Anderson, Andersson or Andersen is a surname deriving from a patronymic meaning "son of Anders/Andrew" (itself derived from the Greek name "Andreas", meaning "man" or "manly"). In Scotland, the name was first found in the Great Glen and Strathspey, where the Anderson family was seated from ancient times. The name soon migrated to England, where it was consistently written with only one s. The name is the second-most common name in Sweden [1], where it is mostly written Andersson but occasionally Anderson. In Norway and Denmark, the cognate Andersen is most common. The Scandinavian forms were usually rendered as Anderson by immigrants to the United States, helping it become one of the most common American surnames. The name is 11th most common in a recent US census. According to House of Names, the commonality of the name is due to the popularity of the name Anders at the time patronymic family names were being adopted. From About.com: "Andrew (man, manly) was the first of Jesus' disciples, and was a revered name in medieval times due to its church connections. St. Andrew is the patron saint of both Scotland and Russia." Thus in many cases the name, or at least its commonality, may be influenced by the christianization of Scandinavia. At the time, massive persecution of Heathens would have made taking or giving a Christian name attractive to many, resulting in the popularity of the name Anders, and thus Andersson. Other spelling variations include: Andison, Andersonne, Andersoun, Andirsoone, Andresoun, Androson, Andirston, Andresson, Andrewson, and Andresen. Anderson as a surname may refer to:
- Anderson (footballer), Brazilian football players with Anderson in their name
- Benedict Richard O'Gorman Anderson, social scientist and author of Imagined Communities.
- Clive Anderson, British lawyer and comedian.
- Lymon Anderson, Wisconsin Statesman.
- Edmund E. Anderson, American auto designer
- Galusha Anderson, American theologian
- Gary Anderson (F1 designer), former Formula One racing car designer
- Gerry Anderson, British television producer and puppeteer (Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet)
- Gillian Anderson (born 1968), American actress
- Ivie Anderson (1904 – 1949), American jazz singer
- Ian Anderson (musician) (born 1947), Scottish singer, songwriter and flautist, with Jethro Tull
- Ian A. Anderson, folk musician and editor of fRoots magazine
- Jack Anderson (1922-2005), American journalist
- John B. Anderson (born 1922), American politician
- Jon Anderson (born 1944), English musician and singer, with Yes
- Laurie Anderson, American singer and event artist
- Lynn Anderson (born 1947), American country music singer
- Marc Anderson, American percussionist
- Mark Anderson (writer) (born 1967), American journalist and author
- Mark Anderson (football player), American Football player
- Martina Anderson (born 1962), Northern Irish politician
- Melissa Sue Anderson (born 1962), American actress
- Miller Anderson (1922-1965), American diver
- Oskar Johann Viktor Anderson (1887 – 1960), Russian-German statistician
- Pamela Denise Anderson (born 1967), Canadian-American glamour model and actress
- Pamela Sue Anderson, British? Philospopher
- Philip Warren Anderson (born 1923), American theoretical physicist
- Poul Anderson (born 1926), American science fiction author
- Robert Anderson, various people named Robert Anderson
- Richard Dean Anderson (born 1950), American actor
- Russell Anderson (born 1978), Scottish footballer
- Samuel Anderson (1773 – 1850), American legislator
- Stephen Wayne Anderson (1953-2002), executed Utah assualter and California murderer of Elizabeth Lyman.
- Samuel Anderson (actor), British actor
- Theodore Wilbur Anderson, Jr. (1918 – ?), American statistician, co-inventor of the Anderson-Darling test
- Thomas Anderson, various people named Thomas Anderson
- Tom Anderson, various people named Tom Anderson
- Victor Anderson, various people named Victor Anderson
- Wes Anderson, film director
- William Anderson (Canadian politician), politician
- William Louis Anderson Former Bishop of Portsmouth and Salisbury
Fictional characters:
- Thomas A. Anderson ("Neo"), a character from The Matrix
- Judge Anderson, a character from Judge Dredd
- Alexander Anderson, a character in the Japanese anime/manga series Hellsing
- Amy Anderson, the name briefly used by Sailor Moon character Ami Mizuno
- Tom Anderson, the neighbor from Beavis and Butthead
- Sgt. Anderson, a character in the late 1980s Vietnam War TV series "Tour of Duty"
