Find out how popular the last name Andersen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Andersen.

Andersen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Andersen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Andersen in America

Andersen is the 963rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Andersen surname appeared 36,150 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 12 people would have the surname Andersen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Andersen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Andersen

The surname Andersen is of Scandinavian origin, specifically Danish and Norwegian. It is a patronymic surname, meaning it was originally derived from the father's given name, Anders, which is a form of the biblical name Andrew. The name Andrew derives from the Greek word "andros," meaning man or warrior.

In the Middle Ages, surnames were not commonly used in Scandinavia, and people were typically identified by their given name, their father's name, and sometimes a descriptive element or location. Andersen emerged as a surname when it became necessary to distinguish individuals with the same given name, and the patronymic -sen was added to the father's name.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Andersen can be found in the Danish Census Book from the 16th century, where several individuals with the name are listed. The name also appears in various Norwegian church records and legal documents from the same period.

In Denmark, the Andersen surname has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the most famous is Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), the celebrated Danish author and writer of beloved fairy tales such as "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Little Mermaid."

Another prominent Danish Andersen was Carl Christian Andersen (1793-1877), a noted historian and writer who published works on Danish history and culture. In the field of science, Carl Andersen (1904-1998) was a Danish physicist who made significant contributions to the study of nuclear physics and particle accelerators.

In Norway, the Andersen surname is also well-represented. One notable Norwegian Andersen was Rasmus Bjørn Andersen (1801-1883), a pioneering educator and advocate for public education who established several schools and teacher training programs throughout the country.

Hans Nielsen Andersen (1852-1938) was a Norwegian businessman and politician who served as the Minister of Finance and later as the Prime Minister of Norway from 1910 to 1913. He played a significant role in shaping Norway's economic policies in the early 20th century.

These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the Andersen surname, reflecting its long-standing presence and significance in Scandinavian culture and society.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Andersen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Andersen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Andersen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Andersen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Andersen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Andersen, please contact us.

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