Origins of the Anderson surname

What does the name Anderson mean?

The Anderson surname is common in both Britain and Scandinavia, with similar roots (it is the most common surname in Sweden, fifth most common in Norway and Denmark). Anderson is a patronymic surname, describing someone who is the son or descendant of a person named Andrew. Anderson has a particular popularity in Scotland (where it is the 8th most prevalent surname), due to the Patron Saint of Scotland, making the given name Andrew far more common.

Alternative variations of the name Anderson

Anderson, Andersone, Andersson, Andreson, Andersoun

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Delve deeper into the Anderson family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 5890North West 961Isle of Man 55Yorkshire 2720East Midlands 619West Midlands 541East 1959London 6900South East 2635South West 660South Wales 180Mid Wales 37West Wales 9North Wales 73Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Andersons lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

320,000 Anderson Travel & migration records
500,000 Andersons found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Anderson

How common is your surname?

48th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Anderson surname. The oldest one dates back to 1100.

Who were Andersons most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Andersons.

What are the most common Anderson first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Anderson family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Andersons

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Andersons in 1921

Dressmaker

2,654

Domestic Servant

1,931

Housekeeper

1,360

F S

1,291

House Keeper

1,046

Common male occupations for Andersons in 1921

Coal Miner

2,893

Farmer

2,049

Tailor

1,804

General Labourer

1,645

Farm Hands

1,550

We found over 730,000 family trees with the Anderson surname

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