Aardsma, Aase and Aberson
Where might the surnames Aardsma and Aase come from? And what might they mean? I found these snippets online, but I do not know if they are accurate:'Aardsma is of Dutch origin. It is most likely an alternate spelling of Aartsma, which means "son of Arend," where Arend is a cognate of Arnold. Since the name ends in "ma," it is most likely of Frisian origin. Frisia is a coastal region along the southeastern corner of the North Sea. It basically means "son of Arnold," which leads us to wonder, what does Arnold mean? Arnold comes from a Germanic name meaning "eagle power" or "eagle ruler" or "powerful eagle."Therefore, in a roundabout way Aardsma means "son of powerful eagle."''Aase is most likely of Norwegian or Swedish origin. It is an older spelling of the name Åse, which is a form of Ås, meaning "ridge." It might also just be named after a place known as Aase, of which there are a few. The name Åse is a feminine given name, and is a Danish/Norwegian version of the Swedish name Åsa, which comes from an Old Norse name element áss, meaning god(ess). In short, the name Aase may mean ridge, or god(ess), or may just be named after a place called Aase. There is also a Hebrew given name Aase, which means "Flower of the Lord," however I'd be more willing to believe that the name is Norwegian/Danish/Swedish.' 'Aberson is a name that is most likely of German origin, although it also probably has some roots in Great Britain. It is a patronymic name, because it ends in "son", which means "son of." Therefore, the name Aberson most likely means "son of Aber", which means "son of Albert," which means "son of illustrious [or bright or noble]." An English form of the name would be Albertson. The reason I say the name is both German and English is because the first part, Aber, is a German variation of the name Albert. The second part, son, is widely used in England and other Great Britain countries. So, it would seem as if the name may come from a family with both German/British roots. 'Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
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"Aardsma" is part of my ancestry. I was told my ancestor didn't have two names when he immigrated, so he had to make up his last name on the spot. He chose Aardsma, meaning "earth's mother" because he was a farmer. I was also told that all American Aardsmas are likely related, pointing back to that ancestor.
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You'll find your real Frisian ancestor at tinyurl.com/yahnmtv3. Aardsma is a variant of Aartsma/Aertsma. The suffix -ma means 'man' and Aart/Aert is derived from a cognate of the English name Arnold. See tinyurl.com/yd6cl7wc and tinyurl.com/y7x5c6sd for more details.
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Aase is a Norwegian surname. I've never heard of a Swedish person with this surname though, and I find it highly unlikely due to the language's phonology. However, it could also be a Danish surname. Åse is a Norwegian/Danish first name, while Åsa is the Swedish version (though it is also used in Norway on a regular basis). Both of the names come from Old Norse 'áss' meaning "god". Åse/a could also come from the word ÅS, meaning 'ridge'. As a given name, Åsa has been used in Scandinavia since the Middle Ages (ie. Vikings). Aase (alternate spelling Åse) is also a place name, used either alone or with other elements to form a longer name.
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