ERICSSON
The surname Ericsson has its roots in the Scandinavian peninsula, most commonly associated with Sweden.
It is derived from the Old Norse personal name Eiríkr, composed of the elements meaning “ever” and “ruler”, and the suffix “son” designating a son of the father named Eric; thus the literal meaning is “son of Eric”.
In the historical naming practices of the Nordic peoples, surnames were often patronymic, with children given the previous generation’s personal name plus the suffix “–son” for a son or “–dottir” for a daughter. The use of fixed hereditary surnames only became common during the late-19th and early-20th centuries, when state policies encouraged the adoption of permanent family names to facilitate record keeping. Despite this shift, many lines that originally carried the patronymic remained unchanged in spelling for several generations.
Within Sweden and neighbouring countries such as Denmark, Norway and Iceland, the surname appears in various orthographic forms – Eriksen, Erikson, Eriksson, Ericson, Erickson, and others – all reflecting the same patronymic origin. In the British Isles the name is recorded in Scotland, particularly in the Shetland Islands, with early examples dating from the early 17th century. Catholic emigration and subsequent immigration waves have carried the name to North America and beyond; today it is a common surname among communities of Scandinavian descent in the United States, especially within the Midwest and in Minnesota, and among people in the Faroe Islands and Iceland. The name is also found among individuals without Scandinavian ancestry, often as a result of intermarriage or adoption.
One of the most celebrated bearers of the surname was John Ericsson (1803–1889), a Swedish engineer who emigrated to the United States. He is best known for patenting the first practical steam turbine in 1839, and for designing the ironclad warship Monitor in 1862, a pioneering vessel used in the American Civil War. Other prominent figures include the inventor of the first destroyer in 1881, also attributed to John Ericsson, and various scientists, politicians and athletes who carry the surname today.
Beyond individual achievements, the name Ericsson is widely recognised worldwide as the corporate title of the Swedish multinational telecommunications and networking company that was founded in 1876. The firm’s global operations have helped to disseminate the surname in business contexts and popular culture, leading to a broad recognition that extends far beyond its original Scandinavian roots.
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Ericsson in...
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There are approximately 120 people named Ericsson in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around two in a million people in Britain are named Ericsson.
