Eriksson means son of Erik, not a family name in the modern sense. The table below holds more than a hundred real Norse surnames, each with the root, the meaning, and the kind of name it is.
What are common Norse last names?
The table runs by kind: patronymics, then farm names, then landscape names, then bynames kept. Every row is a receipt. Copy any row, or the whole set, and paste it anywhere.
The four kinds of Norse surname, in order.
Norse last names with builds, meanings and kinds
Name
Built from
Meaning
Kind
Eriksson
Erik (ever-ruler) + son
son of Erik, the name Leif carried
patronymic
Andersson
Anders (manly) + son
son of Anders
patronymic
Johansson
Johan (God is gracious) + son
son of Johan
patronymic
Karlsson
Karl (free man) + son
son of Karl
patronymic
Nilsson
Nils (victory of the people) + son
son of Nils
patronymic
Larsson
Lars (laurel-crowned) + son
son of Lars
patronymic
Olsson
Olof (ancestor’s heir) + son
son of Olof
patronymic
Persson
Per (rock) + son
son of Per
patronymic
Svensson
Sven (young warrior) + son
son of Sven
patronymic
Gustafsson
Gustaf (staff of the Goths) + son
son of Gustaf
patronymic
Want these paired with given names? Norse name generator. Every draw keeps its receipt.
Magnusson
Magnus (great) + son
son of Magnus
patronymic
Haraldsson
Harald (army ruler) + son
son of Harald
patronymic
Sigurdsson
Sigurd (victory guardian) + son
son of Sigurd
patronymic
Ivarsson
Ivar (yew warrior) + son
son of Ivar
patronymic
Ragnarsson
Ragnar (gods’ counsel) + son
son of Ragnar, as the saga sons were called
patronymic
Björnsson
Björn (bear) + son
son of Björn
patronymic
Thorsson
Thor (the thunder god) + son
son of Thor
patronymic
Knutsson
Knut (knot) + son
son of Knut
patronymic
Leifsson
Leif (heir) + son
son of Leif
patronymic
Einarsson
Einar (lone warrior) + son
son of Einar
patronymic
Gudmundsson
Gudmund (god’s protection) + son
son of Gudmund
patronymic
Halfdansson
Halfdan (half Dane) + son
son of Halfdan
patronymic
Valdemarsson
Valdemar (rule + famed) + son
son of Valdemar
patronymic
Stensson
Sten (stone) + son
son of Sten
patronymic
Grimsson
Grim (the helmeted) + son
son of Grim
patronymic
Ólafsson
Ólafur (ancestor’s heir) + son
son of Ólafur
patronymic, Iceland
Jónsson
Jón (God is gracious) + son
son of Jón
patronymic, Iceland
Gunnarsson
Gunnar (warrior) + son
son of Gunnar
patronymic, Iceland
Arnason
Arni (eagle) + son
son of Arni, the eagle
patronymic, Iceland
Halldórsson
Halldór (Thor’s rock) + son
son of Halldór
patronymic, Iceland
Pálsson
Páll (small, humble) + son
son of Páll
patronymic, Iceland
Stefánsson
Stefán (crown) + son
son of Stefán
patronymic, Iceland
Jónasson
Jónas (God is gracious) + son
son of Jónas
patronymic, Iceland
Benediktsson
Benedikt (blessed) + son
son of Benedikt
patronymic, Iceland
Tomasson
Thomas (the twin) + son
son of Thomas
patronymic, Iceland
Hannesson
Hannes (God is gracious) + son
son of Hannes
patronymic
Andersen
Anders + sen
son of Anders
patronymic, Danish
Jensen
Jens (God is gracious) + sen
son of Jens
patronymic, Danish
Nielsen
Niels (victory of the people) + sen
son of Niels
patronymic, Danish
Hansen
Hans (God is gracious) + sen
son of Hans
patronymic, Danish
Pedersen
Peder (rock) + sen
son of Peder
patronymic, Danish
Olsen
Ole (ancestor’s heir) + sen
son of Ole
patronymic, Danish
Larsen
Lars (laurel-crowned) + sen
son of Lars
patronymic, Danish
Rasmussen
Rasmus (beloved) + sen
son of Rasmus
patronymic, Danish
Eriksen
Erik + sen
son of Erik
patronymic, Danish
Sørensen
Søren (stern) + sen
son of Søren
patronymic, Danish
Jørgensen
Jørgen (farmer) + sen
son of Jørgen
patronymic, Danish
Simonsen
Simon (he has heard) + sen
son of Simon
patronymic, Danish
Danielsen
Daniel (God is my judge) + sen
son of Daniel
patronymic, Danish
Michelsen
Michael (who is like God) + sen
