Andersdotter

Andersdotter is a Scandinavian surname of patronymic origin, meaning “daughter of Anders.” It derives from the given name Anders, the Nordic form of Andrew, and was historically used to identify a person’s parentage rather than a fixed family line. The spelling is typically Swedish; Danish and Norwegian equivalents include Andersdatter or Andersdotter, with similar patterns found in other Nordic languages (such as Andersdóttir in Icelandic).

In historical usage, patronymic names were not fixed surnames. A daughter of a man named Anders would be recorded as Andersdotter, while a son would be named Andersson. From the 17th to 19th centuries, many Scandinavian countries shifted toward hereditary surnames, and some families bearing Andersdotter adopted it as a fixed last name, spreading beyond strict patrilineal use.

Today, Andersdotter appears as a surname among individuals of Swedish or broader Scandinavian descent and can be found in historical records and contemporary name lists. It remains primarily of genealogical and historical interest, reflecting the region’s shift from patronymic naming practices to hereditary family surnames.

See also: Andersson, Andersdatter, Andersdóttir.