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

Erikson, 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 Erikson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Erikson in America

Erikson is the 11882nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Erikson surname appeared 2,635 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 Erikson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Erikson 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 Erikson

The surname Erikson originates from Scandinavia, particularly Sweden and Norway, and can be traced back to the Viking Age (793-1066 AD). It is a patronymic surname, which means it was derived from the name of a father or ancestor.

In this case, Erikson literally means "son of Erik." Erik is an Old Norse name that means "eternal ruler" or "ever-powerful." It was a popular name among the Vikings and was borne by many Norse rulers and warriors.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Erikson can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, which were written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas often mentioned individuals with patronymic surnames like Erikson.

In the Middle Ages, as the use of surnames became more widespread, the name Erikson was adopted by families across Scandinavia. It was particularly common in areas with strong Viking heritage, such as the coastal regions of Sweden and Norway.

One notable historical figure with the surname Erikson was Leif Erikson (c. 970-1020), the Norse explorer credited with being the first European to reach North America, nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus. He was the son of Erik the Red, who established the first Norse settlement in Greenland.

Another famous Erikson was Nils Erikson (1802-1870), a Swedish-American pioneer and one of the founders of the city of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He was among the first Swedish immigrants to settle in the United States.

In Norway, the painter Theodor Erikson (1844-1914) was a prominent figure in the National Romantic movement and is known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life.

Erik Erikson (1902-1994), a German-born American developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, was also a notable bearer of the surname. He is best known for his theory of psychosocial development and the concept of the "identity crisis."

Lastly, Leif Erikson (1911-1986), a Swedish-American actor and singer, had a successful career in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s, appearing in numerous films and television shows.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Erikson

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

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

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

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