Andersen
A Scandinavian patronymic meaning “son of Anders,” with Anders being a form of Andrew.
The #963 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,541 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Andersen is a patronymic surname built from Anders, the Scandinavian form of Andrew, plus the patronymic ending -sen, meaning “son.” In literal terms, it means “Anders’s son.” The ultimate root of Andrew is Greek Andreas, “manly” or “virile,” but in surname use the immediate source is the given name Anders.
History
The name is especially common in Denmark and Norway, where -sen surnames are a standard native pattern. Historical surname writers also noted Andersen as widespread in Scandinavia and discussed it alongside other common patronymics such as Hansen and Petersen. In English-speaking countries it often appears as an immigrant surname or as a variant alongside Anderson.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century source explicitly treated Andersen as the Danish-Norwegian form of Anderson, showing how closely the two surnames were linked in older scholarship.
From the historical record
“ALBRECHT (Gef.) = Albert, q.v. in Diet. ANDERSEN (Scand.) Dan.-Norvv. form of Anderson, q.v. in Diet. [Dan.-Norw. ^ son, son] ANDRE (Fr.) = Andrew, q.v. in Diet. ANTON (Ger.) for the Lat. Antonius (Eng. Atft(h)ony), f. the , Gr. Antios, Latinized Antius [Gt. dvTlos, conironting]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)