100 Most Common Swedish Surnames and Their Meanings

Did you know that over 3.5 million Swedish surnames are associated with nature? Swedish surnames or Swedish last names have been widely known for their deep roots in the Old Norse, religious figures, and a lot of nature! In addition, Swedes take their love and respect towards nature to another level, making it no surprise why they have attached natural elements into numerous Swedish surnames. 

If you happen to want to know more about Swedish surnames and the meanings behind them, then this article is just for you! 

The 100 Most Common Swedish Surnames

Among the hundreds, if not thousands of Swedish surnames, the top 100 Swedish last names made it to the official charts of the 100 most common Swedish surnames.

Rank	Surname	Count	Meaning
1	Andersson	224 669	It means “son of Andrew,” where Andrew means “strong and manly.” Making it the ace of all Swedish last names!
2	Johansson	223 196	The Swedish last name simply means “son of Johan.” Johan is a Scandinavian version of John, Which means “God is good” in Greek.
3	Karlsson	199 027	It is derived from the name Karl, which simply means “son of Karl.” Karl means “manly or macho.”
4	Nilsson	153 251	Meaning “son of Nil,” where Nil can either mean “cloud” for boys or “the Nile” for girls. Making it one of the great Swedish last names for boys or girls.
5	Eriksson	134 683	Widely known as a patronymic hereditary Swedish surname that means “son of Erik.”
6	Larsson	113 096	Meaning “son of Lars.” Lars is a Scandinavian form of Laurentius, which means “crowned with laurel.”
7	Olsson	101 961	It means “son of Olaf.” Olaf is a Norse name that means “ancestor’s relic.”
8	Persson	96 344	It simply means “son of Pers.” Pers means “stone” or “rock” in Greek.
9	Svensson	90 221	The surname means “son of Sven.” Sven is a Scandinavian name that means “youth.”
10	Gustafsson	88 272	Meaning “son of Gustav,” where Gustav is an Old Norse word that means “Staff of Geats.” Geats is an ancient tribe name back in the old days.
11	Petersson	85 760	It means “son of Peter.” Peter means “rock” or “stone” and is a highly regarded Biblical figure in Christianity.
12	Jonsson	67 432	Meaning “son of Jon.” Jon is a variation of John or Jonathan that means “God is gracious” or “gift of Jehovah.”
13	Jansson	45 179	The Swedish surname means “son of Jans,” where Jans is an alteration of Jane that means “God is gracious.”
14	Hansson	39 948	Meaning “son of Hans.” Hans, diminutive of the name Johannes means “God is gracious.”
15	Bengtsson	31 214	It means “son of Bengst,” where Bengst is the Swedish form of Benedict that means “Blessed one.”
16	Jönsson	28 379	Meaning “son of Jön,” where Jön is the short form of Johannes, means “God is gracious.” Placing it among the favorite Swedish last names to date!
17	Lindberg	26 935	The Swedish surname originated from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland that means “Mountain of linden.”
18	Jakobsson	25 435	It means “son of Jakob.” Jakob is an alteration of Jacob that means supplanter in Hebrew origins.
19	Magnusson	24 850	Meaning “son of Magnus,” where Magnus means means “greatest” in Latin. One of the great Swedish last names indeed.
20	Olofsson	24 216	This name means “son of Olof,” where Olof is an alteration of Olaf that means “ancestor’s relic.”
21	Lindström	24 158	Comprises of the Swedish elements lind, which means “linden tree,” and ström, which means “stream.”
22	Lindqvist	22 324	This Swedish last name means “linden twig.” It is one of the most elegant yet straightforward Swedish last names today.
23	Lindgren	22 052	The name means “branch of a lime tree” and is one of the best nature-related Swedish last names to date!
24	Berg	21 453	It means “mountain” and is a common name for people who came from or lived on a hill/mountain.
25	Axelsson	21 445	Meaning son of Axel, where Axel means “father of peace.”
26	Bergström	20 594	A topographic name that is a combination of the word berg which means “mountain,” and ström which means “stream.”
27	Lundberg	20 504	It carries the meaning of “mountain grove.”
28	Lind	20 284	A unisex name that can either mean “marshlands of Lincolnshire” for girls or “island of linden trees” for boys.
29	Lundgren	19 847	Meaning “grove branch,” and is associated with the popular Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren.
30	Lundqvist	19 512	This surname consists of the elements lund, which means “grove,” and qvist, which means “twig or branch.”
31	Mattson	18 749	Means “son of Matt,” where Mat is a shortened version of Matthew that means “God’s gift.”
32	Berglund	19 535	A Swedish ornamental name that means “mountain grove.”
33	Fredriksson	17 511	Meaning “son of Fredrik,” where Fredrik means “peaceful ruler.”
34	Sandberg	17 300	This name means “Sand Mountain.”
35	Henriksson	16 735	Meaning “son of Henrik.” Henrik is a variation of the name Henry that means “estate ruler.”
36	Forsberg	16 237	The Swedish surname means “river in a meadow.”
37	Sjöberg	16 099	This name means “mountain in a sea.”
38	Ali	15 969	A unisex Swedish surname that means “supreme, exalted.”
39	Wallin	15 806	Derived from the English word Wealdwine, which means “powerful friend.”
40	Mohamed	15 639	A spelling variation of the name Muhammad means “praiseworthy.”
41	Engström	15 224	It means “the river near a meadow.”
42	Eklund	14 974	The Swedish surname carries the elements Ek, which means “oak,” and lund, which means “grove.”
