Swedish Last Names
Swedish last names fall into a few easy-to-spot families. There are the patronymics ending in -son (Andersson, “son of Anders”), the poetic two-part nature names invented in the nineteenth century (Lindqvist, “linden twig”), short soldier names handed out by the army, and the grand names of the nobility. Once you know the building blocks, you can read almost any Swedish surname.
Below are 100+ Swedish last names with meanings, plus the Americanized spellings brought over by Swedish immigrants. For first names, see our Swedish names hub. You may also like Norwegian last names and Viking last names.
Most common Swedish last names
Statistics Sweden (SCB) data shows that the top surnames are almost all patronymics, a legacy of the old naming system.
| Surname | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Andersson | Son of Anders (Andrew) | AN-der-son |
| Johansson | Son of Johan (John) | YOO-han-son |
| Karlsson | Son of Karl | KARL-son |
| Nilsson | Son of Nils (Nicholas) | NILS-son |
| Eriksson | Son of Erik | EH-rik-son |
| Larsson | Son of Lars (Laurence) | LAR-son |
| Olsson | Son of Olof or Ola | OOL-son |
| Persson | Son of Per (Peter) | PAIR-son |
| Svensson | Son of Sven | SVEN-son |
| Gustafsson | Son of Gustav | GUS-taf-son |
| Pettersson | Son of Petter (Peter) | PET-ter-son |
| Jonsson | Son of Jon (John) | YON-son |
| Jansson | Son of Jan (John) | YAN-son |
| Hansson | Son of Hans (John) | HAN-son |
| Bengtsson | Son of Bengt (Benedict) | BENKT-son |
| Jönsson | Son of Jöns (John) | YUN-son |
| Jakobsson | Son of Jakob | YAH-kob-son |
| Magnusson | Son of Magnus | MAHNG-nus-son |
| Olofsson | Son of Olof | OO-lof-son |
| Lindström | Linden stream | LIND-strum |
More Swedish patronymic surnames
Until the late 1800s a Swede’s last name changed every generation: Erik Andersson’s son was Johan Eriksson, and his daughter was Anna Eriksdotter. A 1901 law made family names permanent.
| Surname | Son of… | Meaning of the first name |
|---|---|---|
| Axelsson | Axel | Father of peace |
| Mattsson | Matts (Matthias) | Gift of God |
| Fredriksson | Fredrik | Peaceful ruler |
| Henriksson | Henrik | Ruler of the home |
| Isaksson | Isak | He will laugh |
| Danielsson | Daniel | God is my judge |
| Samuelsson | Samuel | God has heard |
| Göransson | Göran (George) | Farmer |
| Håkansson | Håkan | High son |
| Mårtensson | Mårten (Martin) | Of Mars |
| Ivarsson | Ivar | Bow warrior |
| Ragnarsson | Ragnar | Warrior of the gods’ counsel |
| Torstensson | Torsten | Thor’s stone |
| Månsson | Måns (Magnus) | Great |
| Sigurdsson | Sigurd | Victory guardian |
| Andersdotter | Anders | Daughter of Anders (historic form) |
Swedish nature surnames (“ornamental names”)
When Swedes swapped patronymics for fixed names, many built new ones from two nature words. The key elements: berg (mountain), ström (stream), lind (linden), qvist (twig), gren (branch), holm (islet), sjö (lake), lund (grove), dahl (valley). They make great cool last names.
| Surname | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Lindqvist | Linden twig | Also spelled Lindkvist |
| Bergström | Mountain stream | Very common |
| Lindgren | Linden branch | Astrid Lindgren |
| Sjöberg | Lake mountain | “Sjö” sounds like “whuh” |
| Holmberg | Islet mountain | Coastal feel |
| Lundgren | Grove branch | Common in the south |
| Berglund | Mountain grove | Northern Sweden |
| Sandberg | Sand mountain | Very common |
| Forsberg | Waterfall mountain | From <em>fors</em>, “rapids” |
| Engström | Meadow stream | From <em>äng</em>, “meadow” |
| Sundberg | Strait mountain | From <em>sund</em>, “strait” |
| Nyström | New stream | Popular 1800s creation |
| Lindholm | Linden islet | Coastal |
| Dahlberg | Valley mountain | Old style spelling with -h |
| Ekström | Oak stream | Short and strong |
| Björklund | Birch grove | From <em>björk</em>, “birch” |
| Blomqvist | Flower twig | From <em>blomma</em>, “flower” |
| Hedlund | Heath grove | Central Sweden |
| Lundqvist | Grove twig | Also Lundkvist |
| Nordström | Northern stream | Nordstrom department stores |
| Åberg | River mountain | From <em>å</em>, “stream” |
| Söderberg | Southern mountain | Also Söderström |
| Sjögren | Lake branch | Sjögren’s syndrome |
| Hellström | Flat rock stream | From <em>häll</em>, “rock slab” |
| Holm | Islet | Short and simple |
| Ek | Oak | One of the shortest surnames |
| Strand | Beach, shore | Also Norwegian |
| Rosén | Rose | French-style accent |
| Wallin | From <em>vall</em>, “grassy bank” | Latinized ending |
| Almqvist | Elm twig | From <em>alm</em>, “elm” |
Swedish soldier names
Swedish soldiers in the 1600s–1800s were given short, punchy names so officers could tell the many Anderssons apart. Many families kept them.
