. Hansen is the single most common surname in Norway, not counting spelling variations such as Hanssen, which are also quite common... |
56.228 | patronymic | son of Hans Hans (name) Hans is a masculine given name. In German, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Icelandic and Swedish, originally it is short for Johannes but is also recognized in Sweden, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands as a name in its own right for official purposes.... |
| 2 | Johansen Johansen Johansen is a Scandinavian patronymic surname meaning "son of Johan". It is most common in Denmark and Norway. The Swedish variant is Johansson, while the most common spelling in the US is Johanson. There are still other spellings. Johansen is an uncommon given name... |
52.461 | patronymic | son of Johan Johan (given name) Johan is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin. It is a variation of the Hebrew word Yochanan, meaning "God is gracious", and uncommon as a surname... |
| 3 | Olsen Olsen (surname) Olsen is a Danish-Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Ole". The surname Olesen has a similar origin. The Swedish parallel form is Olsson - "son of Ola"... |
52.184 | patronymic | son of Ole Ole (name) Ole is a Danish and Norwegian masculine given name, derived from the Old Norse name Óláfr, meaning "ancestor's descendant".-People named Ole:* Ole Anderson, former wrestler* Ole Barman, Norwegian novelist* Ole Barndorff-Nielsen, Danish mathematician... |
| 4 | Larsen Larsen (surname) Larsen , is a Danish-Norwegian patronymic surname, literally meaning "son of Lars" . It is the seven most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 2,4% of the population.Larsen may refer to:-In engineering:... |
39.425 | patronymic | son of Lars Lars Lars is a common male name in Nordic and German-speaking countries. In Sweden, people named Lars are commonly nicknamed Lasse.-Origin:Lars is derived from the Roman name "Laurentius", which means ”from Laurentum” or "crowned with laurel." Lawrence and Laurence are of the same origin.Lars was also... |
| 5 | Andersen Andersen Andersen is a Danish-Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Anders"... |
38.433 | patronymic | son of Anders Anders Anders is a name in Scandinavian languages, the equivalent of the Greek Andreas and the English Andrew. Anders is the German and Dutch word for different.... |
| 6 | Pedersen Pedersen Pedersen , is a Danish patronymic surname, literally meaning "son of Peder". It is the fourth most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 3,4% of the population... |
36.362 | patronymic | son of Peder |
| 7 | Nilsen Nilsen Nilsen is a surname of Norwegian origin, meaning "son of Nils". It refers to:*Adolf Nilsen , Norwegian Olympic rower*Alfred Nilsen , Norwegian politician; served one term in the Storting 1950–54... |
36.324 | patronymic | son of Nils |
| 8 | Kristiansen Kristiansen Kristiansen is a Danish and Norwegian patronymic surname. For etymology - see Christiansen-People:*Egil Kristiansen, Norwegian cross country skier*Einar Kristiansen, Norwegian nordic skiing athlete... |
24.310 | patronymic | son of Kristian Christian (name) Christian is a given name borne by males and females. The name is derived from the Latin Christianus, meaning "follower of Christ". It has been a commonly used as a name, since the Middle Ages - especially amongst females.... |
| 9 | Jensen | 23.836 | patronymic | son of Jens Jens (given name) Jens is a male given name and a Danish and Frisian derivative of Johannes.- List of people with the given name Jens :*Jens Blauenfeldt, television actor, screenwriter, and director for Danmarks Radio*Jens Eriksen, Danish Olympic badminton player... |
| 10 | Karlsen Karlsen (surname) Karlsen is a Danish-Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Karl" , an Old German given name. The form Carlsen is cognate. The parallel Swedish forms are Karlsson and Carlsson... |
22.153 | patronymic | son of Karl Carl (name) .Carl is a popular given name as well as the name of various places. The most popular male variations are Karl, Charles; the popularity stems from the long lines of historical nobility using these names. There also exist many female variations such as Charlotte and Carla... |
| 11 | Johnsen | 21.226 | patronymic | son of John John (given name) John is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Latin Ioannes, Iohannes, which is in turn a form of the Greek , Iōánnēs. This Greek name is a form of the Hebrew name , , which means "God is generous"... |
| 12 | Pettersen Pettersen Pettersen is a Norwegian patronymic surname which may refer to:*Bjarne Pettersen , Norwegian gymnast*Britt Pettersen , Norwegian former cross country skier*Egil Pettersen , Norwegian philologist... |
20.856 | patronymic | son of Petter |
| 13 | Eriksen Eriksen (surname) Eriksen is a common Norwegian and Danish patronymic surname meaning "son of Erik", itself an Old Norse given name. The spelling form Erichsen Ericson Erikzen is a cognate... |
19.563 | patronymic | son of Erik |
| 14 | Berg Berg (surname) Berg, as a surname, may refer to:In music:*Alban Berg , Austrian composer*Bob Berg , American jazz saxophonist*Cia Berg , Swedish singer and television presenter... |
18.407 | landscape | mountain |
| 15 | Haugen | 14.293 | landscape | the hill or mound |
| 16 | Hagen Hagen Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr... |
14.293 | landscape | the enclosed pasture |
| 17 | Johannessen Johannessen Johannessen is a Norwegian and Faroese patronymic surname which may refer to:*Astrid Johannessen , Norwegian former football player who played for the Norway women's national football team... |
13.815 | patronymic | son of Johannes Johannes Johannes is the Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as "John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek name Ιωάννης , itself derived from the Hebrew name Yehochanan meaning "Yahweh is gracious". The name became popular in Northern Europe, especially in Germany... |
| 18 | Andreassen Andreassen Andreassen is a common surname in Norway, meaning "son of Andreas". The parallel Danish forms are Andresen and Andreasen, the Swedish Andreasson... |
12.376 | patronymic | son of Andreas |
| 19 | Jacobsen Jacobsen (surname) Jacobsen is a Danish-Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Jacob". The prefix derives from the biblical given name Yaakov . The cognate Jakobsen is less common. The English language patronymic surname Jacobson is a parallel form, of which the earliest records are found in Huntingdon in 1244... |
12.105 | patronymic | son of Jacob Jacob Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the... |
| 20 | Halvorsen Halvorsen Halvorsen is a Norwegian patronymic surname which may refer to:may refer to:* Aasmund Halvorsen Vinje , Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party* Asbjørn Halvorsen , Norwegian footballer.... |
11.859 | patronymic | son of Halvor |
Sweden
The most common surnames in Sweden are originally patronymic. Family names ending with the suffix "sson" are the most common names in Sweden. In 1901, the Names Adoption Act was passed, which abolished the patronymic practice. From 1901, everyone had to have a family name that was passed down to the next generation.Many family names consist of items from nature, for example Lind/Lindberg (linden/lime + mountain), Berg/Bergkvist (mountain/mountain + twig), Alström/Ahlström (alder + stream), or Dahl/Dahlin (valley). Sometimes the first part of such a composite name refers to the family's place of origin e.g. the Strindberg
Strindberg
Strindberg may refer to:People* August Strindberg , Swedish dramatist and painter* Nils Strindberg , Swedish photographer* Anita Strindberg , Swedish actor* Henrik Strindberg , Swedish composerOther...
family originating from Strinne; the second part being just ornamental. Families also frequently have military-oriented names such as Skarpsvärd (sharp sword), Sköld
Skold
Skold is the debut solo album released in 1996 by Tim Skold.The song "Chaos" was used in the video game Twisted Metal 4 and the film Universal Soldier: The Return...
(shield) and Stolt (proud). Those names were originally assigned to soldiers under the military allotment system in effect from the 16th century. As in Denmark, the clergy Latinized their names up to about the 18th century, e.g. Linnaeus. Due to the greater diversity of these names each specific name is less common than most patronymic names.
The listing of 20 most commonly Swedish surnames as of December 31, 2008:
| Rank | Surname | Number of bearers 2008 | Type | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johansson Johansson Johansson is a patronymic family name meaning "son of Johan", or "Johan's son". It is the most common Swedish family name, followed by Andersson.... |
265.308 | patronymic | son of Johan Johan (given name) Johan is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin. It is a variation of the Hebrew word Yochanan, meaning "God is gracious", and uncommon as a surname... |
| 2 | Andersson | 263.518 | patronymic | son of Anders Anders Anders is a name in Scandinavian languages, the equivalent of the Greek Andreas and the English Andrew. Anders is the German and Dutch word for different.... |
| 3 | Karlsson Karlsson Karlsson is a Scandinavian patronymic surname meaning "son of Karl" or "Karl's son". It is one of the most and has a number of alternative spellings. Apart from Karlsson, Carlsson is the most common spelling variation... |
201.681 | patronymic | son of Karl Carl (name) .Carl is a popular given name as well as the name of various places. The most popular male variations are Karl, Charles; the popularity stems from the long lines of historical nobility using these names. There also exist many female variations such as Charlotte and Carla... |
| 4 | Nilsson Nilsson Nilsson is a Swedish surname and the fourth most common surname in Sweden. The name is a patronymic meaning "Nils's son". Nils was a very common name, especially in 19th century Sweden.Some people named Nilsson:... |
178.845 | patronymic | son of Nils |
