Surname Olofson - Meaning and Origin

Olofson: What does the surname Olofson mean?

The surname Olofson is of Swedish origin and literally translates to "son of Olof." It's a patronymic surname, a tradition where the father's given name becomes the child's surname with the suffix "-son" or "-dotter" added. In this case, Olof is a traditional Scandinavian first name which is the Swedish form of Olaf, derived from the Old Norse name Áleifr or Óláfr. This name consists of the elements "anu," meaning ancestor, and "leifr," meaning relic or heritage. Therefore, Olofson can be interpreted as "son of the ancestor's relic" or "son of Olof". It's important to remember that Swedish surnames often changed every generation based on the father's name. This practice ceased in the early 1900s when the Swedish parliament decided to make inherited family names compulsory.

Olofson: Where does the name Olofson come from?

The last name Olofson is most commonly found throughout Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. The name is derived from the Old Norse name Óláfr, meaning ‘ancestor’s descendant’. In Sweden, the name peaked in popularity around the post-WWII era and has since become somewhat rare.

Outside of Scandinavia, Olofson can be found in the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, and Australia. In the United States, the most significant concentration is in the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota, as well as New York. Those with the surname are likely descendants of Swedish Americans and Norwegian Americans who immigrated to the Midwestern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The last name Olofson is not particularly common in other English-speaking countries outside the United States. However, New Zealand is home to a small but significant population of people with this name, likely descended from European immigrants. It is also possible to find Olofsons in Germany and the Netherlands, and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, likely descended from Swedish settlers who moved to these countries in the medieval period.

Variations of the surname Olofson

The surname Olofson is of Swedish origin. It is primarily found in Scandinavia, Germany and parts of the United States.

The variants and spellings of Olympson are Oloffson, Olovson, Olupson, Olsen and Olofsson. These variations are generally due to the double surname tradition in Scandinavia, known as 'farm names'. In this tradition, a surname is derived from the first name of a person's father, such as Olof's son (Olofson).

In German, the spelling is often Olssohn and in the United States, the surname is often spelled as Olsonson.

There are also various patronymic surnames that have been derived from Olofson, such as Olsson, Olson, Olsson, Olsons, Olafson, Olofsen and Alofson. These surnames were derived from more than just the first name of the father. Other prefixes such as 'son of' (son of Olof) or 'son of Olofs' (son of Olofs) may have been used too.

The surname Olofson is found all over the world and in a variety of forms. In some cases, the first name of the father in Scandinavia is unknown and the patronymic variants of the surname are the only way to trace an ancestral past.

Famous people with the name Olofson

• Olofson Graham, Canadian actor
• Carl Olofson, American software engineer
• Arthur Olofson, Elite Swedish cyclist
• William Olofson, Minor League Baseball player
• Carl Olofson, Business executive
• Olofson Finley, pioneering American filmmaker
• Olofson Pettersen, Norwegian educationalist, botanist, and pioneering teacher
• Elsa Olofson, Swedish musician, conductor, and composer
• Johannes Olofson, Swedish botanist
• Olofson Lindgren, Swedish Olympic sailor

Other surnames

Olofsson