Jorgenson
A Scandinavian patronymic surname meaning “son of Jørgen” or “son of Jorgen.”
The #4,698 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 40,888 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Jorgenson is a patronymic surname built from the personal name Jørgen/Jorgen plus the Scandinavian son-suffix -son. Jørgen is the Scandinavian form of George, ultimately from Greek Georgios, meaning “farmer” or “earth-worker.” So the name originally meant “son of Jørgen,” and more loosely “descendant of George.”
History
The surname is most at home in Scandinavian naming traditions and became hereditary as patronymics turned into fixed family names. In North America, Jorgenson was carried especially by immigrants from Denmark and Norway and their descendants, alongside related forms such as Jorgensen and Jorgenson. The spelling without the Danish/Norwegian ending -sen is a common Anglicized or variant form.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because it comes from the name George, Jorgenson ultimately shares a distant linguistic root with surnames like George, Georgeson, and McGeorge.