| 5 | Eriksson Eriksson Eriksson is a common Swedish patronymic surname meaning "son of Erik", itself an Old Norse given name. There are other spelling variations of this surname such as Erikson, Ericson, Ericsson and Erixon... |
142.959 | patronymic | son of Erik |
| 6 | Larsson Larsson Larsson is a Swedish patronymic surname meaning "son of Lars". There are various spellings. Larsson may refer to:-In acting:*Babben Larsson, Swedish actress and comedian*Chatarina Larsson, Swedish actress... |
129.275 | patronymic | son of Lars Lars Lars is a common male name in Nordic and German-speaking countries. In Sweden, people named Lars are commonly nicknamed Lasse.-Origin:Lars is derived from the Roman name "Laurentius", which means ”from Laurentum” or "crowned with laurel." Lawrence and Laurence are of the same origin.Lars was also... |
| 7 | Olsson Olsson Olsson is a common Swedish surname. It is a contraction of the surname Olofsson and it literally means "son of Olof" and seldom also "son of Ola"... |
113.927 | patronymic | son of Ola |
| 8 | Persson Persson Persson is the eighth most common Swedish family name, and literally means "son of Per".-Surname:People with the family name Persson include:*Erling Persson, founder of Swedish clothing company H&M*Essy Persson, Swedish actress... |
111.629 | patronymic | son of Per |
| 9 | Svensson Svensson Svensson is the ninth most commonSwedish family name, and literally means "son of Sven", or "Sven's son"... |
106.886 | patronymic | son of Sven |
| 10 | Gustafsson | 74.432 | patronymic | son of Gustaf |
| 11 | Pettersson Pettersson Pettersson is a common Swedish patronymic surname, meaning "son of Peter".Pettersson may refer to:*Albert Pettersson, Swedish Olympic weightlifter*Allan Pettersson, composer*Allan Rune Pettersson, writer*Birgitta Pettersson, film actor... |
67.519 | patronymic | son of Petter |
| 12 | Jonsson Jonsson Jonsson is a surname of Nordic origin, meaning son of Jon. In Iceland the name is a part of the Patronymic name systemPeople with this surname include:*Åke Jonsson, Swedish motocross racer* André Jonsson, Swedish ski mountaineer and cross-country skier... |
59.307 | patronymic | son of Jon Jon Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, meaning "God has given", or an alternate spelling of John, meaning "God is gracious". In the year of 2008, Jon was the 527th most popular name in the United States; its popularity has declined steadily since its peak in 1968 as #65... |
| 13 | Jansson Jansson Jansson is a Swedish patronymic surname, meaning "son of Jan", derived from Johannes, a cognate of John. There are alternate Belgian, German, Dutch, Danish and Norwegian spellings. Jansson is rare as a given name. People with the name Jansson or its variants include:-Surname:* Bengt Jansson ,... |
51.346 | patronymic | son of Jan |
| 14 | Hansson Hanson (surname) -A:* Alf Hanson , British football player* Ann Meekitjuk Hanson , Canadian politician, commissioner of Nunavut* Ann-Louise Hanson , Swedish singer-B:* Beverly Hanson , American golfer... |
45.009 | patronymic | son of Hans Hans (name) Hans is a masculine given name. In German, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Icelandic and Swedish, originally it is short for Johannes but is also recognized in Sweden, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands as a name in its own right for official purposes.... |
| 15 | Bengtsson Bengtsson Bengtsson is Swedish family name originating in a patronymic, meaning "son of Bengt", Bengt meaning "Blessed". The name is sometimes written Bengtson... |
35.241 | patronymic | son of Bengt |
| 16 | Jönsson Jönsson Jönsson is a Swedish surname which may refer to:*Anita Jönsson , Swedish politician*Bengt Jönsson , Swedish athletic trainer*Christine Jönsson , Swedish politician... |
34.018 | patronymic | son of Jöns |
| 17 | Petersson Petersson Petersson is a Swedish patronymic surname, meaning "son of Peter". There are alternate Danish, Dutch, English, German, and Norwegian spellings... |
31.332 | patronymic | son of Peter |
| 18 | Carlsson | 29.967 | patronymic | son of Carl Carl (name) .Carl is a popular given name as well as the name of various places. The most popular male variations are Karl, Charles; the popularity stems from the long lines of historical nobility using these names. There also exist many female variations such as Charlotte and Carla... |
| 19 | Lindberg Lindberg Lindberg is a municipality in the district of Regen in Bavaria in Germany.Lindberg may also refer to:- People :* Anna Lindberg , Swedish diver, daughter of Ulrika Knape-Lindberg* Carl Lindberg , Danish boxer... |
27.344 | landscape | linden + hill |
| 20 | Magnusson | 27.152 | patronymic | son of Magnus Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was sometimes used as a first name among Romans but was not particularly common among them. The best-known Roman bearing the name was the third-century usurper. The name gained wider popularity in the Middle Ages, various European peoples, and their royal houses,... |
See also
- Most common surnames in Denmark
- Most common surnames in Norway
- Most common surnames in Sweden
- Most common surnames in Finland
- Most common surnames in Estonia