43	Danielsson	14 708	It means “son of Daniel.” Daniel is a Hebrew-originated name that means “God is my judge.”
44	Lundin	14 647	The name means “of the grove.”
45	Håkansson	14 350	Means “son of Hakan,” where Hakan means “emperor” or “ruler” in Turkish.
46	Björk	14 086	A name derived from the Old Norse means “birch.”
47	Bergman	14 012	The name is carried by the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman that means “mountain man.”
48	Gunnarsson	13 913	This surname means means “son of Gunnar.” Gunnar means “bold warrior.”
49	Holm	13 790	The Swedish surname is derived from the Old Norse, which means “a small island.”
50	Wikström	13 702	This means “Bay stream” in Swedish.
51	Samuelsson	13 522	Meaning “son of Samuel.” In Hebrew origins, Samuel is a well-known Biblical figure in Christianity that means “told by God.”
52	Isaksson	13 376	An Anglo-Saxon-originated name that simply means “son of Isaac.”
53	Fransson	13 258	It means “son of Frans,” where Frans means “Frenchman” or “free man.”
54	Bergqvist	13 162	An ornamental name that contains the elements berg meaning mountain, and qvist meaning “twig or branch.”
55	Nyström	12 956	A late medieval topographic surname that means “river” or “wide stream.”
56	Holmberg	12 818	The name means “a hill on an island.”
57	Arvidson	12 705	Means “son of Arvid.” Arvid is a Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish name that means “eagle-tree.”
58	Löfgren	12 555	This beautiful surname carries the natural elements Löf meaning “leaf” and gren meaning “branch.”
59	Söderberg	12 357	It consists of the elements Söder meaning “south,” and berg meaning “mountain.”
60	Nyberg	12 282	This name consists of the ny, which means “new,” and berg, which means “mountain.”
61	Blomqvist	12 157	The Swedish surname means “flower branch.”
62	Claesson	11 949	The name simply means “son of Claes.” Claes is an alternate version of the name Nicholas that means “victory of the people.”
63	Nordström	11 887	It means “Northern River.”
64	Ahmed	11768	An Arabic originated name that means “greatly praised.”
65	Mårtensson	11 578	Means “son of Mårten,” where Mårten means “warlike” and is often associated with the Roman god Mars.
66	Lundström	11 419	It consists of lund meaning “grove,” and ström meaning “stream.”
67	Hassan	11 267	An Arabic rooted name that means “handsome.”
68	Viklund	11 226	A Swedish ornamental name that means “bay grove.”
69	Björklund	11 140	It comprises the elements Björk meaning “birch tree,” and lund meaning “grove.”
70	Eliasson	11 107	A unisex name that means “son of Elias.” Elias is a variation of Elijah that means “Yahweh is my God.”
71	Pålsson	10 984	Means “son of Pål,” where Pål is a Swedish version of the name Paul that means “humble” in Latin.
72	Berggren	10 968	The Swedish surname means “mountain branch.”
73	Sandström	10 632	It consists of sand which means “sand,” and ström, which means “stream.”
74	Lund	10 502	It is derived from the Old Norse word lundr that means “grove.”
75	Nordin	10 483	This Swedish surname mans “of North.” Nordin is known as Nur-al-din in Arabic, where Nur means “light” and al-din means “religion.”
76	Ström	10 211	It is derived from the Swedish element ström, which means “stream.”
77	Åberg	10 191	Derived from Swedish roots, that means “hill” or “island mountain.”
78	Falk	10 103	It is known as an occupational name that means “falcon trainer.”
79	Ekström	10 079	Consists of the elements Ek which means “oak tree,” and ström, which means “river.”
80	Hermansson	10 064	Meaning “son of Herman.” Herman is a German-rooted name that means “soldier” or “warrior.”
81	Holmgren	9 865	The Swedish surname consists of holme meaning “islet” and gren meaning “branch.”
82	Hellström	9 739	Known as an ornamental Swedish surname that comprises hall that means “rock,” and ström that means “river.”
83	Dahlberg	9 732	A combination of the elements dal meaning “valley” and berg meaning “mountain.”
84	Hedlund	9 696	It contains the elements hed meaning “heath, moor,” and lund meaning “grove.”
85	Sundberg	9 593	Comprises of Sund that means “Strait,” and berg, which means “mountain.”
86	Sjögren	9 586	It has the elements Sjö, meaning “lake, sea,” and gren meaning “branch.”
87	Ek	9 447	The surname simply means “oak.”
88	Blom	9 396	In Swedish, it means “bloom, flower.”
89	Abrahamsson	9 223	Obtained from the name Abraham from the Bible that means the “Father of many or multitudes.”
90	Martinsson	9201	Meaning “son of Martin.” Martin means “warlike” in Latin.
91	Öberg	9 192	The name means “Hilly Island.”
92	Andreasson	8 942	It means “son of Andrea,” where Andrea means “strong and manly.”
93	Strömberg	8 866	Meaning “mountain with a river.”
94	Månsson	8 839	It means “son of Måns,” where Måns is a variation of Magnus that means “great.”
95	Hansen	8 656	The surname means “son of Hans.” Hans means “God is gracious.”
96	Åkesson	8 638	An Old Norse name derived from the word Aki and has the element anu, which means “ancestor” or “father.”
97	Dahl	8 568	An ornamental name that is derived from the element dal that means “valley.”
98	Lindholm	8 536	The Old Norse name consists of lind, meaning “linden tree,” and holmr meaning “small island.”
99	Norberg	8 514	It has the elements Nord which means “north,” and berg, which means mountain.
100	Holmqvist	8 473	It combines the Swedish elements holm meaning “small island” and qvist meaning “twig.”

