2000
#24,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 977
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Andersson
Swedish patronymic surname meaning "son of Anders".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,029 Americans carry the last name Andersson. That puts it at #15,858 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Andersson surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Andersson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 168,928
Census rank
#15,858
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,769 bearers of the surname Andersson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15858th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Andersson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Andersson
The surname Andersson is a patronymic name originating from Scandinavia, primarily Sweden. It is derived from the combination of the personal name Anders, a Swedish form of the name Andrew, and the suffix "-son," meaning "son of." The name emerged during the Middle Ages when surnames became more widely adopted across Europe.
Andersson is believed to have its roots in the Old Norse name Andres, which was a variant of the Greek name Andreas, meaning "manly" or "brave." This name was popularized throughout Scandinavia during the Viking Age, and its prevalence led to the formation of patronymic surnames like Andersson.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Andersson can be found in the Icelandic Landnámabók, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 12th century. This document mentions an individual named Andres Ingimundarson, indicating the use of patronymic naming conventions at the time.
In Sweden, the Andersson surname can be traced back to the 14th century, with records showing individuals bearing the name in various parts of the country. For example, a man named Anders Andersson was mentioned in a document from the city of Lund in 1374.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Andersson. One of the most famous was Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), the renowned Danish author and poet famous for his fairy tales, such as "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Little Mermaid."
Another prominent figure was Ingrid Andersson (1935-2019), a Swedish actress known for her roles in films like "The Seventh Seal" and "Wild Strawberries," directed by Ingmar Bergman.
In the field of science, Johann Andersson (1793-1860) was a Swedish botanist who made significant contributions to the study of mosses and liverworts, naming several new species.
The name Andersson has also been associated with various place names in Sweden, such as Andersson's Farm (Anderssons Gård) in Halland County and Andersson's Hill (Anderssons Kulle) in Skåne County.
It's worth noting that the spelling "Andersson" with double "s" is more commonly found in Sweden, while the variant "Anderson" without the double "s" is more prevalent in other Scandinavian countries like Norway and Denmark, as well as in English-speaking regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Andersson
Among Census respondents with the surname Andersson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Andersson bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Andersson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 1,557
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 69
- Two or more races3.5% · 62
- Black or African American2.6% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Andersson
Andersson appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#19,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,372
+395 bearers (+40.4%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Up 4,437 places
2020
#15,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,769
+397 bearers (+28.9%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 3,788 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,083 | 977 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,646 | 1,372 | 0.47 | +395 bearers (+40.4%) | Up 4,437 places |
| 2020 | #15,858 | 1,769 | 0.59 | +397 bearers (+28.9%) | Up 3,788 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Andersson surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #19,646 | #15,858 | 19.3% |
| Count | 1,372 | 1,769 | 28.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.47 | 0.59 | 25.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Andersson bearers went from 1,372 to 1,769 (+28.9% change). The surname moved up 3,788 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,646 to #15,858.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Andersson
FAQ
Andersson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Andersson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,029 living Americans carry the surname Andersson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,928 residents.
How common is Andersson?
Andersson ranks #15,858 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,769 people with the surname Andersson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,029), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Andersson.
Has Andersson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Andersson went from 1,372 recorded bearers to 1,769. That is an increase of 397 (+28.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,646 to #15,858.
What does the Census say about the background of Andersson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Andersson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Andersson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (1,557 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Andersson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Andersson (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Andersson mean?
Swedish patronymic surname meaning "son of Anders". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Andersson (0.59 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Andersson?
Find out how many people have the last name Andersson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.