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

Anderson, 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 Anderson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Anderson in America

Anderson is the 15th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Anderson surname appeared 784,404 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 266 people would have the surname Anderson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Anderson 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 Anderson

The surname Anderson is of Scottish and English origin, derived from the patronymic name "Andr's son" or "Andrew's son". The name is believed to have originated in the 12th century and was initially spelled as "Andree", "Andreu", or "Androw".

Anderson is a common surname in Scotland, with a high concentration in the counties of Fife, Lanarkshire, and Ayrshire. The name can be traced back to the early 13th century when it appeared in records such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where Robertus Andree was listed as a landowner in Berwickshire.

In England, the earliest recorded instance of the name Anderson dates back to the 13th century in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it was listed as "Andreu". The name was also found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, where it was spelled as "Andreu".

Some notable historical figures with the surname Anderson include James Anderson (1662-1728), a Scottish writer and historian who published works on Scottish history and agriculture. Andrew Anderson (1570-1624) was a Scottish minister and one of the translators of the King James Bible.

Another prominent figure was Alexander Anderson (1582-1620), a Scottish mathematician and writer who published works on algebra and geometry. In the United States, Richard Clough Anderson Jr. (1788-1826) was an American officer in the War of 1812 and served as the first U.S. Minister to Panama.

Robert Anderson (1805-1871) was a British officer who played a crucial role in the Crimean War and later served as the Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have carried the surname Anderson.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Anderson

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

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 Anderson 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 Anderson 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 Anderson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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