Manson
Usually a patronymic surname meaning “son of Magnus” or “son of Man/Mann,” with strong Scottish and Shetland associations.
The #4,629 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 40,290 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name has more than one historical explanation. In Scottish and Norse usage, it is commonly understood as a reduced form of Magnusson, meaning “son of Magnus,” with Magnus ultimately from Latin magnus, “great.” Some older English sources also connect it with Man or Mann, an ancient personal name, giving the sense “son of Man/Mann.”
History
Nineteenth-century surname writers especially associated Manson with Shetland and other areas of strong Norse influence, where shortened forms of Magnusson were natural. The surname also appears in older English records, and early scholars sometimes treated it as a patronymic from the name Man or Mann. Because both explanations were current in the older literature, the surname is best treated as having overlapping Scottish-Norse and English patronymic histories.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries specifically note Manson as common in Shetland, reflecting the islands’ long Norse naming tradition.
From the historical record
“the small river Maun or Maun.— Nat. Gaz. MANSON ffing.) Man(n)'s Son : v. Man(n arid -f- O.E. sunu. (Sopt.-Scand.) an assim. form of Mag" nusson = Magnus's Son [Lat. magnus, great -|- O.N. sun-r'] Magnus was adopted by the Norsemen as a name out of admiration for Charle- magne (Carolus Magnus).”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Manson
- Marilyn Manson (b. 1969)
- Charles Manson (1934–2017)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.