Sweden
The most common surnames in Sweden are originally patronymic. Family names ending with the suffix "sson" are the most common names in Sweden. In 1901, the Names Adoption Act was passed, which abolished the patronymic practice. From 1901, everyone had to have a family name that was passed down to the next generation.
Many family names consist of items from nature, for example Lind/Lindberg (linden/lime + mountain), Berg/Bergkvist (mountain/mountain + twig), Alström/Ahlström (alder + stream), or Dahl/Dahlin (valley). Sometimes the first part of such a composite name refers to the family's place of origin e.g. the Strindberg family originating from Strinne; the second part being just ornamental. Families also frequently have military-oriented names such as Skarpsvärd (sharp sword), Sköld (shield) and Stolt (proud). Those names were originally assigned to soldiers under the military allotment system in effect from the 16th century. As in Denmark, the clergy Latinized their names up to about the 18th century, e.g. Linnaeus. Due to the greater diversity of these names each specific name is less common than most patronymic names.
The listing of 20 most commonly Swedish surnames as of December 31, 2008:
| Rank | Surname | Number of bearers 2008 | Type | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johansson | 265.308 | patronymic | son of Johan |
| 2 | Andersson | 263.518 | patronymic | son of Anders |
| 3 | Karlsson | 201.681 | patronymic | son of Karl |
| 4 | Nilsson | 178.845 | patronymic | son of Nils |
| 5 | Eriksson | 142.959 | patronymic | son of Erik |
| 6 | Larsson | 129.275 | patronymic | son of Lars |
| 7 | Olsson | 113.927 | patronymic | son of Ola |
| 8 | Persson | 111.629 | patronymic | son of Per |
| 9 | Svensson | 106.886 | patronymic | son of Sven |
| 10 | Gustafsson | 74.432 | patronymic | son of Gustaf |
| 11 | Pettersson | 67.519 | patronymic | son of Petter |
| 12 | Jonsson | 59.307 | patronymic | son of Jon |
| 13 | Jansson | 51.346 | patronymic | son of Jan |
| 14 | Hansson | 45.009 | patronymic | son of Hans |
| 15 | Bengtsson | 35.241 | patronymic | son of Bengt |
| 16 | Jönsson | 34.018 | patronymic | son of Jöns |
| 17 | Petersson | 31.332 | patronymic | son of Peter |
| 18 | Carlsson | 29.967 | patronymic | son of Carl |
| 19 | Lindberg | 27.344 | landscape | linden + mountain |
| 20 | Magnusson | 27.152 | patronymic | son of Magnus |
Read more about this topic: Scandinavian Family Name Etymology