The Anderson surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 784,404 people carried this name — #15 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 376 people counted. That is up 3% from 762,394 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Anderson surname
A Scottish surname originating as a patronymic.
From Middle English Ander (“Andrew”) + -son, after Saint Andrew, patron saint of Scotland. In the United States, sometimes an anglicization of Danish and Norwegian Andersen or Swedish Andersson.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Anderson» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 175 births for the Anderson name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 7,800 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim, Dublin, Down, and Londonderry.”
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 1,187 people named Anderson live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
299 people named Anderson live in Switzerland.
They live in 18 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Poland’s population register
220 people named Anderson have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 510 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in all 16 of Poland’s voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 153 people named Anderson.
Most of them — 100 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 18 départements, most often Pas-de-Calais.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 92 people named Anderson live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Antwerp.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
2,098 people named Anderson are counted in Sweden, Norway and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Norway publishes only surnames with 200 or more bearers. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Statistics Norway (SSB, ssb.no), table 12891, 2025 — CC BY 4.0 · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Anderson in American newspapers,
1818–1955.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,358,975 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Anderson,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Alexander Anderson 1582–1620 · mathematician -
Robert Anderson 1805–1871 · major general -
Thomas Lilbourne Anderson 1808–1885 · lawyer -
Richard H. Anderson 1821–1879 · military personnel -
John Anderson 1833–1900 · naturalist
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 145 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Anderson.
- Anastasio 1,721 · U.S. census
- Anaya 24,017 · U.S. census
- Ancel 355 · U.S. census
- Ancelet 356 · U.S. census
- Ancona 1,567 · U.S. census
- Andersen 36,150 · U.S. census
- Andersson 1,372 · U.S. census
- Andonian 473 · U.S. census
- Andrade 65,037 · U.S. census
- Andre 9,358 · U.S. census
- Andrea 1,495 · U.S. census
- Andreani 246 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Anderson is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.