Johnson
A patronymic surname meaning “son of John,” one of the most common surnames in the English-speaking world.
The #2 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 160 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Johnson is a patronymic surname formed from the personal name John plus the suffix -son, literally meaning “son of John.” The given name John ultimately comes from Hebrew Yohanan, meaning “God is gracious,” passing into English through Greek and Latin, and then through medieval French forms. In some cases the surname may have arisen independently in different places wherever John was a common baptismal name.
History
The name became common in England and Scotland in the Middle Ages, when hereditary surnames were developing from given names. Because John was one of the most popular male names for centuries, Johnson spread widely and became especially frequent in English-speaking countries. Some families later claimed noble or local origins, but the basic surname form is simply a patronymic.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Lower’s 19th-century surname notes, Johnson is treated simply as “See John,” showing how directly many hereditary surnames were built from a father’s given name.
From the historical record
“JOHNS. See John. JOHNSON. See John. The Johnsons of Ayscough-Fee, co. Lincoln, claim from the house of Fitz-John of Normandy. Guillim's Display of Herakby. JOHNSTON. JOHNSTONE. Post- towns and parishes in Dumfriesshire and Eenfrewshire. For a local surname this is exceedingly common, there being between sixty and…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom