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

Persson, 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 Persson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Persson in America

Persson is the 14238th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Persson surname appeared 2,106 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 Persson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Persson 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 Persson

The surname Persson originated in Sweden and dates back several centuries. It is a patronymic surname, meaning it was derived from the father's given name of Per, a common Swedish variant of the name Peter. The suffix "-son" means "son of" in Swedish.

Persson was one of the most widespread surnames in Sweden during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods. It can be found in various historical records, including parish registers, census records, and tax rolls from the 16th century onwards.

One of the earliest known references to the name Persson comes from the Västgöta laws, a legal code from the 13th century that mentions a person named Persson. Additionally, the Småland Annals, a medieval chronicle from the late 15th century, includes references to individuals with the surname Persson.

In the 17th century, the Swedish soldier and explorer Jonas Persson Viding (1616-1690) became one of the first Europeans to explore the Arctic regions of North America. He was part of an expedition that mapped parts of Hudson Bay and the surrounding areas.

Another notable figure with the surname Persson was the Swedish botanist and zoologist Carl Persson (1773-1857), who made significant contributions to the study of Scandinavian flora and fauna. He authored several books on the subject and was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

During the 19th century, the Swedish author and playwright August Persson (1823-1897) gained prominence for his works, which often depicted rural life in Sweden. His plays and novels were widely popular and helped to preserve the cultural heritage of the country.

In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Persson was the Swedish painter and sculptor Ivan Persson (1917-2000). He was known for his abstract expressionist works and was a pioneer of modern art in Sweden.

Another notable figure was the Swedish politician Ingvar Persson (1941-2022), who served as the Prime Minister of Sweden from 1996 to 1998. He was a prominent member of the Social Democratic Party and played a significant role in shaping Sweden's political landscape during the late 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Persson

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

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

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

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