Erickson
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Eric,” with strong Scandinavian roots.
The #389 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 3,761 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Erickson is a patronymic surname built from the personal name Eric/Erik plus a word meaning “son.” The first element comes from Old Norse Eiríkr, a common Scandinavian given name often interpreted as “ever ruler” or “sole ruler.” In this spelling, the surname is especially associated with Danish and Swedish naming patterns, alongside variants such as Eriksen and Eriksson.
History
The surname spread widely in Scandinavia and later into English-speaking countries through migration from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. In English records, spellings with -son often reflect adaptation of Scandinavian names to English orthography. The name is common enough in North America today to be familiar beyond its original ethnic setting.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers often grouped Erickson with other clearly Danish-looking patronymics such as Hansen and Iversen.
From the historical record
“however, correspond altogether with current Danish names — as Hanson, Nanson, Jephson, Erickson, Gunson, Iverson, Jesson, Hebson, HiPSON, LowsoN, Anderson, with Hansen, Nan- sen, Jepsen, Ericksen, Gunnesen, Iversen, Jessen> Ebsen, Ipsen, Lauesen, Andersen, names common over the whole of Denmark. It does not follow…”
— The Teutonic Name-System applied to the family names of France, England and Germany