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

Christofferson, 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 Christofferson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Christofferson in America

Christofferson is the 13654th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Christofferson surname appeared 2,218 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 Christofferson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Christofferson 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 Christofferson

The surname Christofferson has its origins in Scandinavia, particularly in the regions of Norway and Sweden. It is a patronymic surname, meaning it derives from the father's given name. In this case, Christofferson indicates "son of Christoffer."

The name Christoffer itself is a variant of the Greek name Christopher, which means "Christ-bearer." This name gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly after the legend of Saint Christopher, who was said to have carried the Christ child across a river. The name Christofferson likely emerged in the 12th or 13th century as a way to identify someone as the son of a man named Christoffer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Christofferson name can be found in the Swedish census records from the late 16th century. In these records, the name appears as "Christophersson," reflecting the Swedish spelling of the patronymic suffix.

In Norway, the earliest known record of the Christofferson name dates back to the early 17th century. A man named Christoffer Christofferson was mentioned in a land deed from the village of Birkenes in southern Norway in 1612.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Christofferson surname. One of the most prominent was Halvor Christofferson (1849-1923), a Norwegian-American businessman and political figure who served as the 13th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota from 1907 to 1909.

Another notable Christofferson was Erling Christofferson (1894-1979), a Norwegian-American engineer and inventor who held numerous patents for his work in the field of aviation. He was particularly known for his contributions to the development of the helicopter.

In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook the contributions of Bror Christoffer Christofferson (1857-1928), a Norwegian-American author and playwright. His works, including novels and plays, often explored themes of immigration and the experiences of Norwegian immigrants in the United States.

The Christofferson name can also be found in the historical records of places like Trondheim, Norway, where a man named Ole Christofferson was a prominent merchant and landowner in the 17th century.

Lastly, it is worth mentioning Christoffer Christofferson (1788-1864), a Norwegian farmer and landowner from the Hallingdal region. He played a significant role in the local community and left a lasting legacy through his contributions to agriculture and land management.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Christofferson

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

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

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

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