Scandinavian Surnames

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".

Abrahamsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Abraham".

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".

Adolvsson Swedish (Rare)
Variant of Adolfsson.

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".

Albertsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Albert".

Albertsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Albert".

Albinsson Swedish
Means "son of Albin".

Albrechtsson Swedish
Means "son of Albrecht".

Albrecktsson Swedish
Variant of Albrechtsson.

Albrektson Swedish
Variant of Albrechtsson.

Albrektsson Swedish
Variant of Albrechtsson.

Alexandersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Alexander".

Alexanderson Swedish
Variant of Alexandersson.

Alexandersson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Alexander".

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".

Andersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Anders".

Andersson Swedish
Means "son of Anders". This is the most common surname in Sweden.

Andreasen Danish
Means "son of Andreas".

Andreassen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Andreas".

Andréasson Swedish
Variant of Andreasson.

Andreasson Swedish
Means "son of Andreas".

Anker Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Metonymic surname for a sailor, meaning "anchor" in Dutch, Danish and Norwegian.

Anthonsen Danish, Norwegian
Variant of Antonsen.

Antonisen Danish
Means "son of Anton".

Antonsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Anton".

Ármannsson Icelandic
Means "son of Ármann".

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 "clearing".

Arvidsson Swedish
Means "son of Arvid".

Axelsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Axel".

Axelsson Swedish
Means "son of Axel".

Baardsen Norwegian
Means "son of Bård".

Bager Danish
Danish cognate of Baker.

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
Cognate of Bach, 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 a Germanic word meaning "mountain".

Berge Norwegian, German, Swedish
Variant of Berg.

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 "man", originally a name for a person living on a mountain.

Bergström Swedish
Derived from Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Bernhardsson Swedish
Means "son of Bernhard".

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 "man".

Björnsson Swedish
Means "son of Björn".

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.

Breiner German, Swedish
Occupational name derived from Middle High German brie "porridge".

Byquist Swedish
Variant of Byqvist.

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
Means "son of Carl".

Carlson Swedish
Means "son of Carl".

Carlsson Swedish
Means "son of Carl".

Carstensen Danish
Means "son of Carsten".

Christensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Christen 1".

Christiansen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Christian".

Christoffersen Danish
Means "son of Christoffer".

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.

Dahlman Swedish
From Swedish dal (Old Norse dalr) meaning "dale, valley" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "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".

Danielsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Daniel".

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".

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 "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".

Espensen Norwegian
Means "son of Espen".

Espenson Norwegian (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Espensen.

Evensen Norwegian
Means "son of Even".

Falk Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, German
From Old Norse falkr or Middle High German valke 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.

Fransson Swedish
Means "son of Frans".

Frederiksen Danish
Means "son of Frederik".

Fredriksen Norwegian
Means "son of Fredrik".

Fredriksson Swedish
Means "son of Fredrik".

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 Germanic names beginning with the element gisil.

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".

Gunnarsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Gunnar".

Gunnarsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Gunnar".

Gunvaldsen Norwegian
Means "son of Gunvald".

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
Occupational variant of Hall.

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".

Haroldson Swedish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Haraldsson.

Haugen Norwegian
Means "hill" in Norwegian, referring to a person who lived on a hilltop.

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".

Henriksen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Henrik".

Henriksson Swedish
Means "son of Henrik".

Herbertsson Swedish
Swedish form of Herbertson.

Hermansen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Herman".

Hermansson Swedish
Means "son of Herman".

Hilmarsson Icelandic
Means "son of Hilmar".

Hjort Danish, Swedish
Danish and Swedish cognate of Hart.

Holgersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Holger".

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".

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 Germanic 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".

Ingólfsson Icelandic
Means "son of Ingólfr".

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".

Jakobsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Jakob".

Jansen Dutch, Norwegian
Means "son of Jan 1". This is the second most common Dutch surname.

Janson German, Dutch, Swedish, English
Means "son of Jan 1".

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".

Johannessen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Johannes".

Jóhannsson Icelandic
Means "son of Jóhann".

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
Means "son of Karl".

Karlsson Swedish
Means "son of Karl".

Karstensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Karsten".

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".

Klassen Danish
Variant of Klausen.

Klasson Swedish
Means "son of Klas".

Klausen Danish
Means "son of Klaus".

Knudsen Danish
Means "son of Knud".

Knutsen Norwegian
Means "son of Knut".

Knutson Swedish
Variant of Knutsson.

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".

Kristiansen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Kristian".

Kristoffersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Kristoffer".

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
Means "son of Lars".

Larson Swedish (Anglicized), Danish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Larsson or Larsen.

Larsson Swedish
Means "son of Lars".

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".

Leonardsen Norwegian
Means "son of Lennart".

Leonardsson Swedish
Variant of Lennartsson.

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".

Lindquist Swedish
Variant of Lindqvist.

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 "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".

Lorenzen Danish, Low German
Means "son of Lorens".

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.

Lundquist Swedish
Variant of Lundqvist.

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".

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.

Martinsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Martin".

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".

Möller Low German, Swedish
Low German and Swedish form of Müller.

Møller Danish
Danish form of Müller.

Mortensen Danish
Means "son of Morten".

Næss Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Naess Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Nass Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Ness English, Scottish, Norwegian
From English ness and Norwegian nes meaning "headland, promontory", of Old Norse origin, originally referring to a person who lived there.

Nielsen Danish
Means "son of Niels 1".

Niklasson Swedish
Means "son of Niklas".

Nikolajsen Danish
Means "son of Nikolaj".

Nilsen Norwegian
Means "son of Nils".

Nilsson Swedish
Means "son of Nils".

Nissen Danish
Means "son of Nis".

Nordskov Danish
Means "north woods" in Danish.

Nordström Swedish
From Swedish nord (Old Norse norðr) meaning "north" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Norling Swedish
Originally denoted a person who came from the north.