Michaelson
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Michael.”
The #8,380 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 78,163 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Michaelson is a patronymic formed from the given name Michael plus “-son,” literally meaning “son of Michael.” The personal name Michael comes from Hebrew Mikha'el, traditionally understood as “Who is like God?” In English and related traditions, the surname could arise independently wherever Michael was a common baptismal name, and the form is also found in Scandinavian and German usage.
History
19th-century surname dictionaries record Michaelson as an English patronymic alongside variants such as Michell, Mitchell, and Mickleson. German reference works also note it as a patronymic form, and one source remarks that some Michaelson/Michaelsen forms are Jewish new formations. In English-speaking countries it has remained comparatively uncommon, though clearly established by the early modern period.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley grouped Michaelson with other “son of Michael” surnames such as Mitchels and Mitchelsons, showing how many spelling forms grew from the same root name.
From the historical record
“MICHAELS, Michael's (Son) "I . ^.. i, , MICHAELSON, MiCHAEL'sSoN / ^- IVlichael. MICHEL IMcAe/isthe A.-French form of MICHELLJ Michael, q.v. Walter Michel.— /fM«rf. Rolls. MICHELS, Michel's (Son) : V. Michel. MICHIE, a Scot, double dim. of IVIJchael, q.v. MICHOLS = Michaels, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)