Tollefson
A Scandinavian patronymic surname meaning “son of Tollef,” ultimately from a personal name built on Thor or Þórr.
The #8,345 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 77,828 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Tollefson is a patronymic surname formed from the given name Tollef, plus the Scandinavian surname ending -son, meaning “son of.” Tollef is a Norwegian and Swedish form related to Old Norse names built from Þórr (Thor), the thunder god, often seen in forms like Tóli, Tollef, or Torleif. So the surname originally meant “Tollef’s son.”
History
The name is most strongly associated with Norwegian-American and broader Scandinavian immigrant communities, especially in the Upper Midwest of the United States. As with many patronymic surnames, it became hereditary after families settled in countries where fixed surnames were required or customary. The spelling Tollefson is a relatively straightforward Anglicized form alongside variants such as Tollefsen.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The final -son ending preserves an old naming pattern that once changed every generation, so a man named Tollef’s son could have a different surname from his own children.