son of Michael
patronymic, Danish
Ibsen
Ib (from Jacob) + sen
son of Ib, the playwright’s name
patronymic, Danish
Poulsen
Poul (small) + sen
son of Poul
patronymic, Danish
Haraldsen
Harald (army ruler) + sen
son of Harald
patronymic, Norwegian
Gundersen
Gunder (war army) + sen
son of Gunder, from Gunnarr
patronymic, Norwegian
Guðmundsdóttir
Guðmund + dóttir
daughter of Guðmund
patronymic, Iceland
Jónsdóttir
Jón + dóttir
daughter of Jón
patronymic, Iceland
Sigurðardóttir
Sigurður + dóttir
daughter of Sigurður
patronymic, Iceland
Ragnarsdóttir
Ragnar + dóttir
daughter of Ragnar
patronymic, Iceland
Eriksdóttir
Erik + dóttir
daughter of Erik, as Freydis was
patronymic, Iceland
Haraldsdóttir
Harald + dóttir
daughter of Harald
patronymic, Iceland
Björnsdóttir
Björn + dóttir
daughter of Björn
patronymic, Iceland
Thorsdóttir
Thor + dóttir
daughter of Thor
patronymic, Iceland
Magnúsdóttir
Magnús + dóttir
daughter of Magnús
patronymic, Iceland
Ólafsdóttir
Ólafur + dóttir
daughter of Ólafur
patronymic, Iceland
Knútsdóttir
Knut + dóttir
daughter of Knut
patronymic, Iceland
Halldórsdóttir
Halldór + dóttir
daughter of Halldór
patronymic, Iceland
Einarsdóttir
Einar + dóttir
daughter of Einar
patronymic, Iceland
Leifsdóttir
Leif + dóttir
daughter of Leif
patronymic, Iceland
Grímsdóttir
Grim + dóttir
daughter of Grim
patronymic, Iceland
Lindqvist
lind (linden) + qvist (twig)
the linden twig, a farm’s name
farm name
Bergström
berg (mountain) + ström (stream)
mountain stream
farm name
Lindgren
lind + gren (branch)
linden branch
farm name
Berggren
berg + gren
mountain branch
farm name
Holmberg
holm (islet) + berg
islet mountain
farm name
Sandberg
sand + berg
sand mountain
farm name
Åberg
å (stream) + berg
stream mountain
farm name
Nyberg
ny (new) + berg
new mountain, a new settlement
farm name
Norberg
nor (north) + berg
north mountain
farm name
Hedberg
hed (heath) + berg
heath mountain
farm name
Forsberg
fors (waterfall) + berg
waterfall mountain
farm name
Eklund
ek (oak) + lund (grove)
oak grove
farm name
Söderlund
söder (south) + lund
south grove
farm name
Blomqvist
blom (flower) + qvist
flower twig
farm name
Vikström
vik (bay) + ström
bay stream
farm name
Dahlström
dahl (valley) + ström
valley stream
farm name
Engström
eng (meadow) + ström
meadow stream
farm name
Åström
å + ström
stream stream, the water’s place
farm name
Sjöberg
sjö (lake) + berg
lake mountain
farm name
Holmgren
holm + gren
islet branch
farm name
Stenström
sten (stone) + ström
stone stream
farm name
Lundgren
lund + gren
grove branch
farm name
Dahl
dahl (valley)
the valley
landscape
Haugen
haug (hill)
the hill
landscape
Bakken
bakke (slope)
the slope
landscape
Moen
mo (meadow)
the moor
landscape
Vik
vik (bay)
the bay
landscape
Nes
nes (headland)
the headland
landscape
Berg
berg (mountain)
the mountain
landscape
Holm
holm (islet)
the islet
landscape
Lund
lund (grove)
the grove
landscape
Strand
strand (shore)
the shore
landscape
Foss
foss (waterfall)
the waterfall
landscape
Sund
sund (sound, strait)
the strait
landscape
Vang
vang (field)
the field
landscape
Gard
gard (farmstead)
the farmstead
landscape
Aas
aas (ridge)
the ridge
landscape
Björk
björk (birch)
the birch tree
landscape
Ek
ek (oak)
the oak
landscape
Gren
gren (branch)
the branch
landscape
Storm
storm (storm)
the storm
landscape
Fjeld
fjeld (plateau mountain)
the mountain plateau
landscape
Rud
rud (clearing)
the clearing
landscape
Raud
rauðr (red)
the red one, as Erik was
byname kept
Digre
digri (stout)
the stout one, as Olaf was
byname kept
Lang
langr (tall)
the tall one
byname kept
Gammel
gamall (old)
the old one
byname kept
Ung
ungr (young)
the young one
byname kept
Open these in the generator. The Norse name generator pairs attested given names with these patronymics, with the receipt on every draw.
