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Origins of the Anderson surname

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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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Where do most Andersons live?

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.

Interesting facts about Andersons

How common is your surname?

48th most common surname in the UK

We have 504,000 records for the Anderson surname. The oldest one dates back to 1100.

Who were Andersons most likely to marry?

Johnsons

&

Smiths

Our Marriage record sets tell us which families married Andersons.

What are the most common Anderson first names?

  • John
  • William
  • Mary
  • Elizabeth

Our birth record sets tell us the names of Anderson family members

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

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Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

We found over 670,000 family trees with the Anderson surname

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