Sørensen

Sørensen is a Danish and Norwegian surname. It is a patronymic derived from the given name Søren, with the suffix -sen meaning “son.” Søren itself is a form of the Latin name Severus, and the overall meaning is “son of Søren.” The standard spelling in Danish and Norwegian uses the letter ø; in Anglicized contexts the name is often rendered as Sorensen or Sorenson, and occasionally as Sorensen without the diacritic.

Sørensen is among the most common surnames in Denmark, and it is also found in Norway and among Nordic diaspora communities. In the United States and Canada, immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries led to several Anglicized variants such as Sorensen and Sorenson.

Historically, Sørensen originated as a patronymic surname. In the 19th century, Denmark and Norway began adopting fixed hereditary surnames, turning paternal names into family names. As a result, Sørensen became a stable surname passed down through generations, regardless of the individual’s father’s name. Variants reflect linguistic adaptation across regions and alphabets, including Sorenson and Sorensøn in some dialects. The name is used across many professions and contexts, and like many Nordic surnames, it can provide information about geographic and family origins, while many individual bearers have different nationalities and occupations.