A patronymic is a description, rebuilt every generation. Eriksson says "Erik's son." It does not say "of the Eriksson family," because there was no such family. Two brothers were Eriksson and Ragnarsson if their fathers were Erik and Ragnar. The modern phone book hides this: Sweden and Denmark froze their patronymics into fixed surnames in the 1800s.
Iceland never froze them. An Icelander today is Jónsson or Jónsdóttir because their father is Jón, and their own children will carry different names again. That is the honest answer to "what are Viking surnames": a system where the name describes you, not your family line.
The patronymic rule across the North
Country
Form
What happened to it
Iceland
-son, -dóttir
still rebuilt every generation
Sweden
-son
frozen into family names, 1800s
Denmark
-sen
frozen into family names, 1800s
Norway
-sen, -son
frozen, with older farm names kept
How do Norse last names work?
Four engines: the father, the farm, the landscape, the byname. The father gave the patronymic. The farm gave compounds like Bergström, mountain stream, the name of the land a family worked. The landscape gave single words: Vik, the bay. The byname recorded a trait so well it stuck: Raud, the red.
Farm names matter more than people expect. When the patronymic system faded, families often took the farm's name as their surname, which is why Swedish name lists read like a hike: berg, lund, ström, holm. The Norse name generator shows the given-name side of the same world.
What do Norse last names mean?
The meaning sits in the root, and the kind of name tells you where to look. Three families from the master table, sliced:
The patronymic family
Norse patronymic surnames
Last name
Built from
Meaning
Eriksson
Erik (ever-ruler) + son
son of Erik, the name Leif carried
Andersson
Anders (manly) + son
son of Anders
Johansson
Johan (God is gracious) + son
son of Johan
Karlsson
Karl (free man) + son
son of Karl
Nilsson
Nils (victory of the people) + son
son of Nils
Larsson
Lars (laurel-crowned) + son
son of Lars
The farm-name family
Norse farm-name surnames
Last name
Built from
Meaning
Lindqvist
lind (linden) + qvist (twig)
the linden twig, a farm’s name
Bergström
berg (mountain) + ström (stream)
mountain stream
Lindgren
lind + gren (branch)
linden branch
Berggren
berg + gren
mountain branch
Holmberg
holm (islet) + berg
islet mountain
Sandberg
sand + berg
sand mountain
The landscape family
Norse landscape surnames
Last name
Built from
Meaning
Dahl
dahl (valley)
the valley
Haugen
haug (hill)
the hill
Bakken
bakke (slope)
the slope
Moen
mo (meadow)
the moor
Vik
vik (bay)
the bay
Nes
nes (headland)
the headland
The real tradition and its fantasy echo
Dwarf names and viking-flavored fantasy names borrow this grammar. The dwarf name generator runs Norse-style roots with clan epithets and says so on every draw. The difference is the receipt: this page's names come from the Eddas, the sagas, and the living Scandinavian record. Fantasy names come from invented traditions, labeled as invented.
When a fantasy character needs the real thing, this is the real thing. When it needs the flavor, the fantasy names hub holds that side.
What are rare Norse last names?
The rare ones are the bynames that survived and the single-word landscapes outside Norway. Digre, the stout, lives because Olaf carried it. Storm, the storm, lives because a family kept a weather word as its name.
Rare Norse last names and why they are rare
Rare surname
Meaning
Why it is rare
Digre
the stout one
a byname of one famous king
Raud
the red one
kept from the settler era, few lines
Ung
the young one
a byname that rarely outlived its bearer
Rud
the clearing
a settlement word, regional
Aas
the ridge
thin outside Norway
More rare surnames across cultures on the rare last names page.
Norse last name questions, answered
What did Vikings call themselves?
By their given name, their father, and where they were from. A saga-age Icelander was Gunnar, son of Hamund, of Hlidarendi. No family name attached. The patronymic was a description, rebuilt for each child, not a shared surname.
Why do so many Norse names end in -son?
Because -son means son of, and the naming rule built it from the father. Sweden and Denmark fixed these patronymics into family names in the 1800s, which is why Andersson and Andersen fill their phone books today. The endings -son and -sen are the same word, spelled by country.
Do Norse women carry -son too?
Daughters carry -dóttir in Iceland: Ragnarsdóttir, daughter of Ragnar. The rest of Scandinavia moved to shared family names, so a daughter today is Andersson like her father. Iceland kept the old grammar, so it still names daughters for mothers and fathers alike.
Is Iceland still naming this way?
Yes. Iceland is the living patronymic system. Nearly every Icelander carries a name built from their father's or mother's first name, plus -son or -dóttir. A brother and sister in the same family carry different surnames, and nobody finds it strange.
Where this data comes from.Old Norse roots, patronymic rules and surname kinds are compiled from the Eddas, the Icelandic sagas and published onomastic references for Scandinavia. Attestation and name-kind are stated per row. Where these names come from →