Andersen
Of Scandinavian origin, meaning "son of Anders" or "son of Andrew".
Name Census estimates that about 1,219 living Americans carry the first name Andersen. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 74.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Andersen today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Andersen births was 2016 (70 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Andersen. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Andersen is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 15 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 281,177 Americans
Peak year
2016
70 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,424
Tracked since 1988
Gender
Gender distribution for Andersen
Andersen is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,232 total registrations, 921 (74.8%) were male and 311 (25.2%) were female.
Andersen as a male name
- Ranked #4,424 in 2024
- 23 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2015 (50 births)
Andersen as a female name
- Ranked #5,790 in 2024
- 21 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (21 births)
Popularity
Andersen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Andersen from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 545 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Andersen remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Andersen by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Andersen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Andersens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Andersen, while Tennessee, Ohio, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Andersen
The given name Andersen is of Scandinavian origin, specifically from Denmark and Norway. It is a patronymic name, derived from the name Anders, which itself is a Scandinavian form of the Greek name Andreas, meaning "manly" or "masculine".
The name Andersen traces its roots back to the Viking Age, when patronymic surnames were common in Scandinavia. It is believed to have been used as early as the 9th century AD, when the Vikings were actively exploring and settling in various parts of Europe.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Andersen can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of stories and historical accounts from the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas often featured characters with patronymic surnames, including Andersen.
In the 16th century, the name Andersen gained prominence with the birth of Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), the famous Danish author and poet known for his beloved fairy tales such as "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Little Mermaid". His works have been translated into numerous languages and have had a lasting impact on children's literature worldwide.
Another notable figure with the name Andersen was Viggo Andersen (1851-1935), a Danish mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and was recognized for his work on the theory of the motion of the Moon.
In the realm of sports, Arne Andersen (1923-2010) was a Norwegian speed skater who won a gold medal in the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo. He was also a successful cyclist and cross-country skier, showcasing his versatility as an athlete.
Moving to the world of music, Arvo Pärt (born 1935), an Estonian composer, was born with the surname Andersen before changing it later in life. His minimalist compositions, influenced by early sacred music, have earned him international acclaim and numerous awards.
Finally, Birgit Nilsson (1918-2005), a celebrated Swedish soprano, was born Birgit Andersen. She was renowned for her powerful voice and acclaimed performances in operas by Wagner and Strauss, earning her the title "Nilsson, the Stupendous" from the New Yorker magazine.
People
Andersen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Andersen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Andersen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Andersen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,219 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Andersen going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 281,177 US residents.
Is Andersen a common name?
We classify Andersen as "Rare". It ranks above 91.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,232 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Andersen most popular?
The single biggest year for Andersen was 2016, when 70 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Andersen is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Andersen a male name?
Yes, 74.8% of people registered as Andersen in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.