Scandinavian Origin Surnames

This is a list of surnames in which the origin is Scandinavian. This is the collective name for the North Germanic languages spoken in Scandinavia. See Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Icelandic for more specific lists.
usage
origin
Abel 1 English, French, Danish, Spanish, Portuguese
Derived from the given name Abel.
Åberg Swedish
From Swedish å meaning "river, stream" and berg meaning "mountain".
Abrahamsson Swedish
Means "son of Abraham".
Abramsen Norwegian
Means "son of Abraham".
Abramsson Swedish
Means "son of Abraham".
Adamsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Adam".
Adamsson Swedish
Means "son of Adam".
Adolfsson Swedish
Means "son of Adolf".
Agnarsson Icelandic
Means "son of Agnar".
Ahlberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish al (Old Norse ǫlr) meaning "alder" and berg meaning "mountain".
Ahlgren Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish al (Old Norse ǫlr) meaning "alder" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".
Ahlström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish al (Old Norse ǫlr) meaning "alder" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Åkerman Swedish
Swedish form of Ackermann.
Åkesson Swedish
Means "son of Åke".
Akselsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Aksel".
Albinsson Swedish
Means "son of Albin".
Alfredsson Swedish
Means "son of Alfred".
Alfson Swedish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Alfsson.
Alfsson Swedish
Means "son of Alf 1".
Almstedt Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish alm (Old Norse almr) meaning "elm" and stad (Old Norse staðr) meaning "town, city".
Alvarsson Swedish
Means "son of Alvar".
Amundsen Norwegian
Means "son of Amund". This name was borne by the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen (1872-1928).
Andersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Anders". A noteworthy bearer was the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875).
Andersson Swedish
Means "son of Anders". This is the most common surname in Sweden.
Andreasen Danish
Means "son of Andreas".
Andreasson Swedish
Means "son of Andreas".
Anker Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Metonymic surname for a sailor, meaning "anchor" in Dutch, Danish and Norwegian.
Antonisen Danish
Means "son of Anton".
Antonsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Anton".
Arnesen Norwegian
Means "son of Arne 1".
Arthursson Swedish
Means "son of Arthur".
Årud Norwegian
From Norwegian å meaning "river, stream" and the archaic word rud meaning "cleared land".
Arvidsson Swedish
Means "son of Arvid".
Åström Swedish
From Swedish å meaning "river, stream" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream, current, flow".
Axelsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Axel".
Axelsson Swedish
Means "son of Axel".
Baardsen Norwegian
Means "son of Bård".
Bach 2 Danish
Variant of Bak.
Bager Danish
Danish cognate of Baker.
Bak Danish
Means "slope, hillside" in Danish, from Old Norse bakki "bank".
Bakke Norwegian
Means "slope, hillside" in Norwegian, from Old Norse bakki "bank".
Bakken Norwegian
Means "the slope, the hillside" in Norwegian, from Old Norse bakki "bank".
Beck 1 English, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
From Middle English bekke (from Old Norse), Low German beke or Old Norse bekkr all meaning "stream".
Bendtsen Danish
Means "son of Bendt".
Bengtsdotter Swedish
Means "daughter of Bengt".
Bengtsson Swedish
Means "son of Bengt".
Bentsen Danish
Means "son of Bent 1".
Berg German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From Old High German, Old Dutch and Old Norse berg meaning "mountain".
Bergfalk Swedish
Derived from Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and falk (Old Norse falki) meaning "falcon".
Berggren Swedish
From Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".
Berglund Swedish
Ornamental name from Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".
Bergman Swedish
From Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man", originally a name for a person living on a mountain.
Bergqvist Swedish
From Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".
Bergström Swedish
Derived from Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Berntsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Bernt".
Berntsson Swedish
Means "son of Bernt".
Bjarnesen Danish
Means "son of Bjarne".
Björk Swedish
From Swedish björk meaning "birch tree", Old Norse bjǫrk.
Björklund Swedish
From Swedish björk (Old Norse bjǫrk) meaning "birch tree" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".
Björkman Swedish
From Swedish björk (Old Norse bjǫrk) meaning "birch tree" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".
