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

Axelson, 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 Axelson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Axelson in America

Axelson is the 17764th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Axelson surname appeared 1,577 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Axelson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Axelson 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 Axelson

The surname Axelson has its origins in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden and Norway. It is a patronymic name, meaning it was originally derived from the given name of the father combined with the suffix "-son," indicating "son of." In this case, Axelson refers to the son of a man named Axel.

The name Axel itself is derived from the Old Norse name Oswald, which is a compound name composed of the elements "os" meaning "god" and "waldan" meaning "to rule." Over time, the name evolved through various forms such as Aswald, Answald, and eventually became Axel in Swedish and Norwegian.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Axelson can be found in the Swedish Census Records of 1680, where a man named Johan Axelson is listed as residing in the parish of Västra Eneby, Östergötland County. Another early record is from the Norwegian Farm Census of 1665, which mentions a family with the surname Axelson living in the Vest-Agder region.

In terms of notable individuals with the surname Axelson, one can mention Per Axelson (1634-1707), a Swedish clergyman and poet who served as the rector of the Västerås Cathedral School. There is also Gustaf Axelson (1824-1892), a Swedish military officer and politician who served as the Governor of the County of Malmöhus.

Another prominent figure was Ebba Axelson (1891-1976), a Swedish author and playwright who wrote several novels and plays, some of which were adapted for film. Her most famous work is the novel "Nattens Barn" (Children of the Night), published in 1935.

In Norway, one can mention Kristian Axelson (1857-1936), a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Oslo, including the National Theatre and the Oslo Stock Exchange.

Lastly, Axel Axelson (1897-1983) was a Swedish-American author and journalist who wrote extensively about Swedish immigration to the United States. He was also involved in the Swedish-American community and served as the editor of the Swedish-American newspaper "Svea" for many years.

These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Axelson who have left their mark on history, highlighting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments associated with this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Axelson

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

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

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

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