Johanson
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Johan/John.”
The #6,674 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 61,005 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Johanson is a patronymic surname formed from the personal name Johan, a continental form of John, plus the Scandinavian-style suffix -son, meaning “son of.” In other words, it originally meant “son of Johan/John.” The spelling is especially associated with Scandinavian naming patterns, though similar forms also appear in English records as variants of Johnson.
History
Historical records show Johanson alongside many related spellings such as Johannissen, Johnsson, and Johnson, reflecting the wide spread of John-based surnames across northern Europe. In English-speaking countries the name often appears as an immigrant or anglicized Scandinavian surname. Because spelling was fluid for centuries, Johanson and Johansson can sometimes be found side by side in records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root name John generated a large family of surnames across Europe, with small spelling changes often pointing to different regional writing habits rather than entirely different origins.
From the historical record
“Willelmas Johnson, 1379: ibid. p. 221. Robertas Johanson, 1379 • 'bid. p. 36. Juliana Jonesson, webster^ 1379: Ibid, p. 161. Ricardas Joneson, 1379: ibid.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)