Blom Swedish
Means "bloom, flower" in Swedish.
Blomgren Swedish
From Swedish blomma (Old Norse blóm) meaning "flower" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".
Blomqvist Swedish
From Swedish blomma (Old Norse blóm) meaning "flower" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".
Bodilsen Danish
Means "son of Bodil".
Borg Swedish
From Swedish borg meaning "fortification, castle".
Brams Danish
Derived from the given name Bram.
Brun French, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Means "brown" in French, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. It was originally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin.
Byqvist Swedish
Derived from Swedish by (Old Norse býr) meaning "village" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".
Byström Swedish
From Swedish by (Old Norse býr) meaning "village" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Carlsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Carl".
Carlson Swedish
Means "son of Carl".
Carlsson Swedish
Means "son of Carl".
Carstensen Danish
Means "son of Carsten".
Claesson Swedish
Means "son of Claes".
Clausen Danish
Means "son of Claus".
Clemensen Danish
Means "son of Clemens".
Dahl Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
From Old Norse dalr meaning "valley". A famous of this surname was author Roald Dahl (1916-1990) who is mostly remembered for children's stories such as Matilda and Henry Sugar.
Dahlberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish dal (Old Norse dalr) meaning "dale, valley" and berg meaning "mountain".
Dahlman Swedish
From Swedish dal (Old Norse dalr) meaning "dale, valley" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".
Dalgaard Danish
From Old Norse dalr meaning "valley" and garðr meaning "yard, farmstead".
Dam Dutch, Danish
Means "dike, dam" in Dutch and Danish. In modern Danish it also means "pond".
Danielsson Swedish
Means "son of Daniel".
Davidsen Danish
Means "son of David".
Edvardsen Norwegian
Means "son of Edvard".
Eide Norwegian
Derived from Old Norse eið meaning "isthmus".
Einarsson Swedish
Means "son of Einar".
Ek Swedish
Means "oak" in Swedish.
Eklund Swedish
From Swedish ek (Old Norse eik) meaning "oak" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".
Ekström Swedish
From Swedish ek (Old Norse eik) meaning "oak" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Eld Swedish
From Old Norse eldr, modern Swedish eld, meaning "fire".
Eliassen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Elias".
Eliasson Swedish
Means "son of Elias".
Elmersson Swedish
Means "son of Elmar".
Engberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and berg meaning "mountain".
Engman Swedish
From Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man", originally a name for a person who lived in a meadow.
Engström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Ericson English, Swedish
Means "son of Eric".
Ericsson Swedish
Means "son of Eric".
Eriksen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Erik".
Eriksson Swedish
Means "son of Erik".
Ernst German, Dutch, Danish
From the given name Ernst.
Espensen Norwegian
Means "son of Espen".
Evensen Norwegian
Means "son of Even".
Falk Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, German
From Old Norse falki or Old High German falco meaning "falcon".
Feldt German, Danish, Swedish
North German, Danish and Swedish variant of Feld.
Fisker Danish
Means "fisherman" in Danish.
Forsberg Swedish
Derived from Swedish fors meaning "waterfall" and berg meaning "mountain".
Frank 3 German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Name for a person from Franconia in Germany, so called because it was settled by the Frankish people. A notable bearer was the German-Jewish diarist Anne Frank (1929-1945), a victim of the Holocaust.
Fransson Swedish
Means "son of Frans".
Frederiksen Danish
Means "son of Frederik".
Fredriksson Swedish
Means "son of Fredrik".
Friis Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Scandinavian (mostly Danish) form of Fries.
Frisk Swedish
From Swedish frisk "healthy", which was derived from the Middle Low German word vrisch "fresh, young, frisky".
Gerhardsson Swedish
Means "son of Gerhard".
Giese German, Danish
Derived from a short form of the given name Giselbert or other Old German names beginning with the element gisal meaning "pledge, hostage".
Göransson Swedish
Means "son of Göran".
Grahn Swedish
From Swedish gran meaning "spruce".
Gulbrandsen Norwegian
Means "son of Gulbrand" in Norwegian.
Guldbrandsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Gulbrand" in Norwegian and Danish.
Gundersen Norwegian
Means "son of Gunder".
Gustafsson Swedish
Means "son of Gustaf". The actress Greta Garbo (1905-1990) was originally named Greta Gustafsson.
Gustavsson Swedish
Means "son of Gustav".
Haakonsson Norwegian
Means "son of Håkon".
Hagen Norwegian, Dutch
From Old Norse hagi or Old Dutch hago meaning "enclosure, pasture".
Håkansson Swedish
Means "son of Håkan".
Hall English, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Means simply "hall", given to one who either lived in or worked in a hall (the house of a medieval noble).
Hallman Swedish
From Swedish hall (Old Norse hallr) meaning "rock, boulder, slab" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".
Halvorsen Norwegian
Means "son of Halvor".
Hansen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Hans". This is the most common surname in Norway, and the third most common in Denmark.
Hanssen Norwegian
Means "son of Hans".
Hansson Swedish
Means "son of Hans".
Haraldsen Norwegian
Means "son of Harald".
Haraldsson Swedish
Means "son of Harald".
Haugen Norwegian
Means "hill" in Norwegian, referring to a person who lived on a hilltop.
Hedlund Swedish
From Swedish hed (Old Norse heiðr) meaning "heath, moor" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".
Heimisson Icelandic
Means "son of Heimir".
Hellström Swedish
From Swedish häll (Old Norse hallr), a type of flat rock, combined with ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Henningsen Danish
Means "son of Henning".
Henriksson Swedish
Means "son of Henrik".
Hermansson Swedish
Means "son of Herman".
Hilmarsson Icelandic
Means "son of Hilmar".
Hjort Danish, Swedish
Danish and Swedish cognate of Hart.
Holgersson Swedish
Means "son of Holger".
Holm Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From Swedish, Danish and Norwegian holme, holm meaning "islet" (Old Norse holmr).
Holmberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and berg meaning "mountain".
Holmgren Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".
Holmström Swedish
From Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Holst Danish, Low German, Dutch
Originally referred to a person from the region of Holstein between Germany and Denmark. A famous bearer of this name was the English composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934).
Holt English, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
From Old English, Old Dutch and Old Norse holt meaning "forest".
Horn English, German, Norwegian, Danish
From the Old English, Old High German and Old Norse word horn meaning "horn". This was an occupational name for one who carved objects out of horn or who played a horn, or a person who lived near a horn-shaped geographical feature, such as a mountain or a bend in a river.
Hult Swedish
Swedish form of Holt.
Ibsen Danish
Means "son of Ib". A famous bearer was the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906).
Ingesson Swedish
Means "son of Inge".
Isaksen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Isak".
Isaksson Swedish
Means "son of Isak".
Ivarsson Swedish
Means "son of Ivar".
Iversen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Iver".
Jacobsen Danish
Means "son of Jacob".
Jakobsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Jakob".
Jansen Dutch, Norwegian
Means "son of Jan 1". This is the second most common Dutch surname.
Jansone f Latvian
Feminine form of Jansons.
Jansons m Latvian
Latvian form of Jansson.
Jansson Swedish
Means "son of Jan 1".
Jensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Jens". This is the most common surname in Denmark.
Jenson Danish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Jensen.
Jenssen Norwegian
Means "son of Jens".
Jensson Icelandic
Means "son of Jens".
Jeppesen Danish
Means "son of Jeppe".
Jespersen Danish
Means "son of Jesper".
Johansen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Johan". This is the second most common Norwegian surname.
Johansson Swedish
Means "son of Johan". This is the second most common surname in Sweden.
Johnsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of John".
Johnsson Swedish
Means "son of John".
Jokumsen Danish
Means "son of Jokum".
Jonasen Danish
Means "son of Jonas 2".
Jonasson Swedish
Means "son of Jonas 2".
Jönsson Swedish
Means "son of Jöns".
Jonsson Swedish
Means "son of Jon 1".
Jørgensen Danish
Means "son of Jørgen".
Karlsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Karl".
Karlsson Swedish
Means "son of Karl".
Kaspersen Danish
Means "son of Kasper".
Kjær Danish
Topographic name for someone living near a wetland, from Danish kær "marsh", from Old Norse kjarr "thicket".
Kjeldsen Danish
Means "son of Kjeld".
Kjellsson Swedish
Means "son of Kjell".
Klasson Swedish
Means "son of Klas".
Klausen Danish
Means "son of Klaus".
Knudsen Danish
Means "son of Knud".
Knutsen Norwegian
Means "son of Knut".
Knutsson Swedish
Means "son of Knut".
Koppel Estonian, Danish
From Low German koppel meaning "paddock, pasture" (a word borrowed into Estonian).
Kristensen Danish
Means "son of Kristen 1".
Kron German, Swedish
From German Krone and Swedish krona meaning "crown" (from Latin corona), perhaps a nickname for one who worked in a royal household.
Lager Swedish
Means "laurel" in Swedish.
Landvik Norwegian
From the name of a Norwegian town meaning "land inlet".
Lång Swedish
Swedish cognate of Long.
Lang German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian cognate of Long.
Lange German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian cognate of Long.
Larsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Lars".
Larsson Swedish
Means "son of Lars".
Lauridsen Danish
Means "son of Laurids".
Lauritsen Danish
Means "son of Laurits".
Laursen Danish
Means "son of Laur", a short form of Laurits.
Leifsson Icelandic, Swedish
Means "son of Leif".
Lennartsson Swedish
Means "son of Lennart".
Lie Norwegian
From Norwegian li, Old Norse hlíð meaning "hillside, slope".
Lien Norwegian
Variant of Lie.
Lind Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Derived from Old Norse lind meaning "linden tree".
Lindbeck Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and bäck (Old Norse bekkr) meaning "stream".
Lindberg Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and berg meaning "mountain".
Lindgren Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch". A famous bearer of this name was Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002).
Lindholm Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island".
Lindqvist Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".
Lindström Swedish
Derived from Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Ljung Swedish
Means "heather" in Swedish.
Ljungborg Swedish
From Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and borg meaning "castle".
Ljunggren Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".
Ljungman Swedish
From Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".
Ljungstrand Swedish
From Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and strand (Old Norse strǫnd) meaning "beach".
Löfgren Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish löv (Old Norse lauf) meaning "leaf" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".
Losnedahl Norwegian
From Norwegian dahl meaning "valley" and Losna, a place in Norway.
Ludvigsen Danish
Means "son of Ludvig".
Lund Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
Indicated a person who lived near a grove of trees, from Old Norse lundr meaning "grove". There are towns in Sweden named Lund.
Lundberg Swedish
Derived from Swedish lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove" and berg meaning "mountain".
Lunde Norwegian
Variant of Lund.
Lundgren Swedish
Derived from Swedish lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".
Lundin Swedish
Variant of Lund.
Lundqvist Swedish
Derived from Swedish lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".
Lundström Swedish
From Swedish lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Lykke Danish
Means "happiness" in Danish.
Madsen Danish
Means "son of Mads".
Magnusson Swedish
Means "son of Magnus".
Månsson Swedish
Means "son of Måns".
Mårdh Swedish
From Swedish mård meaning "pine marten".
Markusson Swedish
Means "son of Markus".
Mårtensson Swedish
Means "son of Mårten".
Martin English, French, German, Swedish
Derived from the given name Martin. This is the most common surname in France.
Martinsson Swedish
Means "son of Martin".
Mathiasen Danish
Means "son of Mathias".
Mathisen Norwegian
Means "son of Mathias".
Matsson Swedish
Means "son of Mats".
Matthiasen Danish
Means "son of Matthias".
Mattsson Swedish
Means "son of Matts".
Mikaelsson Swedish
Means "son of Mikael".
Mikkelsen Danish
Means "son of Mikkel".
Moe Norwegian
Means "sandy ground" in Norwegian.
Moen Norwegian
Means "the sandy ground" in Norwegian.
Mogensen Danish
Means "son of Mogens".