Anderson (surname)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anderson, Andersson or Andersen is a surname deriving from a patronymic meaning "son of Anders/Andrew" (itself derived from the Greek name "Andreas", meaning "man" or "manly").

In Scotland, the name was first found in the Great Glen and Strathspey, where the Anderson family was seated from ancient times. The name soon migrated to England, where it was consistently written with only one s.

The name is the second most common name in Sweden [1], where it is mostly written Andersson but occasionally Anderson. In Norway and Denmark, the cognate Andersen is most common. The Scandinavian forms were usually rendered as Anderson by immigrants to the United States, helping it become one of the most common American surnames. The name is 11th most common in a recent US census.

According to House of Names, the commonality of the name is due to the popularity of the name Anders at the time patronymic family names were being adopted.

From About.com: "Andrew (man, manly) was the first of Jesus' disciples, and was a revered name in medieval times due to its church connections. St. Andrew is the patron saint of both Scotland and Russia." Thus in many cases the name, or at least its commonality, may be influenced by the christianization of Scandinavia. At the time, massive persecution of Heathens would have made taking or giving a Christian name attractive to many, resulting in the popularity of the name Anders, and thus Andersson.

Other spelling variations include: Andison, Andersonne, Andersoun, Andirsoone, Andresoun, Androson, Andirston, Andresson, Andrewson, and Andresen.