| Surname | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Stark | Strong | Also German |
| Modig | Brave | Classic soldier name |
| Frisk | Healthy, fit | Also Danish |
| Rask | Quick | Common in Västergötland |
| Kvick | Nimble, quick | Rare today |
| Lustig | Merry, cheerful | Also German |
| Trygg | Safe, secure | Uncommon |
| Glad | Happy | Short and upbeat |
| Strid | Battle | Fitting for a soldier |
| Snabb | Fast | Rare |
| Svärd | Sword | Also Swärd |
| Sköld | Shield | Also Skjöld |
| Ståhl | Steel | Old spelling of <em>stål</em> |
| Hjelm | Helmet | Also Hjelmqvist |
Swedish noble and scholarly surnames
Swedish noble families took names from their coats of arms, while scholars often Latinized theirs. Compare with the medieval last names of other countries.
| Surname | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Oxenstierna | Ox forehead | Family of chancellor Axel Oxenstierna |
| Leijonhufvud | Lion’s head | Ancient noble house |
| Gyllenstierna | Golden star | Noble house |
| Gyllenhaal | From <em>gyllene</em>, “golden,” plus the original surname Haal | Ennobled 1652; Jake Gyllenhaal |
| Adlercreutz | Eagle cross | German-style noble name |
| Silfverswärd | Silver sword | Noble house |
| Stiernhielm | Star helmet | Poet Georg Stiernhielm |
| Lagerlöf | Laurel leaf | Novelist Selma Lagerlöf |
| Linnaeus | From a linden tree on the family farm | Botanist Carl Linnaeus (von Linné) |
| Celsius | Latinized from the Kälsu farm | Astronomer Anders Celsius |
Swedish last names in America
More than a million Swedes emigrated to the US between 1850 and 1930, mainly to Minnesota, Illinois and the Midwest. Their names were often simplified to a single s.
| American spelling | Swedish original | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson | Andersson | Son of Anders |
| Johnson | Johansson / Jonsson | Son of John |
| Carlson | Karlsson | Son of Karl |
| Nelson | Nilsson | Son of Nils |
| Peterson | Pettersson | Son of Peter |
| Olson | Olsson | Son of Olof |
| Swanson | Svensson | Son of Sven |
| Erickson | Eriksson | Son of Erik |
| Hanson | Hansson | Son of Hans |
| Gustafson | Gustafsson | Son of Gustav |
| Lindbergh | Lindberg | Linden mountain |
| Benson | Bengtsson | Son of Bengt |
How to read and use Swedish last names
- Break the name in two: most nature surnames are word + word, so Sjö-berg is “lake mountain” and Blom-qvist is “flower twig.”
- Double letters matter: Swedish spelling Andersson (two s’s) became Anderson in America. Old records may show both.
- Tracing ancestors? Before 1901 look for the father’s first name plus -son or -dotter, not a fixed family name.
- Need a character name? Pair a Swedish first name from our Swedish girl names or Swedish boy names with a nature surname for an authentic feel.
- Many nature surnames overlap with Finnish last names used by Finland’s Swedish-speaking minority.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common Swedish last name?
Andersson is the most common surname in Sweden, followed by Johansson, Karlsson and Nilsson (SCB data).
What does -son mean in Swedish last names?
It means “son of.” Andersson was originally Anders’ son. Daughters used -dotter, as in Andersdotter.
Why do Swedish surnames end in -berg, -ström or -qvist?
These are ornamental nature names coined in the 1800s. Berg means mountain, ström stream and qvist (kvist) twig.
What are Swedish soldier names?
They are short surnames the army gave to soldiers, such as Stark (strong), Modig (brave) and Svärd (sword). Many families kept them.
Is Nelson a Swedish name?
In the US, Nelson is often the Americanized form of the Swedish Nilsson (son of Nils), though it is also an English surname.