Nature and Swedish Surnames

Swedish surnames that have a natural element or two are pretty common. There are over one-third of Swedes with Swedish surnames associated with nature. These include trees, streams, mountains, groves, and animals (just about anything related to nature). 

You may have noticed plenty of Swedish surnames that end with -son, which has a historical reason! This name basis is called the patronymic icon, in which a father’s first name becomes Swedish surnames. So, say a father’s name was Axel Andersson, then his child’s surname would be Axelsson. Statistically, about 2.7 million Swedish surnames end with -son.

Though 2.7 million may seem like a lot for the number of -son Swedish surnames, there are even more Swedish last names (3.4 million or 35 percent of the population) linked to nature! An example of this would be Lindholm, where Lind means “linden tree” and holm means “small island.” Even son-ending Swedish surnames could have nature associated with them, such as Arvidsson, where Arvid means eagle-tree. 

Popular Scandinavian Surnames

In Scandinavia, there are plenty of great surnames to choose from! Mainly, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish surnames are among the top picks. Unlike Swedish surnames, you may notice that most Norwegian and Danish last names end with -sen instead of -son but still carry the same meaning. But some Norwegian/Danish/Swedish surnames have been preferred more than others, eventually making their way to this top 10 Scandinavian names list! They include: 

Jensen 

Meaning “son of Jens.” In Hebrew, Jens is a Danish form of John that means “God is gracious” or “Yahweh is gracious.” 

Nielsen 

Known as one of the top Swedish surnames to date, the name means “son of Niel.” Niel simply means “cloud” in Irish. 

Hansen 

It means “son of Hans,” where Hans is a simplified version of Johannes. Johannes means “God is gracious.” 

Pedersen

The name means “son of Peder.” Peder is a Scandinavian variation of Peter, where Peter means “rock” or “stone” in Greek. 

Andersson 

One of the infamous Swedish surnames that made it to the list that means “son of Anders.” Anders means “strong and manly.”

Olsen 

Meaning “son of Olaf,” where Olaf means “ancestor’s relic.” And yes, just like Disney’s talking snowman cartoon character!

Karlsson 

This name means “son of Karl.” Karl is a Scandinavian variation of Charles, which means “man” or “free man.” 

Svensson 

It means “son of Sven,” where Sven implies youth. It is also known as one most used Swedish surnames to this day! 

Eriksson 

Known as one of the most commonly used Swedish surnames that means “son of Erik.” Erik means “eternal ruler.” 

Rasmussen 

It is commonly used as Danish and Norwegian surnames that means “son of Rasmus.” Rasmus is derived from Greek origins that means “beloved.” 

Swedish surnames

With various Swedish surnames with distinct meanings, they certainly make unique names for any Swede you meet. Though Swedish surnames ending with -son and associated with nature are the more common ones, there are still plenty of other Swedish surnames related to other things like Christianity or Greek and Roman history. Whichever one of the diverse Swedish surnames you may come across, now you know a thing or two about them!

If you’re curious about more, check out the most popular Swedish names for girls and boys.